Question for those who've hired movers

[soccerchick]

Hi,

We need to hire movers and I've scheduled several appointments to get estimates. I've never done this before as we had very little when we moved into this house and had plenty of *young* friends to help. Now that we're older and have more junk, it's time to do the grown-up thing and hire someone else to do it

What questions should I be asking when the sales rep is here? Is there anything you realized in the process that you wished you had asked or had clarified beforehand? It is a local move -- about 5 miles. I am going to check the BBB to see who has complaints, etc. and I am trying to get some referrals, but most people all have a caveat ..."it was great until..."

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Lisa F]

We have moved several times and you're right on track there. I would also add, go with your gut (and not necessarily the best price). Unless you have personal referrals, I would stick with one of the major moving lines. They will be more expensive but we had an absolute NIGHTMARE experience with a local moving company and there was essentially no recourse. When I complained I was told "tough ****" (I know part of that will be ****ed out). We have had really wonderful experiences with both Mayflower and United and whenever we got good vibes from an estimator, they turned out to be true.

 

[NMAmy]

We just used Two Men and A Truck and they did a great job. Those two young boys just hoisted my washing machine like it weighed nothing. They charged by the hour and were able to give us an estimate that was right on by the size of our house.

I did have to pretty much physically restrain DH from helping. I left for a bit and when I came back he was carrying stuff up from the basement. I had to tell him he had paid those guys to do this so he wouldn't hurt his back and if I caught him moving something again, he was in deep trouble!

 

[MI mom of 3]

Just be careful and check out the company thoroughly. There has been a lot in the news lately about renegade moving companies who give you a decent price up front but once they have your stuff they raise the price and hold your belongings hostage until they get paid.

 

[wuv tigger]

For a local move I would go with an hourly rate. Have them quote the number of men and the cost per hour. They usually have a 4 hour minimum and 1 hour of travel time. We packed everything ourselves and organized it and they moved our whole household in 6 hours because they didn't have to breakdown the beds, etc.

The #1 question to ask is if they have professional/trained employees. Many companies just pick people up at 7-11 in the morning and they are not trained movers.

The bid we chose gave us the insurance for free, brought a second truck so they did not have to pack incredibly tight, and had a repair crew that would repair any dings in the drywall or damage to the house.

Good luck with the move.

David

 

[Jasminesmommy]

yes i would get anestimate in writing and check BBB

 

[stitch79]

I would check out the movers here : http://www.moving.org/ this is an organization that movers can belong to, and if the company tries to pull one on you then you can go back to the organization for recourse.

 

[Jeafl]

Ask:

Do you charge by the job or by the hour? Is their an overtime charge?
How many men will be there?
Are you insured and bonded for breakage?
Do you charge more for houses with stairs? (one company did...)
Do you put boxes in the correct rooms at the new house, or just leave them stacked in the garage?
How often are your estimates off?
Do you charge for travel time?
Do you break down beds, or do we?

I personally would never go with an unlicensed, small mover. I've heard way too many horror stories of college kids trying to make a few bucks and destroying people's things.

Above all...GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!!

 

[olena]

Clark Howard's web site is a MUST with GREAT tips.


Best of luck......

 

[arminnie]

Check with an experienced realtor in your area. They know exactly who is good and who isn't.

That's how I got my mover for my local move and it was amazing the difference in having professional decent human beings doing the move and not someone hired as a day laborer from a street corner (as many companies do).

 

[Micca]

When the movers get there, don't forget to offer them a break(tea,juice, coke,etc.). If they need you to go pickup lunch(burgers or pizzas) that isn't a bad idea either. When someone is handling all of your worldy possesions, kiss their cheeks

 

[soccerchick]

Thanks for all the great replies and info!

 

[Poohnatic]

Boy, this is timely.

Hubby just hired movers for our move from Maryland to Florida. I'm already in Florida, so he had to do it on his own. We have an upright piano, so doing it ourselves is not an option any more.

I will say, the last three moves with the piano were somewhat local--two of those, we hired the local piano movers. They do all kinds of moves and charged by the hour.

One quote was for cubic feet, but two majors (Allied and Mayflower) were based on weight. If you can believe it, they estimated within 100 pounds of each other.

Jeafl has a great list of questions there...I'd add that you should insist they come to look at what you are moving and to ask what the maximum they will charge would be. My husband got a range from both Allied and Mayflower, but both gave him a maximum charge.

The suggestion for snacks and food for the movers is great...I made sure I had plenty of cold drinks on hand.

Suzanne