When you start preparing your move, you are faced with two options: doing a DIY move or hiring professional movers. The better option would be to hire movers Los Angeles. However, not every mover is a good mover. Like in any other profession, there are people who do their job diligently and others who do the bare minimum for the maximum price. For this reason, there are questions to ask your local LA movers before hiring them. These questions can help you to recognize which moving company takes its business seriously. If a certain moving company avoids giving straight answers to your question, you should take that as a warning sign to stay clear from them. As you are preparing details for your move, you should also prepare questions for movers before you hire them.
What you should ask your local LA movers before hiring them?
The real reason why you are hiring local movers Los Angeles is to have stress-free, easy, and safe relocation. Professional movers are not cheap and you deserve quality service. Additionally, the goal of these questions is to recognize a scam moving company from a truly professional one. For this reason, your first question should be about license and insurance. Every interstate moving company should have a license issued by the United States Department of Transportation. However, if your local moving company doesn’t have one, it doesn’t automatically mean that they are rough movers. Local movers who only work within one state are regulated by the same state and not by the US. Additionally, it’s also very important that moving company has insurance. You can check about insurance on the same site you check about license numbers.
What kind of estimate does the moving company offer?
Movers usually offer three types of estimates:
- Non-binding estimate
- Binding estimate
- Binding Not-To-Exceed Estimate
Ask which estimate local movers California offer before you hire them. A non-binding estimate means that the moving company will give you a quote based solely on the weight of your belongings and that quote doesn’t have to match with the final price. There could be additional expenses or more belongings to move that will increase the price of movers. This type of estimate is usually used by rough movers. They will attract you with cheap offers and too good to be a true estimate to sign a contract with them. However, your final bill will be double if not triple the price of a non-binding estimate. For this reason, if a certain moving company only has a non-binding estimate, its means they shouldn’t be trusted.
What is binding and binding not-to-exceed estimate should be the next question to your local LA movers before hiring them
See if commercial movers Los Angeles can offer you a binding estimate. This means they will give you a quote based on the size of your belongings which can’t be changed at the end of the move. This is a better option than a non-binding estimate as you can be sure no additional costs are added. This way, you can be sure that you won’t be paying more than agreed. However, as you won’t be paying more, you also won’t be paying less in a situation where the size of your belongings is smaller than estimated. For this reason, you should get quotes from three or more moving companies and choose the best one. The binding not-to-exceed estimate is the most popular one as you will get a quote based on the weight of your belongings that can’t be exceeded but it can be smaller than estimated.
The next question you should ask your local LA movers before hiring them is about their longevity
If one moving company exist for years now and has a good reputation, you should take that as a good sign. If movers have poor service and a bad reputation then they won’t be able to last long in this competitive field. On the other hand, moving companies and packing services Los Angeles with long history must have great service and years of experience which makes them popular with customers. The best way to check the reputation of a moving company is to read reviews and experiences from previous customers and check their ratings. However, this doesn’t mean that a new moving company is automatically bad in their business. For this reason, it’s best if you have someone whom you trust to recommend you a good moving company to you. A trusted recommendation is better than any question you can ask.
What methods movers will use to avoid damaging your home and belongings?
The experienced movers already have worked out methods to protect your belongings and your current and new home. You should ask your movers about the following.
- What kind of protective materials are they using?
- Do they have moving pads, dollies, and sliders for transporting large items?
- Have they are going to protect walls and floors when moving large items?
- How do they handle the packing and transporting of fragile items?
- What methods do they use for hard accessible residents?
- Do they have experience and proper moving supplies for relocating large and bulky items?
- Are their workers with them from the beginning and are they full-time workers?
Before you go to a moving company, you should measure your door frames and the size of large items. Also, professional movers should do the same measurements as you and they should match with yours.
Does the moving company own a truck?
Ask your local LA movers before hiring them about their moving truck. A serious moving company has their truck with company name on it. Also, while you are asking questions, you should pay attention to the general vibe of the company and if movers have matching uniforms with the company’s logo. Also, the very important question is about how the moving company charges their service by the hour or size, or if there are additional costs you should know about. Don’t be afraid to ask any question you want no matter how silly it might sound to you.