How to evaluate a moving company?

Once you’ve decided to relocate, it’s time to start looking at moving companies. But, how do we know which movers are good and which are the best? How can we be sure that our relocation will be successful? Well, keep reading and you’ll see what you should know and do to evaluate a moving company before you hire it.

Do your homework

The first thing you should do when you’re looking at prospective movers is to research them. Knowing who you’re going into business with is very important, especially since you’ll be trusting them with your entire home. So, in order to be sure, find out as much as you possibly can about your movers before you decide to hire them. Another good idea to keep in mind when looking for moving services is to check out more at least five companies. This will give you a backup plan if your first choice doesn’t turn out the way you wanted. When you’re researching your movers, there’ll be a few things you’ll need to pay attention to.

Basic information

In order to best evaluate a moving company, you’ll need to have their basic info. This will not only help you to research them more thoroughly, but it will help you with the first evaluation. Before you start researching the company, you’ll need:

• their address – you should also visit the address in person to make sure that it’s valid.
• their license number – evaluate a moving company using this number. It will make your research easier! However, make sure it’s the right number! Some fraudulent companies use valid numbers from different movers.
• website information – anything and everything you can find on the company’s website will be useful information. Go through it to see the quality of your potential movers.

Customer opinions

The most important thing to check when you’re looking into a moving company is their reviews. Look online, ask your friends and colleagues and even ask the movers to provide referrals. Having a good reputation is imperative for any local movers in Minneapolis. So, make sure you get as many different opinions as you possibly can. Once you have all of them, you’ll be able to make an informed decision.

Contact the right authorities

Finally, you can contact the Better Business Bureau. This organization monitors all entrepreneurs and their businesses. Just type the name of the company you’d like to check out and look at the information provided. You’ll see if they had any complaints against them, or if they’re currently engaged in any litigation processes. With all of this information, it will be easy to evaluate a moving company! Even from the comfort of your home.

Ask the right questions when you evaluate a moving company

Many movers will not try to trick you, but they’ll not provide the best service as well. One of the ways you can weed those out is by asking the right questions. The way your movers answer you will determine whether they can be trusted or not. The best way to start is to ask them for a binding estimate of your moving costs. This written estimate will make sure your movers don’t try to change the moving costs halfway through the relocation. If they try to avoid giving you an estimate or refuse altogether, you’ll know that these movers are no good.

Another type of questions you can ask is about their services. A good moving company will tell you all they can about as many services as they provide. For example, if you need storage units in Minneapolis, ask around until you find a company which offers these. Same goes for any other services you may need. From packing and unloading to specialized relocation, you’ll be able to evaluate a moving company according to the services they provide.

Evaluate your movers by the service they provide

Moving is an industry which provides a service. In this, it’s much like the restaurant business. So, the quality of your movers will usually be indicated by the quality of the service they provide. You can evaluate a moving company once you meet with their representative. Pay close attention to how they behave and it will give you a good idea of what you can expect from your movers. Keep in mind that the company chose this person to represent them. That’s why at City Storage and Moving Minnesota we choose our reps with great care! They’re all honest, adaptable and excellent negotiators.

Trust your gut

Finally, you can trust your gut when evaluating your movers. We are instinctive creatures and millions of years of evolution only sharpened those instincts. So, it would be foolish not to listen to them when you’re hiring movers. Your gut feeling can save you from many troubles once you learn to trust it. Thus, if you get a bad feeling when talking to your movers, feel free to choose a different company. Apart from this, if you get an impression that something is wrong don’t hesitate to ask for help. Call your friends to help you or contact the local authorities to prevent anything bad from happening during your move.

In the end, have a backup plan. No matter how hard you plan or how well you research your movers you are still a human being and you could be wrong in your judgment. So, once you evaluate a moving company to your liking, set a few backup plans, just in case. In the best case scenario, you did a little bit of extra work. However, if it comes to the worst, you’ll be ready to save your possessions or prevent fraudulent movers from taking advantage of you.