When choosing a local moving company, this is what we look for.
If there is one thing that is constantly being asked here at Garden of the Gods Self Storage it is: who do you recommend for movers? This is an important question, after all you are going to be paying someone to move your belongings and you are going to want to make sure that your things are handled with the same care and respect that you treat them with. The majority of the time when choosing a local moving company, we turn to locally owned companies that have met the set of requirements that we have developed over the years.
On this page, we are going to explain what we look for in a mover…
That being said, If you are a Colorado Springs Local and were hoping to find a quick recommendation for a local mover, don’t worry we have you covered! After all, self storage units play a big part in many moving situations. Just give our office a call at (719) 265-5900, and we will tell you who we currently recommending!
How To Find A Great Moving Company
- No Name Changes – First and foremost, if the mover has a truck with a different name, move on. They have had to change their name. You could probably ask, but it is not worth knowing.
- Get Referrals – Most local movers have a base set of clients they continually work with for commercial needs. Places like storage facilities and consignment stores rely on these services for moving things out of units/stores and into houses. If a mover cannot or will not give a list of residential and commercial referrals, this is a red flag to move on.
- Thorough Walk-through – A good mover will do a walk-through before they offer any prices on the move. It is very hard to estimate the volume of a move over the phone. The walk-through should also be very thorough and take a decent amount of time. This is the time to show which items need to be wrapped and what items need to be boxed. In addition, the mover should be telling you what corners will be covered and what areas they have concerns with larger pieces of furniture. In addition, be prepared to also tell the mover what items you want to be donated and disposed of, no point in moving things you’re not going to keep.
- Don’t pay a deposit – For a local move, you should not have to pay any deposit, all payment is due at delivery. In our experience, a mover collecting a deposit before a moving date means the mover has to rent a truck and that means they are not a full-time mover. This can also result in not having a mover on moving day, and having lost the cash deposit. If a local move needs a deposit, then you should reconsider.
- Has a Moving Inventory – On a local move this is normally not as serious as an international or national move. The movers should have a rough inventory of what they are loading on a local level move. The key furniture should be noted, the number of boxes, and most importantly any pieces with pre-existing damage.
- Identifies Extra Fees – These can happen in a variety of situations. Like an apartment on the 7th floor, an unloading point that is not accessible, narrow hallways that items cannot fit down, so on and so forth. Needless to say, these exceptions are never-ending, but they are predictable and the movers know them! Always ask if there are any logistical problems that could result in extra fees.
- Lowering packing costs – most movers will offer to pack for you, however, this can be a costly course of action. Normally they will have a marked-up box cost and this adds many payable hours to the job. It is important not to be frustrated by the offer as it is their job. However, you can always pre-pack and avoid this expense. Just be prepared for the offer, in the end, it is your money and time, so choose what works best for you.
- The Moving Contract – Never sign a blank or generic moving contract, this needs to have specifics and all the key details. This could be a moving scam. Bottom line, if it is not on the contract don’t expect it to be done. Moving is a rough and labor-intensive industry, so it is not wise to expect them to do more than their contract was agreed on. Below are the three key terms and their expectations that come with them for moving contracts.
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- Non-binding estimate – This means a company cannot charge more than 10% over the original estimate for any overages. Any overages must be paid within 30 days of delivery.
- Non-binding to exceed estimate – this will ensure you will not have any overages, the quote on the contract is the maximum that will be paid. This is the most common for local moves, a mover will say this will take no more than x hours at $xx per hour.
- Binding Estimate – this is an absolute price for a move and any additional services added, like unpacking, will cost extra and are due within 30 days of delivery.
These are the keys details we look for when choosing a local moving company.
The process of finding a local mover can be difficult, but hopefully, this information will help you when narrowing down which mover you are going to hire. Like we mentioned earlier, we always have a set of local movers we refer to, just give us a call at (719) 265-5900 and we can give you their names!