By Marcia Passos Duffy | Bankrate.com
You want your stuff in the right hands
Many consider moving to be one of life's most stressful and least fun events, especially the actual
process of getting all your stuff from point A to point B. Once you've made the big decision to pull
up stakes and then figure out all those important details such as where you'll work, where you'll
live and where the kids will go to school, choosing a mover may just be an afterthought.
But don't skimp on this last detail. Why? While the right moving company can make for a smooth move, choosing
the wrong mover can make your relocation a nightmare.
Cliff O'Neill found this out the hard way when he moved from the Washington, D.C., area to Columbus, Ohio. The
Washington-area moving crew he hired needed help unloading the truck in Ohio, so without O'Neill's knowledge
they hired a panhandler off the street to do the job.
"I was aghast -- this guy now knew where I lived and all the contents of my home," says O'Neill, who added that the
panhandler later rang his doorbell asking for money. "I quickly got an alarm system."
How can you make sure that this -- or worse -- won't happen to you during your move? Here are some tips.
Can I see your license?
"(Licenses) are the 'it' factor when you are looking for a mover," says Stephen Bienko, owner of College Hunks
Moving of East Hanover, N.J.
A moving company's licenses and other requirements will differ depending on whether you are moving within your
state or to another, notes David Hauenstein, a vice president with the trade group the American Moving and
Storage Association, or AMSA.
To do business across state lines, the mover must be licensed with the federal government and have a U.S.
Department of Transportation, or DOT, number. You can find out if an interstate mover meets the requirements by
calling the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or by looking up the moving company on the agency's
website, ProtectYourMove.gov.
For local moves within the same state, AMSA recommends you contact your state moving association to check on
a mover's licenses and other requirements, which may differ from state to state.
Go local or go national?
"We often have very good luck getting problems resolved by local owners that may go unanswered by a large
corporation," she says.
However, just because you liked the mom and pop mover for your local move doesn't mean the company has the
appropriate licenses or experience to cross state lines.
Smaller companies may hire day labor or temps who are untrained or unknown to the company, which can result
in problems if there is any loss or damage, says Jim Lockard, owner of Denver-based moving company JL
Transport. But he adds that large companies may not offer the crews, insurance and services you need and can
sometimes transfer your property to another company or crew during transit.
"In the middle is a company that assigns permanent employees to travel with your property," Lockard says. "Good
research of the history (of the company) can avert problems and losses."
Do some detective work
Make sure you check government and independent sources -- not just the mover's website -- to verify licenses and
references, says Hauenstein. While the mover may boldly claim on its website to have the right credentials, that
may not be the case. "We find instances of movers using the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and AMSA logo, but
they aren't members," he says.
Do some digging of your own on a mover's social media pages, such as Facebook, to read comments from
customers. Also check testimonials on Angie's List, Yelp, Google Places and MovingScam.com. You might try an
online search pairing the company's name with the word "complaints" to find any blog posts about bad customer
experiences with a specific moving company.
"Every company has a few tough clients that may have felt they did not have the experience they were looking for,"
says Bienko. "However, take the average and base your decision on that."
Get an estimate, and get it in writing
You should get estimates from more than one moving company, says Lamoureux. And make sure those
estimates include everything in your home you want moved.
"That includes things in the attic, garage, backyard, shed, crawl space, basement, underneath and behind
furniture, and inside every closet and piece of storage furniture," she says. If you point to several things during the
estimating process and say, "That will be gone before the move," and they are not, your cost will be higher, she
says.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, recommends that the estimate be in writing and
clearly describe all the charges. Do not accept verbal estimates.
Along with a binding estimate, the FMCSA recommends that you get these additional documents from the mover
on moving day:
Be assured you're insured
While your mover is liable for your belongings as they're being handled and transported by the company's
employees, there are different levels of liability, or "valuation," says Hauenstein. "You need to understand the level
that will apply for your move."
Under federal law, interstate movers must offer their customers two different insurance options: "full value
protection" and "released value."
Under full value, a more comprehensive insurance that will cost you extra, the mover is liable for the replacement
value of any item that is lost or damaged during the move.
Released value protection comes at no additional charge and offers limited liability that will pay you just 60 cents
per pound for any items that disappear or are harmed.
You may opt to purchase your own separate insurance for the move. Or, your furniture and other stuff may already
be covered through your existing homeowners policy.
In-state movers are subject to state insurance requirements, so make sure you ask about coverage when using a
local carrier.
Don't ever sign anything that contains language about "releasing" or "discharging" your mover from liability.
Ask a lot of questions
Once you get all the licenses and paperwork checked and in order, moving experts say your job still isn't done.
Make sure the mover provides answers to the following questions.
The bottom line is that you need to be comfortable with all the answers you get from the mover and trust the
company, says Diane Saatchi, senior vice president of Saunders & Associates, a real estate brokerage firm
based in Bridgehampton, N.Y.
"After all, they will be going through your personal things and be part of your life for a couple of days," says Saatchi.
"Moving is a stressful time, and the mover should be calm and make it easier for you."
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