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When you decide to move to a new home, you need to make lots of decisions. You have to purchase the moving supplies, choose the moving date, hire professional moving companies, and many more crucial decisions to make.
There are unlimited moving companies available in the country, so it becomes challenging to choose the right one. Therefore, you need to ask some questions from your movers before making a deal. Do you know what those questions are? If yes, that’s great. Otherwise, after reading this guide, you will be familiar with all the questions you need to ask your movers.
5 Questions to Ask Your Movers Before the Move Starts
When you choose the wrong moving company, you’ll have to repent your whole life. So, let’s find out the questions you need to ask your movers to avoid this repent.
1: Are You Licensed?
You’ll find lots of companies, but only a few companies will be licensed. This question will prevent you from scams. The company should have a license number to satisfy you. You can check their validity by visiting the site of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
If you want to move within the same state, you can hire a moving company regulated by the local state. Each state in the U.S. has its own set own licensing regulations and requirements. When the companies are licensed, they will have trained professionals to move your goods. If the company is not licensed, then move forward and don’t hire them. You need to do thorough research to avoid scams.
2: What Kind of Protection Do They Offer?
In other words, you can call it insurance. You need to ensure that your belongings are covered if something wrong happens during a move. Moving companies have multiple coverage options regardless of whether you’re moving across the country or to the next street within the state. Mainly the moving companies offer two types of liability options. The first one is Full Value Protection, and the second one is Released Value. The difference between the two is given below:
- Full Value Protection
This comprehensive plan offers full protection of your belongings. In this option, your mover is responsible for paying you if something is lost or damaged. It will be a costly option, but you don’t have to worry about your items being getting lost or damaged. The price of Full Value Protection varies from mover to mover.
- Released Value Protection
You don’t have to pay extra charges for it. Therefore, it’s the most economical protection option. Meanwhile, you’ll get only limited protection. A moving company will not pay you more than 60 cents/lb if something is lost or damaged.
If you’re not satisfied with both options, you can choose a third-party insurance company. When looking at the liability options, ensure that your company is insured. A licensed company can show you their insurance policy on request.
3: Can You Provide the Final Binding Quote?
If you want to avoid surprises, ensure that your company offers a binding quote. If your company is reluctant to provide you such a quote, it means the moving prices are subjected to change. It can be a plus or negative point for you. For example, if your move has more weight than estimation and requires more man-hour, it will cost you more. In the opposite case, you’ll be paying less.
We would suggest hiring a moving company with a binding quote. It will ensure that the cost will not exceed the estimated cost. Moreover, it will not include any additional charges during the move. Therefore, the moving distance, travel time, and other services should be included in the binding quote.
4: Do You Have References to Show?
Do you hire employees without a reference? The answer will be no. So how can you hire a moving company without asking for references? Ensure that the moving company provides you with all the needed information. You can ask your friends and neighbors for their recommendations about the moving company.
Sometimes, word of mouth can help you hire a reliable mover. You can also check the company’s ratings and reviews. If the positive reviews are more than negative reviews and the rating is satisfactory, you can proceed further. Otherwise, leave that company and move forward.
5: Does the Company Offer Full-Service Moving?
Some people want to hire a moving company that offers full-service, for example, starting from packing to loading, unloading, and unpacking. If they do so, that’s great. Otherwise, you’ll have to do the packing yourself, and they’ll just help you load and unload the items. Most companies offer full-service moving, but it depends on you whether you can afford the price or not.
So, after getting answers to all these questions, you can hire the best moving company.