How to Choose the Correct Moving Company BY-Movers Community

We all know Americans changed residences less often last year than at any time since the Census Bureau began keeping track in 1948, the latest sign of how the recession, and falling house prices are keeping more people in place.

The national mover rate was 11.9% last year; meaning 11.9% of the people lived in a different dwelling than they did the year before. That was down from 13.2% in 2007. In total, about 35 million people moved last year, down from about 39 million in 2007.

With that said, moving is often quoted as being one of the most stressful experiences we ever go through in our lives. The whole process of packing up our belongings, leaving our home and moving is bad enough - add to that the fact that we have to entrust our possessions in the hands of complete strangers and hope that our stuff arrives in good condition as when we left it.

Most often, moving companies get their clients mainly from Internet web sites that let you enter in your basic moving information, and then send the information to the moving companies. The moving companies then compete for your business which in most cases would be a good thing - for you.

As you see one important factor in moving is the estimate. Most consumers believe that only one estimate exists and that is the one who gives you an estimated price which can however be double of the amount or half of the amount.

In fact there are actually three types of estimates that are common in the moving industry. You should be aware of all of them;

Binding Not-To-Be-Exceeded - This true estimate is the preferred and most favorable for the customer. A basic understanding of it means that even if your actual weight exceeds the original written estimate, you still pay for only the amount of the estimate. But if your actual weight is less than the estimate, then you pay less than the amount of the estimate.A binding-not-to-exceed estimate can only get lower, not higher. If you can you should definitely choose this option!

Fixed Price Agreement - If you sign this you agree to pay the fixed amount of the binding written estimate whatever the actual weight in the end is. Risk to the costumer is that the moving company could overprice the estimate to get extra money for pounds that don't exist. The risk for the moving business is that the costumer could sneak in items that were hidden and not included on the original estimate. However the risk to the company is almost does not exist, because the truck driver has the right to "challenge" the binding estimate on loading day, before actually loading, if he thinks that the estimate is too low.

Non-Binding Agreement - You agree to pay for the actual weight, not the estimate, based on a set price per pound. The final bill could be higher or lower than the original written estimate, depending on the actual weight.

There are two ways moving companies give you quotes, One is the In Home estimate were mostly done by local companies near you or if your contacting one of the establish moving companies it will be done by one of their local agent, You can schedule a time for a representative from the Moving Company to do a visual inspection and give a written estimate with a "Not to Exceed Price". This person will look at everything you are moving. For an accurate estimate you will need to show him/her everything including attic, garage, storage area etc.

The second way is an over the phone estimate, were the sales agent goes over the inventory, list of item in your home and by what you tell them they will give a price per lbs or by CF. this way is not a binding price not to exceed price , sales agent often go quick over the inventory list and most often you forget items or miscalculate how many boxes you're going to be bringing in this case your price is bound to increase. This None Binding Agreement very seldom reduces your price, and you find yourself in paying more, or even worst , running in to a scam company.

In my experience I learned that there are ways to insure your getting the best price from the moving company and the best service , You should ask for an estimates for your move from at least three reputable moving companies before deciding on one to use, by asking a couple of questing and doing much research you can save yourself a lot of headache in the future . Most common questing to ask the moving company

Q. How do you charge for moving services?A:Good companies charge by weight and miles, not volume. Volume-based estimates are notoriously inaccurate and we often hear of customers who are charged more when their stuff arrives because the volume-based estimate was wrong. We'd also be skeptical of movers that charge only based on the weight (regardless of how far you are shipping your items).

Q. Can you guarantee that the estimates you give won't be exceeded?A: The sales line we hear often is "sure, I typically over-estimate to be safe, so your charge will probably be less." It sounds like a great line, but it's not true. Some 400N Tariff movers WILL offer a not-to-exceed estimate based on your accurate representation of the inventory. However, their estimates are generally quite accurate. They're professionals at this and have incentive not to scare you with a high price..

Q. Are you a broker or the actual mover?A: Many movers that you find online are brokers ,They're effectively move coordinators. Although you won't be dealing with the moving company directly, brokers have direct contact with the moving companies, and drivers and generally detailed tracking tools. We have had equal success with both brokers and moving companies.

Q. Do you offer temporary storage if I need it? How much does it cost? What if I need it longer? Is there an additional cost if I need to get into it while it's in temporary storage?A: Many carriers offer free temporary storage for a month including the transportation to and from storage while others charge. If the first month is free, make sure you understand the costs for additional months and any hidden costs (like if you need to get into your stuff while it's in storage).

Q. Are all the players (packers, movers, etc) fully bonded and insured?A: There are a surprising number of fly-by-night operations. Asking some basic questions about the company should help give you a sense of how long they've been around.

Q. What payment methods do you accept?A: While some moving companies accept credit card payment for the full cost of the move, many do not. You should ask and not assume.

Q. What's your refund policy?A: Many moving companies have very flexible refund policies (e.g. fully refundable if you cancel within a week or two). This should help alleviate any fear you have booking early with one company.

Bad moves starts with moving companies trying to beat each other's low bid to move your possessions for you. Basic rules of competition that you would take advantage in most cases, but not in the moving industry.At least let the low bid not be your priority when choosing a moving company, because in the end you may get a double or triple than your estimated quote.Unfortunately The moving industry is rife with bad apples. At first the people at these moving companies are very nice to you. They give you a low-ball bid, and tell you that your things will be in good hands because "Our people are professionals" or something. It's when the movers actually show up, and it's too late for you to save yourself where things start to go horribly wrong.

In local moves the big scam is to write an estimate, give you a ton of paperwork with all kinds of fine print and loopholes, show up late, work slow, and then hold your stuff hostage on the truck at the other end with demands for more money because you "had more stuff than estimated" or "it took longer". With long distance moves (my horror story) they subcontract everything out--the moving company is often just a shell.

The movers show up way to late on weekends, and pretend to be taking a good inventory but when the time comes to sign the paperwork they cleverly hide some of the inventory sheets. You don't discover until later you don't have an accurate count. Then your stuff is shifted from trailer to trailer, expectations of when delivery will happen are never met, and when your stuff arrives it will be damaged and many items lost but with no record to hold them too, And then there is the amount of time that these companies take to actually deliver your things.

These companies break a lot of laws pulling off this scam, but be aware that since Congress did away with the Interstate Commerce Commission in the 1995, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is responsible for oversight of the industry. The FMCSA, however, has very few investigators enforcing the regulations in this industry... Movers know it!

Most moving companies are completely legit, however more than a few will try to trick you into paying a lot more money than you expected even the legit companies this is due to lower prices the companies have to give in order to survive in the business. As the number of competitors are raising the prices for moving are falling, which mean that it is becoming more difficult for them to make a profit and survive in the business, most companies start Leaving normal transportation ethics and guidelines aside, and for you moving can become a big stress factor and pain if you run into a moving company scam.

The FMCSA has recently informed, that choice of venue is not applicable to movers and you can file a small claims suit in your local jurisdiction, but you should contact an attorney and speak with them about your options.