The number of moving companies has increased a lot over the past few years, thanks to growing demands of moving and storage services across India. People today don’t hesitate to relocate and relocating on their own is usually not preferred, they turn up to professional moving companies. Anyone relocating to another state will obviously feel relieved, when they have a good moving company by their side to help them with all the tasks generally involved with packing and moving.
Due to high competition in the moving and storage industry, the charges for moving services are competent as well. However, there is a downside to the rise in demand of the moving companies and that is, it has led to the emergence of inefficient and fraud moving companies all around.
So, it has become even more important today to take an informed decision while hiring movers and packers services. One has to evaluate and judge the packer and mover company thoroughly before committing to avail the service.
If you are planning to use professional moving service to get your goods relocated to another state, and you are unsure about what questions to ask a mover and packer company to ensure they are well placed and worth hiring, then I have got you covered.
I have been working with local moving and storage companies for over a decade now, and I know the industry inside out. I am sharing a list of questionnaire that can help you to screen and evaluate local packer movers companies near you.
When evaluating a potential packer and mover company, you should ask all these questions, and only when you are satisfied with their response, you should hire consider using their services.
In the list of questions, I will try and include almost all the aspects that you need to be aware of about the moving company. Starting from rates to their registration details to the years of experience to the exact services they provide etc. Remember the more you know about the company and their terms of service, the better decision you can make on hiring.
Questions you should ask a mover and packer before hiring
Proper research about the packer and mover companies can help you avoid many issues and disputes during your move. Also, in order to get things right, you got to talk to at least three local moving companies, because unless you have options and evaluate them against each other, you won’t be able to choose the best possible vendor for the job.
Thankfully, moving companies offer free quotations and pre-move survey, so talking to multiple vendors at a time should not be an issue.
But, the point is what are you going to ask these companies to ensure they are the best in the trade? Well, that’s what we are discussing in this post.
Listed below are a few of the most vital questions you should ask a packer and movers company for taking an informed decision.
Q1. Are you licensed?
The most important and the very first question, that you should ask a mover and packer should be about the business license. If they are not registered or licensed, then they should not be in the list of probably moving companies for hiring. And, if they tell you that they are registered, fell free to ask the registration number and also tell them to show you all the related documents as proof.
It is also important to ensure that they have a valid license, i.e. the license should not be expired.
As a customer, you have all the right to know about the company, so they are bound to show their documents.
Asking this question helps you eliminate all the unlicensed moving companies from the list, and that’s a good thing.
Q2. How long have you been in the business?
You might have gone through their website and know for how long they are in the moving and storage industry. But, there is nothing wrong in asking about it directly to the representatives. In fact, the representatives of the branded companies will never even hesitate to brag about their years of experience in this field. So, you should try to learn about their work experience to whatever extent possible. In fact, you may ask them to show some of the customer feedback and reviews as well if you want.
Many years of experience does not guarantee that there will be no mishaps. But, with experience, the efficiency also increases, so the chances of moving related mishaps will be less with an experienced mover on board.
It’s always better to work with a company that has years of experience, than working with a company that’s comparatively new in the industry, especially for interstate relocation needs.
But as I said, you decision should not be based on years of experience only, but you should evaluate them based on all other parameters.
Q3. How much liability coverage you provide?
The next big question to ask a mover and packer before hiring is how much liability coverage they provide you. It is actually very important for the company to be insured and liable for the damages. So, you need to check about that in the very beginning.
Remember, that the moving companies should have the provision to offer you with full value protection. In other words, they should be liable for the replacement value of each and every item that has got damaged or has been misplaced during the transportation. Also, they should allow you to insure your belongings based on their cost and not their weight.
While discussing about the available insurance plans, make it a point that you understand all the provisions well. You should also clearly mention what you wish for in the Bill of Lading.
Remember that you have the right to purchase additional insurance from any third party if you are not satisfied with the coverage the moving company is offering.
Q4. How do you determine the cost of the move?
You are the one paying the bills so you need to know how they are calculating the packing and moving charge very clearly.
Generally, some of the moving companies charge the customers based on the weight loaded in the moving truck and also on the distance, while some fix the rates depending on the hours and the size of the move. Others charges are based on the combination of the two.
So, make sure you are satisfied with whatever explanations they are giving you regarding their calculation process.
Q5. Is this a binding or non-binding estimate?
The moving companies generally use two common ways to help their client’s estimate the moving costs and they are the binding and non-binding estimates.
The binding estimates usually guarantee the total expense of the move and there are rules to what extent the estimates may increase, if at all.
On the other hand, in case of non-binding estimates, they are subjected to increase depending on the exact weight of the move, and any additional charges if there in your contract.
You should clear this thing with the mover in the very beginning in order to avoid pricing disputes later.
Q6. Are there any extra charges?
It is not a good feeling if you see that the bill is much higher than what you have been said earlier. But unfortunately, this is very common in moving industry. So, make it a point to talk directly whether there are any extra hidden charges that you should be aware of. Ask about the charges that govern carrying the belongings up and down the stairs, elevator charges, long carry charges etc.
Also, if you have any oversized item, make sure you ask whether you will be charged extra for that or not. And, yes, also learn whether you will have to pay for the additional fuel charges especially in case of long distance move.
Q7. Do you have the required tools and equipment?
Most of the good moving companies are updated with the latest tools and equipment to ensure maximum safety and security of the belongings of their customers. But still, you should check and confirm about the tools and equipment they use, as it is important, they can’t do their best without right tools and equipment.
Remember, besides the size of the moving truck and several dollies, many times other equipment like the hoisting equipment or any special gear are also required. So, the more you learn about their moving tools, the better idea you will have about their work.
Now, if the company says that they use sub-contractors to perform certain sections of the job then do not hesitate to ask about those companies as well and yes, do the background check on them.
Q8. Who will do the moving and unloading?
Loading and unloading the belongings needs expertise and experience, so you should be well aware of who will be handling that. Do not give your word unless you are sure that the team taking care of the loading and unloading of your items are trained, capable and physically fit to handle your items with care.
Q9. Do you offer packing services?
Packing is integral to safe and secured moving, and therefore if you are not into packing much and is not much confident about packing the belongings on your own before the move, then you can ask the movers about whether they offer packing services or not.
Generally, the moving companies offer packing services and it’s always better to avail professional packing services from a resourceful and professional moving company than struggling in packing on your own.
So ask if they offer packing services, check the packing quality and rates etc, and if you are satisfied then you may also get the packing done by them.
Q10. When can I expect my belongings to be delivered?
In case of local relocation, most of the times the items get delivered to you on the same day, but things are not so simple when it is a long-distance move. There are several factors that influence the delivery date and time. But you should at least have an idea about when to expect the belongings to be delivered.
Make sure you are well aware of their pickup and delivery services and also confirm whether there are any charges associated with warehouse and storage or not.
Sometimes, moving companies offer temporary storage service for a couple of days.
Q11. What documents will I receive before the relocate day?
The list of important questions to ask the movers before hiring them definitely includes what documents you are going to receive before the moving day. Learn about all the documents that you will have to read and sign, and also ask them how you need to be prepared for the relocation day.
Q12. How do you handle disputes and complaints?
Last but not the least, you should ask the movers how they handle the disputes and complaints in case anything goes wrong during the move. Generally, the branded and the top companies have got Dispute Settlement Programs that helps in working out an agreement with the pros, and settle any possible issues during or after the relocation.
The Federal Regulations (in the US) require the moving companies to have arbitration programs for solving disputes when there is any loss or damage to property, so do not hesitate to ask your movers regarding what steps they take in case of disputes.
But in India, there is no specific law to handle such disputes, so if anything goes wrong you have to fight it out in courts.
Summary
If you are able to hire a good and trustworthy moving company, it is bliss because they will handle most of the works on your behalf and that will help reduce your moving pressure. But, we all know that not all moving companies are good or trustworthy, so what to do?
Well, here’s a few things that you must do:
- Do enough research on the companies, check online reviews, ask right set of questions and you should be able to get it right.
- Shortlist at least 4-5 companies instead of one. This will increase the competition among them. It’ll also help you compare and choose the best and even gives you the option to negotiate better.
- Go for referral based hiring. Ask your known ones whether they have hired any moving company recently, and if they are satisfied, ask them to share their contact details with you. You talk to the company. If they seem good, hire them.
- And, yes, no matter what, make it a point to have a face to face conversation with the representatives of the moving companies. Remember that they can never give you exact estimates unless they visit for a field survey. And, when you meet, make sure you ask the important questions that we have already discussed above.
- It is recommended that you learn a bit about the basic relocation processes, the relocation rules, the rates etc. so that you are confident enough when you are conversing with the moving companies representatives. The more updated and knowledgeable you are, the more they will take you seriously and will not try to fool you in any way.
That’s it for now. I hope you have understood what you need to do and what questions you should be asking.
If you have hired a local mover and packer company recently, then I would like to know what else did you asked them to ensure they are a good match for the job. Feel free to share your questions by commenting below.
Happy relocation!
