Long Distance Moving Companies: How To Find a Good One
Choosing a moving company is not as easy as googling the closest company and calling it a day. Hiring a trusted company that has the right credentials and a rate in your price range is key. After all, you wouldn’t want to hand over your prized possession to an unqualified company. You want to hire someone that you trust your belongings with. To help with your search, we’ve put together a few tips to help find the best long distance moving company for you.
Check their reviews and how long they’ve been in business
When choosing a moving company, you’ll want to make sure you’re picking an experienced company. Experience counts for a lot, and if they have been in business for awhile you’ll not only be able to read up on how others rate their services, but you also won’t have to deal with the hassle of working out the kinks with a novice company. There are also a number of resources to help you along the way. You can check the company’s rating through the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as well as sites like Yelp, Citysearch and TrustLink. Yelp will give you great insight into other’s experiences (positive or negative) with the company.
How to check their license and insurance
When you’re moving across state lines, the company should have a US DOT number issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation as well as a carrier number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. You can check both numbers’ validity here. You can also check if the company is insured here. You never want to use a moving company without a license number or insurance. You’ll also want to check with your homeowners or renters insurance policy to see if your personal items are covered during a move. If not, you may want to think about adding supplemental moving insurance. You can check your options through movinginsurance.com. Another great resource is The American Moving & Storage Association’s ProMover. Their program subjects movers to a background check and requires them to adhere to the association’s standards, so they’ll do all the vetting for you.
Get an estimate
Another important aspect of moving is getting an in-home estimate. Many experts advise getting numerous estimates and comparing them. You’ll also want to pay attention if the estimate is unusually low or if a company gives you an estimate without sending a representative to check out the job, this usually is seen as a red flag. You’ll also want to make sure you know exactly what this estimate includes. Ask for things like fuel charges, or if the rate will change based on the day, time, etc. This way you won’t be blindsided with a final rate that’s much higher than expected.
Recommendations
Asking for recommendations are just as important as reading up on their reviews. Ask the company to show you letters of recommendation; if they have a great reputation and valued customers, they shouldn’t have any problem providing this for you. You can also check if they have won any awards for their service, as this will ensure they are valued in the community.
