Are you looking to hire a reliable moving company in Florida? First thing you need to do when you find out you’re moving, is to start your research. You’ll have to research everything from how to pack to things to clear up before your move. But perhaps most importantly is you’ll have to research a reputable moving company. If you’ve weighed the pros and cons of hiring a professional moving service, you know that one of the biggest issues is price.
Even the cheapest movers will set you back a few thousand. Considering you’ll be paying such a large price tag and that your most valued possessions are involved, don’t you want to make sure you hire a reputable moving company?
1. Verify Their Credentials. This rule is especially important for an interstate move. Reputable movers will need to provide a “DOT number,” also known as a number provided by the Department of Transportation. This is essentially a license that confirms a commercial vehicle is allowed to transfer cargo and passengers across the state.
In addition to the DOT number, you will also want to make sure your mover has a carrier number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. If a mover you consider doesn’t have either of these, it’s probably best to find other options.
2. Read Their Reviews. One of the ways to find out what type of mover you will be dealing with is to head over and read their reviews. You’ll want to do some analysis as you read any reviews. If there are too many five-star reviews, you may need to dig around to find out why.
Does it seem like they are a good moving company, or are they offering a discount in exchange for reviews? Are the reviews based on a particular service they provide?
You’ll also need to carefully look at bad reviews. You shouldn’t ignore bad reviews, but you also shouldn’t write off a mover just because of a few of bad reviews either. When reading bad reviews, you should consider:
- Did they reply to the review? If so, did they offer a solution, and most importantly, do they sound professional and courteous?
- Are there bad reviews few and far between?
- Does the reviewer have a legitimate issue, or are they just ranting about something that seems unavoidable?
If you’re comfortable with how the movers seems to do business based on their reviews, go ahead and proceed with your research.
Read More: Reasons to Hire Professional Full Service Mover
3. Website & Location. Sometimes people hire companies off of classifieds or craigslist. When you’re moving on a budget, it can be easy to consider hiring people on Craigslist. But there are actually many reasons why that isn’t a good idea. To make sure you have a professional and safe move, your moving company should be a fully legal business. If they are a legal business, they should have a website.
4. 20 percent deposit. If a mover is trying to get you to pay the full deposit or even a large cash deposit upfront, consider this a red flag. Most of the time, moving companies shouldn’t ask for deposits larger than 20% of the estimated total. If they ask for more than that, it might be that this company is not legit.
5. They answer questions. If you are looking for a reputable moving company, there are probably questions you have before hiring. For example:
- What’s your claims process?
- Process for damaged things?
- What if I need to cancel?
- Do you provide moving insurance?
If a company doesn’t want to answer these, or gives you a run around for the questions, this may be a signal that this mover is not set up in case of unlikely, but possible negative events.
Conclusion
Hiring a professional moving company can be exhausting. To make sure that who you hire is the best company for you, you will need to do your homework. A reputable company will make your moving experience easy, stress-free, and quick. Here at Safebound Moving & Storage, we are a reliable, highly-reviewed & rated moving company in Florida.
