GREAT, you sold your home! . . . Congratulations. One of the next steps you will need to take is to hire a good moving company. This may sound easy enough but you want to make sure you get a reputable company who won’t scam you or take any belongings.Yes, there are moving companies that will load up your belongings and hold everything hostage to get more money for their services because of excessive weight or time required to pack their truck. You can minimize your risks by signing a contract several weeks in advance of your moving day. A client of mine just used a moving company that presented a contract their attorneys prepared just as they showed up with the truck on moving day. My client quickly signed without really reading the agreement, but sure became educated by the end of the day and later on too when the moving company would not reimburse for damages they caused to the furniture.
The first scam was to say they could not get everything on the truck so they would need more money to finish the move since a second trip required extra crew & truck time. (The owner of the company bid the job two weeks before the move to confirm the size of truck they need. My client was required to pay for their mistake in estimating the move - or, I guess, not get all of their furnature delivered.)
To make matters worse: He felt bad for the crew who worked so hard to move everything, he not only bought the entire crew a very nice lunch, he also tipped them quite well only to learn about the second surprise. My client discovered two rolls of stamps were missing from his desk drawer a few days after the move. I guess one of the movers decided he was entitled to a little extra tip.
When furniture damage was discovered the day after the move, the moving company owner referenced the signed agreement saying the company was only responsible for Penny's on a dollar for the repair/replacement; based on the weight of the item damaged not the actual cost to repair or replace the items. Needless to say, my client is much wiser now on what to watch out for.
Here are some tips about finding a quality moving company:
1. Ask around for the name of reputable company. Word of mouth is and excellent way to find a good moving company. Ask family, neighbors, friends or your real estate agent.
2. Make sure you sign a contract - only after you have had a chance to read it thoroughly - well in advance of your move date.
- be sure you know exactly how much you will be paying and what services you are receiving and not receiving.
- be sure to discuss the section regarding their claims policy.
3. Ask a lot of questions.
- You are hiring these people to move your personal belongings, ask every question you need to in order to get a feel for what type of company they are.
4. Get more than one estimate.
- Not only will this help you find the best deal but it can also help you detect a scam. If one estimate is very low compared to the others, it probably is too good to be true.
Here are some helpful websites that can make your move a smooth one:
– This will show you bad moving companies and also moving companies with good reputations. Moving Company Scams
– This will show you if your movers have a current license. Movers
– One last tip: Hide your stamps
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1 comments:
Moving has always been a difficult and hectic task without a professional. Moving big size commodities is really not a problem because the chances of loosing them are very less. The actual problem arises when you attempt to move delicate or small items. There are moving companies who helps you from planning to arranging the items to the destination with utmost care. The San Jose Movers Can be an example for it.
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