The most important questions to ask your local movers

Sometimes we are not even aware of how much we don’t know until we face that situation. Especially if that situation is moving and we don’t have that much experience. Even though the average American moves over 10 times during the lifetime, there are still some things that we don’t know and that we need to learn. On the other hand, you are moving for long periods, so it is difficult to keep track of the ins and outs of the moving industry. Just like any other industry, moving is developing and changing, so hiring local movers might not be the same as the last time you have moved. And if you consider the reputation that furniture movers have, you don’t want to think about being at the mercy of local movers with unfair prices, services that are not safe, or any damages that cannot be reimbursed because of the fraudulent business practices. All of this can be avoided by asking your local movers a lot of questions before you decide to pay any deposits and to commit to using their services. To help you with that, we have prepared a list of the most important questions that will help you find the best movers. Of course, you should add more questions to this list based on your moving needs and wishes.

How do you create the price?

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It is better to ask your local movers how do they create the price, rather than just hearing what the price is. If you know how your professional movers are creating the price, you will know what will affect it. Of course, once you book your move, the price should be guaranteed. But that is not the case if you change the service completely, that will affect the price. Also, hiring your professional movers for something more than the standard service they are offering, might affect the price too, so don’t be surprised if they let you know about the new price when you decide to hire them for packing as well.

Knowing the logic and strategy behind will help you decide what is the best possible service for your needs and your moving budget, of course. Ask your local movers what services are included in this price, what type of equipment, how many local movers, etc

Are there any hidden charges that you haven’t mentioned?

Planning a moving budget is extremely important if you want to have a stress-free relocation. Make sure to ask your local movers if they have forgotten to mention something, and double confirm that there are no hidden charges of any sort. You might want to ask your local movers to send you a quote to your email, so you can go through it one more time. It is unfair if your local movers try to charge you something that wasn’t mentioned to you on a moving day. In a situation like that, you can refuse to pay it, because you were not notified in time. Any additional expenses and fees will change the course of your move and that will be stressful for you.

Are your local movers going to protect my furniture?

Knowing that your local movers are going to protect your furniture will offer you a dose of safety and peace of mind. It is also something that should be a part of a standard offer local movers are going to provide you with. Usually, professional movers will bring moving blankets and wrapping materials free of charge, and they will make sure to protect all of your furniture during the whole process.

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Can your local movers do everything that I need?

Professional movers have different limits that can be related to the weight of the items, or they won’t be able to handle something too fragile or too expensive. Make sure to check if your team of furniture movers can help you with everything that you need. No matter how affordable local movers might be, if they cannot do everything that you expect them to, is it worth it? However, you should be aware that most local movers cannot help you with moving a grand piano, a pool table, a piece of medical equipment, and so on – and they will advise you to hire specialized professional movers for that. This is professional because that can show you that local movers want to handle your move in the best possible way that will keep your items safe. And it is better if your furniture movers refuse to handle something than to try and to damage it.

How long are you in business?

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When you hire experienced local movers, you will feel protected during the whole service. That is why you want to ask your moving company how long they are in business, so you can be sure you won’t get some local movers with a lack of experience. When you have inexperienced local movers by your side, no matter their goodwill and good intentions, there might be some damages that you can avoid by checking how long your team is in business. The longer they are working in the moving industry, the more different types of moves they had along the way.

Are you licensed and insured?

It is crucial to find licensed and insured local movers. Why? Because this way you will be sure that you have protection no matter what. Many shady professional movers are not licensed, but they are offering tempting prices that are so affordable that is hard for you to say no. But that can lead to many other issues. You’ve heard some of the bad scenarios that happened to many other people, such as keeping your items hostage or trying to overcharge you. If you don’t want to go through the same scenario, you should hire licensed local movers. It is simple to check this, you just need a PUC number that your local movers have, and you can check if they are licensed within minutes.

What type of insurance is included in the price?

When you are hiring local movers that are licensed and insured, you should ask what type of insurance is included in the price. Since local movers cannot sell you any additional insurance, you need to know what you have available. Usually, the basic coverage insurance is 60 cents per pound, and that is standard in the state. However, professional movers will be completely okay with you buying third-party insurance. And you should know that even though that your local movers have only basic coverage insurance included, they will do their best to come up with the solution for any problem that is suitable for you as well.

How do you handle complaints?

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This is something that you should investigate online on your own. Since the moving industry is such an industry that includes heavy lifting and human hand, the damages might happen, and there won’t be all positive reviews on the pages of your local movers. Take a look at those and see how do your furniture movers handle them. But also, make sure to ask about the claim process, because you want to be aware if you need to prepare something or if you need to take pictures, or anything else. It is always best to be prepared for any situation that might happen, damages included.

This doesn’t mean that something will get damaged, but it is better to be safe, right? Our advice when it comes to this? Be patient, it is called a claim process because it takes some time to be resolved, and follow the steps that your customer support agents want you to follow.

Can local movers help me with packing?

Local movers can usually help you with packing, but that is not a part of their standard service. That is why you should check with your professional movers if they would help you with packing and under what conditions. Since this is not a part of the standard offer local movers have, it will be charged additionally, or the whole process will take longer and if your team is charging hourly, the price will be higher. Don’t forget to ask your local movers if they can bring packing boxes, and if so, how much do they charge them.

Can you meet my building requirements?

Whenever you are moving from an office building or an apartment building, you will have to check with your building management if they have some requirements and requests from your local movers, because they usually do. If this is the case with your building, make sure to ask them to send you building requirements in PDF so you can forward them to your local movers, and see if they can meet them. Don’t take this with ease, because some buildings are so strict they won’t let your local movers in unless they meet all the requirements. Usually, your professional movers can provide you with a certificate of insurance, or protection of your building hallways and elevators, free of charge. But your building management might need your furniture movers to come at a certain moment, so make sure to check that as well.

Do you charge the deposit?

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Local movers usually charge the deposit, but you want to know how much do they charge and how can you lay it down – is it debit or credit card only or they accept some other ways of payments. You should know that the deposit is usually a downpayment, and it will be applied towards your final bill once everything is done, so don’t worry about it. Don’t forget to ask professional movers what is their cancellation policy, in case your life gets busy and chaotic and you have to reschedule or cancel your move. Your local movers will understand that, but you have to let them know in time, so they can plan their schedule around it.

What payment methods do you accept?

Knowing all the options that you have when it comes to payment will make your moving stress-free. We cannot think of many worse scenarios than your local movers finishing your move and you don’t have how to pay for it, because you have planned to pay with the check, and they don’t accept it. A good relocation involves good planning and going into the smallest details with your local movers, so don’t forget to check the payment methods they accept to be prepared. Also, most professional movers are offering some discounts for paying in cash, so you can use the opportunity to save if you plan well.

Movers Mission Bay is the only right choice if you are looking for the best movers! Don’t risk hiring any furniture movers out there because you want to be sure that your items are safe along the way. We are one of the leading professional movers, and you will be sure that everything is in safe hands. All of our team members are trained experts with a lot of skills and knowledge when it comes to moving. From our local movers to our customer support department – they all have one goal, and that is to come up with the moving plan that will meet all of your requirements and wishes, to executing it safely. Just reach out to us, get a free moving quote that will be tailored just for you. We just need you to share more information about your move with us, and let us take care of everything else for you. We are here for you every day of the week, so don’t hesitate to give us a call anytime that is convenient for you. We must add that our local movers are all trained and professional, so after you schedule your move with us, you won’t have any worry on your mind.

Oh, and don’t forget to ask us anything that you would like to know! We are looking forward to helping you with anything that you would like to know! Give us a call and let’s make the right move together.