Planning a move? If your answer is positive, there are some things you should do before. One of the most important things is to look for reliable, experienced local movers to help you out. However, when you type on your internet search Seattle movers you will get hundreds of results and you might be asking yourself how can you pick out a reliable team. We always recommend doing the research and learning more about your potential local movers. We are all trying to find the best movers, and there are many crucial questions to ask your team before hiring them.
Don’t underestimate your move only because of the mileage. You still want to have someone reliable who will help you out with your move. Having trained furniture movers will make your home relocation painless. That is why we have prepared 10 essential questions to ask the local movers that will help you find the best team. Let us help you prepare for your upcoming move the best possible way!
How long are you in business?
Whenever we are looking for the best movers, we are trying to find a reliable team of local movers who are experienced with different types of moves. Knowing that your local movers are in business for a long time at that point, you can be sure that your items will be safely handled. The longer your furniture movers are in business – the safer you will feel. If you can’t find this information online, you should ask your local movers about the years they have spent in this industry. We agree that everyone has to start with something, but you shouldn’t book someone who is in this industry for less than a few years.
How do you charge for your services?
Let’s be honest, whenever we are moving, we are worried about the moving budget because this is the most complex task to be planned. No matter how well-planned the moving budget is, it always seems that there is something else that we have forgotten. The most important part of your moving budget is hiring movers, so make sure you learn about the way they charge for their services. The majority of local movers are charging hourly for their services, so you won’t know what will be the final price. However, when you learn what might affect the price, it will be easier to plan it. And let’s face it, this is one of the first questions we want to ask our professional movers, because if they don’t fit our moving budget – we are not going to book their services.
However, we always recommend you should find the best movers no matter the price. If you find professional movers that can offer you all the services that you have been looking for and they are a bit more expensive than you have planned originally, you should change your budget plan slightly. It is the most important thing to have reliable local movers who will keep your items safe and sound.
Are there any additional charges?
Sometimes, local movers have some additional charges, which is okay as long as you are aware of them before you decide to book them. Furniture movers have all the right to come up with the price as they wish and to have additional charges that will affect their profit positively. However, your movers have to be honest and transparent about the prices and services before you even book their services. Even if your team doesn’t mention anything about additional charges, you should always double-check by asking them if there is something that is not included in the price and that you can expect on a moving day.
Local movers can have different fees – for mileage, fuel, additional services, and so on. And the last thing you want to happen to you is to have some additional fees on a moving day. It will just bring a lot of stress to your well-planned moving day. And that is something we want to avoid at any cost.
Are you licensed?
We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to hire licensed professional movers. If you have ever investigated more about the different experiences clients had with furniture movers, you must have read a lot of not-so-pleasant stories. And we are all trying to avoid those. People had different experiences with shady local movers, from damages without answering the phone ever again to keeping their items hostage to get more money that wasn’t even mentioned. To avoid all of that, you should always find licensed local movers, because you will have lawful protection if something goes wrong and your moving company refuses to help you out.
It is very simple to check if your potential local movers are licensed, you just need to ask them for the PUC number and run it with Better Business Burro to learn if their license is valid. This will take you a few minutes only and you can be safe and sound that the whole relocation is done in the best possible manner.
What kind of insurance is included?
When you hire licensed local movers, they will be insured. This is another reason why you should search for a licensed local moving company – to keep your items safe and sound. Most of the local movers have basic coverage insurance included in the price. That is between 30 cents per pound and 60 cents per pound depending on the state. If this seems to be too low for you and the value of your items, your local movers won’t mind if you decide to purchase third-party insurance. You can get it for particular items only and save it that way. However, most of the local movers are going above and beyond to make you happy, even when something gets damaged.
What services are you offering?
After learning things that will help you determine your moving budget, you should ask your local movers about the services they are offering, both included and not included in the price. The beauty of finding local movers is that different companies are offering different prices and services, so everyone can find something suitable for their situation. Most of the local movers are offering standard services that include tools needed for the disassembly and reassembly of your furniture. Furniture movers will also make sure that all of your items are wrapped and padded. Some local movers might even offer wardrobe boxes for your hanging clothes free of charge.
Also, your team will bring moving dollies for all the heavy items that you might have. This is usually a part of the standard service local movers are offering and if you wish to have something extra – you should just let them know. Bear in mind that extra services might be charged separately, so don’t forget to check that with your local movers.
Is there anything that local movers can’t move?
Local movers always have some weight limits or they can’t move some items because they are too fragile. And you should be grateful when you have a team of sincere local movers who will let you know if they can or cannot move something. It is always better than having local movers try to move something too valuable and damage it. This will be much more expensive than having separate specialized local movers who will handle the items that your chosen company cannot. Most of the local movers have a weight limit between 300 and 450 lbs. If you have something that might be in this weight range, you should let your local movers know in advance, so you can plan what should you do if they cannot help you out with this.
Also, some local movers are not allowed to move some specific items, such as a piano, a pool table, a safe, guns, medical or dental equipment, and so on. Whenever you have something that is not a regular household item or that is too fragile – make sure to run this to your team and they will let you know if the service can be done or not. Sometimes, your local movers can move some of these heavy items, but under certain conditions. For example, they can help you move a safe but only with a certain number of local movers. All of this is decided due to safety reasons. Keeping your items safe and keeping the movers healthy is the number one priority of every company.
How do you handle complaints?
You should always learn in advance how do your local movers handle complaints. This doesn’t mean that every time you are moving something will get damaged, but the chances are there. No matter how skilled your local movers are, it is a human factor that might lead to mistakes and damages. When your local movers explain to you how they handle complaints, it will be less stressful for you if something happens. Also, it will be helpful for you to know if you should prepare some evidence and how should you treat the issue that appeared. Usually, this process is not that complex, so don’t worry about it.
Can you help me with packing?
If you want to save some time and a lot of energy, you can ask your local movers to help you with packing. Since this is not a part of the standard offer local movers are offering, you will have to ask for it additionally. Hiring furniture movers to help you with packing is a great idea if it fits your budget because it is usually a bit more expensive than the standard offer they have. But, you will have skilled and trained local movers handling all of your valuables. We can say it’s worth it!
What is your cancellation policy?
No one is booking local movers with the idea of canceling, but sometimes our lives might get busy and we just need to cancel or reschedule our moving day. You would be surprised to learn how many people change their minds and decide not to move at all along the process. Many things might happen unexpectedly, such as your new home not closing in time, or you still need to finish some last-minute repairs, and so on. These are just some of the reasons why you might need to make some changes. And you can’t just call your local movers a day before your scheduled moving day and let them know about the changes because they are keeping the spot for you exclusively and it might lead to expenses on their end.
Conclusion
That is why local movers always have cancellation and rescheduling policies. Ask your team how far in advance should you let them know about any changes. Usually, that is between 48 and 72 hours ahead of time. If you let your local movers about changes too late, they might keep the deposit and even charge you a cancellation penalty. And since we are always trying to save during the move, this is something that you want to avoid. Learning this in advance will help you make the best possible plan for your upcoming move.
Looking for the best movers? You are in the right place! Simple Move Redmond is one of the leading Seattle movers and we will make sure that your items will be safely relocated. Our team is dedicated to providing you with a moving day where you will feel safe and sound. The first thing you should do is getting a moving quote from our team. It is free and it is simple, you just need to give us a call and let our customer support agents guide you through the whole process of booking and moving. Once the moving day arrives, our local movers will make sure that they are at your address at the agreed time. All of your items will be handled safely and efficiently.
Our furniture movers are not coming empty-handed, they will bring all necessary tools and wrapping materials needed. Give us a call and let’s make a perfect plan for your upcoming relocation. We are here for you every day of the week, so you should give us a call whenever you would like to. Looking forward to helping you with your moving project.