Shifting locations can be a tedious and expensive affair. If you are planning to shift, the first thing to do is to look out for a good moving company. You can take recommendations from your friends and family who have used the services of a moving company in the recent past.
Since shifting locations is a fairly expensive affair, while finalizing the deal with a packing and moving company it is natural that you want to get more for less. However, it is crucial to tread cautiously and ask a few questions to the company before you finally seal the deal for moving your house.
8 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Professional Moving Company
Is The Deal Cost-Effective
As shifting can be costly, you have to ensure that the prices are reasonable. To compare the present rates, it is essential that you get invoices from multiple companies. Once you have multiple invoices, you can compare and ascertain if the prices are transparent, if the price break-up is fair, etc.
After this, customers should also clarify the percentage to be given as advance payment and the modes of payment that would be acceptable.
Are There Any Middlemen Involved
Some companies do the entire task of packaging, transporting, and reassembling themselves. However, if there is some subcontracting involved in the work at various stages, customers should be aware of the presence of intermediaries.
Also, in most cases, it is a better idea to give the contract to a company that manages all the steps by themselves in order to avoid unnecessary hassles and cost escalation later on.
What Are The Provisions For Intermediate Storage
If goods are to be transported over long distances, they will have to be stored at many intermediate locations. Customers should find out if the company has their own storage houses or if they have them on rent. Also, information about the location and security conditions of these storage houses should be inquired upon by the customers.
Is The Company Well Acquainted With Safe Packaging Practices
Since the move will involve the transport of delicate and precious goods like wall paintings, glass crockery, lights, and or even chandeliers, it is necessary that the company be well aware of the best practices in packaging various goods.
For instance, the packaging of glass items should ideally be done using corrugated fitments. Likewise, the packaging of a musical instrument like a piano would require the use of packaging blankets to cover the delicate parts of the instrument.
Does The Company Provide Good Reassembly Services
Most household goods like beds, sofas, drawers, etc., can be disassembled into smaller parts by removing the legs or handles. Breaking the goods into smaller components helps in transporting them.
The moving company should have well-trained men who know how to disassemble and reassemble the components of all the household goods. It is absolutely essential that they assure proper reassembly of goods once they reach the new location. After all, you do not want to be left in the lurch and that too in a new city or country.
What Sort Of Insurance Liability Is Offered
Since the goods have to travel long distances and be handled by many people, there is always a possibility that the goods might get damaged, get stolen, or be lost in transit. You do not want your household items to get damaged, stolen, or worse, lost.
Hence it is critical that you inquire about the guarantees the company provides and, if the need arises, whether they are willing to take liability for the loss. Usually, the customers are charged a premium to cover the insurance costs, which will vary depending on the basic price of the goods to be transported.
If you want to transport a rare portrait or an expensive chandelier, then it is fair that the safety insurance will be a costly affair.
How Much Experience Do The Movers Have
Whenever you hire any company for any sort of service, it is of utmost importance to know their past track record. It would be best if you are upfront while inquiring about their years of experience, the kinds of jobs they have undertaken successfully in the past, etc.
Also, you can demand to speak to their past clients. Those who have used the company’s services before are the best people to let you know about the kind of service that you can expect to get.
This is all the more necessary if you plan to relocate to another country. In such cases, the company will be able to perform a good job if they have a well-connected network. Also to transport over long distances, goods might have to be transported by ship or air. Hence, it is important to go for more experienced big players.
What Is Their Policy Towards Last Moment Additions
Even if you try to remember and inform about all the tiny details, there will be some things you will forget to mention. So it would be best if you inquired about the company’s policy on last-minute additions.
Some companies make exceptions if they have to make slight modifications to the number of goods they have to move or the time they have to transport the goods. Nonetheless, it is important to work out the deal keeping in mind that last-moment additions and deletions are almost inevitable.
Conclusion
And lastly, it is important to remember that honesty lies at the foundation of all good deals and relationships. Hence it is important that both the consumer and the moving company are upfront about all their requisites and demands.
As a customer, you should be honest about your budget expectations and the state of your goods before moving, including how expensive the goods are and if any of the household items that are to be transported were damaged or broken previously. Likewise, the moving company should be truthful about their terms and conditions and be transparent in their billings.
