10 tips on how to pick moving companies

Local moves taking place in Philadelphia, exceed over ten thousands per year.
With millions of moves in circulation yearly throughout the US, you are able to choose from a plethora of moving companies.
So, how to pick a moving company that is reliable, diligent and trust-worthy? Is it a simple typing in the search ‘movers near me’ going to do the trick?
We are here to help you determine which moving company is the right choice for you.
By following these tricks you can be sure you’ve chosen the best moving solution for you.

Money talk
Let’s start from the basics.
For you to know what you are looking for in a reputable moving company, you need to determine what you would look for in a move. What are your moving needs?
First, let’s talk about the budget. You need to have a certain reasonable budget in mind in order for you to find the right company. There are many cheap movers that can provide professional moving service.

Prep talk
No matter if you are moving next door or across town, now is the right time to purge some of the items you held on for so long for no good reason. Once you realize that you need to move, you should go through the closets, basements, atticks and gather everything and maybe organize a yard sale. That alone will increase your budget or provide you some extra cash to save on the side.
However, you can also donate old clothing to those in need.

Packing
So, now since you’ve got rid of some unwanted stuff, you can get a better picture of how many smaller items you will need to pack.
Now, bare in mind that packing requires a lot of time and energy.
First of all, should you wish to pack by yourself, you will need to purchase boxes. From book boxes, china/ dish packs, smaller and larger ones, to the packing paper and bubble wrap.
This is no small feat. Make sure to purchase enough boxes. Now in most cases this requires multiple trips to the store.
Next, you will need to label the boxes properly so the movers would know where to deliver them at the destination.
Now, we would reconsider doing this by yourself. Most moving companies provide good Full packing service and remove all the hustle and stress from the equation.

Research
Now that you’ve established your moving needs, you should start searching for a local moving company that will adhere to all of your needs. This means that you should utilize that google search engine and try to find local moving companies near you.
Once you get a few names of the internet, start digging deeper.

Digging deeper
Most companies have their Yelp or Google accounts where you can find reviews from previous clients. With this you can get a certain insight of how the company operates.
However, please take this with a grain of salt. Sometimes, moving companies have fake reviews from competitors, so try to look at their accounts and find recurring patterns that can help you make up your mind.

Get in touch
Most moving companies have their own websites where you can request a quote and get a rough idea of the potential cost of the move and the type of service that company provides. Moreover, we would strongly advise to call companies.
Starting from the first call, you can determine if the type of customer service that’s provided is right up to your alley or not. Secondly, make sure that the agent understands all of your needs and evaluate if they are offering the right solutions for you.

Get it in writing
No matter if we are only talking about the initial quote or a contract once you lock in the date. If something goes wrong, the best policy is to have something to fall back on.
In addition, by getting quotes on email from multiple companies you can compare them. And at the end of the day, if you’ve called multiple companies chances are you might’ve forgotten a name of the company or their representative you’ve liked the most.

Let’s compare
Now that you’ve gathered some quotes it is a good time to compare pricing and level of service. Please bear in mind that usually the cheapest option is not the most reliable one. Watch out for any additional or hidden fees written in fine print.
Check if the company requires a deposit or not. Most local moving companies do require a symbolic deposit in order for them not to lose business. Just make sure that company deducts the deposit at the end of the move.
Lastly and most importantly, compare apples to apples.
Same level of service, customer care and price should be on the same level once you are comparing companies.

Lock it in
As soon as you choose, make that call. Most reputable moving companies are usually booked up far in advance, so if you’ve chosen a company make sure to lock in the date as soon as possible. So do not waste time on second guessing. Make a decision promptly and secure the date.
And do not forget to ask for that written agreement and/or receipt via email.

Feedback
Alright now, after your move is done, make sure to get in touch again. Provided you’ve done your research well and everything went smoothly you can call the company and give your feedback for the service. Same thing goes for the case that you had some incident. It is always better to contact the moving company and provide them with constructive criticism so that they can learn and improve. Most professional moving companies have a department that would do a follow up call after your move to gather your impressions.
So do not be surprised if you get that follow up call within a week.