Moving Companies
If you are going to use a moving company you are going to want to do a little research for a few weeks instead of just choosing a company. You can find moving companies by looking in the yellow pages in your telephone book, the Internet, your local newspaper, flyers, and recommendations from people you know. There are a few things you should do before making a decision on a moving company. You should get at least three written statements to compare, and you should get the statements in person. You should check your local Better Business Bureau and the state’s attorney general’s office to make sure the company does not have any complaints filed against them. You should ask to see the company’s certificate of insurance and make sure it is valid. Check to see if the moving company has a good record for being on time, doing what they are hired to do, and check their references.
When you are working out the contract with the moving company there are few things you should keep in mind. Make sure you get a guarantee on how many hours the job is going to take and document that in the contract. Ask what kind of gratuities you should be expected to pay and commit that in writing in the contract. Make sure that the contract contains all the charges in the move including important dates (packing, pick-up, and delivery).
If you decide to choose a moving company to help you with your move they should come to your home and take a household goods survey and then give you an estimate. The final cost however will depend on the actual weight of all your household items after they are loaded. You should personally inspect all your property and decide what to move and what to discard of because it may be cheaper to replace an item than to move it. You should also decide if you will do the packing or if you want the moving company to help or do it all.
On the moving day you need to make sure that you are at home incase you have to sign any documents that require you to pay certain charges. You should go through your home with the movers and inspect and tag all furniture along with a brief description of your household items and their condition at the time of loading. This list is for the moving company’s inventory list and for insurance purposes incase there is any damage to any items being moved. It is solely your responsibility to make sure all your items are loaded, and that boxes are loaded in the correct order. You should watch as your belongings are being loaded into the truck, as well as watching them being unloaded to insure everything makes it to your new home and that there are no damages.
