Moving with a long-distance mover is complicated and can be difficult. There are several considerations you need to make to ensure you are hiring the right candidate. Small errors – for instance, leaving your high-value documents with movers, not conducting background checks, or not thinking about insurance – can leave you open to possibly incurring heavy losses in terms of property and finance. The article mentions some hiring mistakes to avoid while deciding on a reliable moving company in Cleveland.
Long-distance moving can be difficult – even scary – for anyone who doesn’t have much experience in moving. Selecting a long-distance mover is an even more serious decision. With local moving, you can DIY certain aspects of the process or even avoid hiring a professional company at all.
Long-distance moving, on the other hand, has several challenges – in multiple critical areas – like packing, transportation and assembly or final installation. Taking any shortcuts or not getting all the right information can lead to major problems leaving you with the potential for severe financial losses.
Here are some errors you should avoid while hiring a professional company for your long-distance move.
Not Checking Whether the Company Is Licensed
Many times people planning on moving don’t bother to check the background of the moving company. If your chosen moving company is not registered with BBB and FMCSA, it might not be legitimate. Unlicensed moving companies often lure customers with low-ball estimates, only to deceive them and charge them large sums of money.
When deciding on a long-distance mover, you need to remember that you are risking YOUR valuable property with the company you hire – any negligence or lack of coverage on their part can leave you with serious financial or property losses.
Not Asking About Insurance
Moving to a new place involves several risks. No one can guarantee that your property won’t be subject to damage or loss. If you have very important expensive or fragile possessions, they may be damaged while being moved into your new home. Insurance coverage will show that the mover is reputable and – in the worst-case situation – at least allow you to be compensated for any financial losses.
Relying on a Single Quote
Always be prepared, starting by getting a hard estimate or quote to ensure that you’re hiring a legitimate and reputable mover. Some companies may NOT be willing to provide you with an upfront estimate – so if you hire them, you could very well end up paying unanticipated or “hidden” charges. To make the best decision, you need to get quotes from several moving companies to make sure that the one you choose is going to potentially charge extra fees. You can ask for an upfront list of all possible fees directly to avoid future hassles.
Discussing Valuation Coverage
The best moving companies should provide you with what’s called “valuation coverage” to ensure 100% protection of their valuables. Valuation coverage means the mover agrees to take responsibility for your shipment. FMCSA – the governing body for reputable mover mandates that long-distance movers need to provide you with either with complete value protection or released value protection, which provides for lower limits of coverage. It is recommended that you find out about valuation coverage in detail before finalizing your hiring decision.
Ignoring the Mover’s Complaint History
Reliable movers will have a review list in addition to any testimonials right on their website. You can also browse for genuine testimonials that qualify their services. reviews are also available online simply in putting the search term “Reviews for (name of company.”) You can also get in touch with any company and ask for testimonials. You need to consider all these qualifiers BEFORE you decide whether you want to work with them.
Smart people pay serious attention to customer reviews and client testimonials. They know that ignoring negative reviews can land you in serious trouble, especially when you risk your belongings with them for interstate moving.
Trusting Movers with High-Value Documents
When handing over your valuables, you cannot afford to take risks with high-value documents like financial records, bank statements, tax records, bonds, and passports. Any of these can be misplaced easily. It’s wise to be very careful with how you handle these files. The best practice is to not leave these documents to be handled by your movers.
Delays in Making Claims
Many clients make the mistake of not making claims for damaged or lost items right away. You need to inspect your goods immediately and see if there are any broken or obviously items. If you see ANY possible problems, don’t hesitate to call your mover’s quality control consultant to report the issue immediately, and follow up with the customer service representative if there is one available. If complaints are not made on the spot while the move has just occurred, you might not be able to defend your claim.
Allowing the Moving Company to Manage the Inventory List
Whether or not you are working with a reliable moving company, you need to make sure that there is an inventory list and that it is being managed. You can appoint someone to manage the inventory list OR do it yourself. Even if you are positive about the capabilities and honesty of the moving company, you still need to be confident that there is another person who will make sure all items are loaded and unloaded safely, and that nothing has been left behind.
Final Thoughts
Be prepared! In order to make sure that you hire the best long-distance moving company, you need to check that your chosen company has all the necessary qualifications. The best way to do this is to prepare a checklist and a questionnaire to refine your search significantly. You can ask for referrals or research your options to appoint the most trusted moving contractor for the job.
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