If you’ve ever moved before in your life, you’ve realized something – preparing for a relocation is serious business. Yeah, it’s true – if you don’t start on time and take the process seriously, you’re bound to make some costly mistakes. That’s why it’s important to consider every aspect of moving and think long and hard about how you’re going to do everything. But we don’t want to be all gloom and doom – the truth is if you do everything methodically and think things through, you’ll do just fine. And one of the most important decisions you’ll be making is – how do you pick the right moving company? Don’t worry – that’s precisely what we’re going to give you some advice on.
Do I actually need to hire movers?
Obviously, the first question that pops into your mind is – do I actually have to spend money on local movers? It’s a valid point, really. Once you get into the nitty-gritty of moving, you’ll realize that this will strain your management skills to the very limit. You’ll need to manage your time and money perfectly in order to complete the relocation successfully.
And that’s precisely where this dilemma comes into play. On one hand, you can do the move on your own. Call some of your friends and family, and they’ll help you pack everything up. Then you can just rent a van and drive it yourself. This is an option that will take up much more of your time, but it will probably cost less.
On the other hand, you can browse and pick the right moving company to help you out. The movers can help you with packing, and then they would load and transport all of your stuff to your new home. This will cost more than just renting a van, but you’ll save a lot of time. Also, it’ll help a ton with the stress and anxiety that comes with a relocation. So, what do you pick?
Pick the right moving company – and everything will be okay
If you’re asking us – we’d have to vote for the moving company option. Why? Well, apart from all the boons of someone else doing the heavy lifting, there are other things. Namely, doing the move on your own is not as easy as it seems. And it comes with a lot of unexpected costs – something’s bound to break. And when you’re moving the heavier stuff, someone might even get injured. Lastly, let’s not forget that loading a van with your things securely so they don’t break is a skill that takes experience. Basically, in the long run, even moving to Hamilton by yourself may actually end up costing you more money than just hiring movers.
Start off with references
Okay, have you definitely decided that hiring movers is the best way to go? Great! But now the question is – where to begin? Generally, we recommend taking as many references as you can. Sure, in this age of Yelp and online reviews, word of mouth may seem hopelessly outdated – but that’s actually not the case. We believe this is the best way to get references you can actually trust. So, ask around your extended family first – someone’s bound to have moved, so you can learn about a moving company through them. Afterward, you can see what your friends and coworkers think. At some point, you’ll have enough references for different moving companies. Then you can proceed to pick the right moving company out of those.
Find truly professional companies
Once you’ve got enough references, you can begin with the final selection process. So the question is – how to approach this? You’ll soon realize that there’s one basic problem with choosing moving companies; no matter how trustworthy the references are, you can’t really know who’s good at their job until its done. But there are ways around this particular problem. Specifically, there are certain telltale signs that separate professionals like Number 1 Van Lines Ontario from worse quality members of the moving industry.
Basically, you’ll start seeing if a moving company is professional even on the very first phone call. Any company that’s ready to give you an estimate without actually checking out your household is probably not very serious. Also, once someone from the company arrives to make an inventory of your stuff, watch how they behave. First of all, professionals are usually punctual. And secondly, truly serious movers will make a very detailed inventory of your household items. Afterward, they’ll use that inventory to estimate the amount of weight and the bulkiness of your stuff. And only then will they offer an estimate. That’s definitely a sign you’re dealing with professionals!
Avoid moving scams at all costs
In your quest to pick the right moving company, you’re probably looking to save some money. When they make a moving budget, people often underestimate how expensive it will actually be. And then, they have to cut costs during the relocation. This can mean accepting some extremely tantalizing offers. But some of them may just be too good to be true. In every business, there are scammers who don’t want to do honest work – and the moving industry is no exception! That’s why it’s important to learn how to avoid moving scams:
- Research – Make sure you learn everything you can about moving companies you’re potentially doing business with!
- Mover frauds – Also, you’d do well to learn how moving scams actually work, and how to recognize them in practice.
- Your contract – It’s very important to be careful when signing any contracts with a moving firm – or anyone else, for that matter. Otherwise, you’re susceptible to a scam. If you want to pick the right moving company, make sure you’ve read and examined everything before signing on the bottom line!