Make Moving Simple

The tough economic times have taken quite a toll on the moving industry.  The Chicago Tribune recently published this article about the effect of the economy on movers in Illinois.  The effect appears to be doubled for moving companies since not only have home sales and thus the overall need for moving services declined but the decline of needs for other services has lead to a  poaching of sorts of household moving jobs.  This is evidenced here by the case of the carpenter posting his availability for moving services.

Opportunities abound for the extremely price conscious looking to save a buck and willing risk their belongings.  “What’s a matter with saving money?” you may ask.  There’s always a cost and in this case it’s the gamble that your move will go well.  Here are the top three reasons to be concerned about hiring unlicensed movers for your next move.

No insurance – Even if you don’t pay for additional insurance, in most states and for all interstate moves, licensed moving companies must insure your belongings for some minimal value, typically $.60 per pound.  It’s not much but at least it’s something.  Furthermore, a licensed mover will inform you about this and supplemental coverage that provides more adequate reimbursement.

No experience – Hey, if I had a truck and maybe a trailer I could move your stuff too, but it might not arrive at your new home looking like it did when you left your old home.  At least some of the staff at a licensed moving company will have many years of experience and most larger van lines require fairly substantial training regarding proper packing and loading to ensure protection of your valuables.

No reputation and no concern about reputation – Fly by night operators won’t have a reputation to fall back on and they aren’t looking to build one.  They’re main concern is getting the next job and they’ll entice new customers with prices substantially lower than those of licensed movers.  They may change names as necessary to escape a reputation that has gotten so bad as to garner publicity.

The main point to all this should come as no surprise…buyer beware.

Why are pounds important?
The known tariffs are based on mileage and pounds. You always have the right to have your things weighed at a certified weigh station. You can witness the light weight (before pickup) and the heavy weight (after pickup).

You meet the driver at the closest scale to your home and follow them back to the scale after pick up. You will have a certified weight ticket; you will then know the exact pounds.
Standard movers will be perfectly willing to accommodate you.

Is your “estimated” cost significantly lower than other estimates from major moving companies?
Your costs between movers should not vary that much, if you have an “estimated” cost that is too good to be true – it is too good to be true. The normal method of operation of these “Movers” is to quote very low, sound very nice and professional, then you will be informed on the day of pick up that you have a significant amount more than you reported and the cost will go up – usually about 2-3 times the original estimate.
By following the above guidelines you should be able to avoid “rogue movers”.

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We’ll have more helpful information on scam and rogue movers from Jay Clithero of Sterling Van Lines throughout the summer – subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up-to-date!

Does the “Mover” demand a deposit or ask for half the money up front?
Standard movers do not demand half of the money up front. Their service speaks for itself. Unless you require a very specific day or time it is highly unusual for a standard mover to need a deposit.

Did the “Mover” give you a guaranteed price?
If the mover guaranteed a price for cubic feet*, now you must know how to determine cubic feet, very few people know this or take the time to do it. You are thus under the complete mercy of the “Mover” and you could be taken advantage of. This should not be debated after the “Mover” picks up your things. If they are criminal, it is too late. The best rule if you are quoted in this fashion is to find another mover. If you really want to keep working with that mover there are a couple of ways to solve this:

1. If you have a decent size move, say, more than 2 bedrooms, have the mover come out and give you an estimate. If they won’t, have another mover who may be closer to you come out and see your things and give you an estimate. You want to know how many cubic feet and how many pounds the mover saw. That mover should be able to fix a price for you and the “Mover” who would not come out may be able to fix a price now. The point is, now you have data that you can share with other movers to get a quote.
2. If you have a smaller move, will the “mover” allow you to list your items and guarantee the price to move those items, in writing?

*Cubic Feet: Length X width X height, example: 2’ X 3’ X 4’ = 24 cubic feet. In inches the equation is: 24” X 15” X 30” = 10,800 cubic inches. To convert to feet do this: 10,800 ÷ 1728 = 6.25 cubic feet.

All movers want to know your cubic feet so they can convert it into pounds. The equation is generally 7 pounds per cubic foot so in the above example 24 cubic feet would convert to 24 X 7 = 168 pounds. 6.25 cubic feet would convert to 6.25 X 7 = 43.75 pounds.

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We’ll have more helpful information on scam and rogue movers from Jay Clithero of Sterling Van Lines throughout the summer – subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up-to-date!