Organizing a move can be one of life’s most stressful events. That’s why you want to surround yourself with the right professionals. Streamlined moving days have a good moving company on the job. But how do you know that you’re hiring the best one in town?
5 Questions to Evaluate Moving Companies
Everyone wants a good deal, yet when it comes to choosing your movers, it’s better to think about overall value instead of a shaky estimate. Run through these five questions to get a better idea about the moving company you’re considering—before you hire them.
1. Where are they located?
If you’re moving across the country, you might think you need to go with a national brand. But that isn’t always the case. Plenty of locally-owed moving companies have relationships with other teams out-of-state to help coordinate your move.
And if you’re just moving around town? Or within the state? Then local is the way to go. Local business owners have a true, vested interest in their neighbors and the community as a whole. Choosing one of them often goes hand-in-hand with great customer service.
2. Do they have good reviews?
Personal recommendations can ease your mind before scheduling with any moving company. And knowing that a family member or co-worker had a good experience is always a plus. But there’s also strength in numbers. Moving companies that have dozens—if not hundreds—of rave reviews online prove that their work is consistent. It shows that they’ve put in the time for your area and have a solid customer base.
3. Are their movers employees?
Moving companies that hire employees instead of working with contractors or day-laborers signal something else to their customers. It means they have quality standards for their team members. More than likely, they’ll also have a formal training process in place. This is crucial for getting a worry-free move. After all, it’s not just about having a truck and a handcart. The point of hiring a moving company is actually about getting good people to help you out. You want full-time employees who take pride in the work, because that means they’ll take better care of you and all of your belongings.
4. How does their pricing work?
A lot of moving companies offer project estimates. But others, like us here at Colt Moving, know that estimates are actually more difficult than they need to be. No one wants to get a final bill that’s way over what their estimate was. Moreover, you shouldn’t have random fees slapped onto your invoice.
Make sure the moving company you choose actually outlines their pricing model on their website. There are a lot of unique features with any move, and predicting the time it will take to load and unload a truck, let alone two or three truckloads, is practically impossible. When you find an honest company, though, you won’t need to second-guess the process. You’ll be able to trust that your movers are working as fast as possible (while still being careful) to help ensure you get the best value.
5. Can they scale their services?
The last thing to ask yourself is whether your moving company will be able to offer additional services to help keep everything on-track. Do you need to rent moving bins for your items? Will you need an extra truck or an extra professional mover to make the day go faster? Or maybe you need a couple people early on to help pack up your boxes?
Finding a moving company that can be flexible to meet your needs is always nice. Just communicate what you need and see what they can do for you! If you’re in the Indianapolis area and have questions for how we work, please don’t hesitate to call Colt Moving at (317) 476-3762. We’d be happy to chat!