What to Look for in Packing and Moving Services

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What to Look for in Packing and Moving Services

Staff Writer · Oct 22, 2009

If you are looking at packing and moving company options, some good thorough research can save you a lot of money and hassle. Here are some of the major points to evaluate when you’re looking for packing and moving services.

A Fair Price

The issue of price is a prime factor in how most people hire movers. You can save hundreds of dollars with small local firms over large commercial movers, but you have to know how to negotiate a price up front. Make sure the moving company presents you with an itemized bid, and be thorough about questioning any extras in the bill. You may be able to get a great bargain by finding a mover with low overhead and getting a written agreement with them. You can also save money by getting your own moving boxes and moving supplies, or by using self storage services as part of the equation. What you need to do is look at the job from a time plus labor perspective, and be reasonable about what it is worth.

Care for Your Belongings

This is another critical issue with any packing or moving company that you will hire. Companies with bad policies about caring for your possessions can end up costing you a lot of money. Talk to the people who arrange the bids, and make sure a good care policy is in place, and that employees will be easy on your furniture, boxes, and more, instead of simply throwing goods into a truck or damaging them through a hurried-up moving process.

Time Frame

As mentioned above, you don’t want your packing or moving company to go too fast and damage your goods, but you also want them to be mindful of your own time situation. As you were planning for your move, you probably coordinated trips to your new home in your personal vehicle, as well as time off work, to coincide with when you think their truck will arrive. Punctuality is extremely important for an easy move, and late movers can cost you money as well.

Courtesy and Respect

Along with all of the above considerations, courtesy is key. This means employees who listen to your needs and efficiently take care of your possessions. It also means movers who won’t blast their music, track mud through your home, curse in front of your kids, or lounge around your house. The best way to find courteous movers is by interviewing representatives of the business thoroughly to figure out who will be doing the job and how they will likely go about it. Remember, part of getting a deal is finding reliable and professional movers.

The above will help those who are just starting to look for moving help to think about what they really want from a packing or moving company. All of the above factors provide an ‘equation’ for how good a moving company really is. These kinds of companies vary a lot, and that’s why it’s so important to figure out how much you can trust a local mover, or a corporate moving company, to deliver the results you need.

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