Why You Should Purchase Insurance For Your Move

Posted by & filed under Moving Estimates.

Should you buy insurance for your move? Isn’t it automatically covered?

It’s become cliche to say that moving is stressful. Between packing and general chaos, moving is no fun. The most stressful moments, though, might be the time when your most precious possessions are like Schrodinger’s Cat. They exist and they don’t exist and you have no idea what condition you’ll get them in.

<h2>Now, we wouldn’t be writing this if we were known for damaging or losing your household goods, but on occasion, accidents happen and that’s why you should purchase insurance.</h2>

For most, this makes absolutely no sense. Shouldn’t moving companies automatically cover everything you own? The answer is more complicated than you think. Moving companies are not insurance companies. We can’t really tell the difference between an 18th Century Queen Anne and a reproduction. That’s what insurance companies specialize in.

On the other hand, the federal government and the state of California do require that movers cover $.60 per pound per item. That means that if your Queen Anne chair weighs 70 pounds, you’ll receive a grand total of $42.00. Even a reproduction is worth more than that, right?

Unless everything you own is junk (and if that’s the case, why move it?), purchasing insurance, while you’re unlikely to use it, offers peace of mind. Many movers use companies like Baker’s International, which is underwritten by the world-famous Lloyds of London, for their customer’s insurance needs. It’s simple. You just go online and purchase a policy.

In some cases, homeowner’s insurance may cover the move, but typically not. You can ask your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance agent if you can buy a rider for the policy that will cover the move.

Featured image via Pictures of Money/Flickr.

Moving To A Tiny House? Here’s How We Can Help

Posted by & filed under Storage.

If you’re an HGTV addict, like me, you’ve probably noticed the new trend in home ownership: going tiny. Moving to a tiny house is an idea that’s both crazy and very sane. It’s also impractical and completely practical at the same time. It’s for singles, young couples, small families (and some surprisingly large families) and retirees. it’s for anyone who’s having trouble balancing California’s high cost of living with having a life. It also comes with a whole host of challenges.

Image via Tomas Quinones/Flickr.com

As adorable as many tiny houses are, and they are adorable, the keyword is still “tiny.” It won’t be a smooth transition no matter how you look at it. Despite the incredibly creative storage solutions in many of them, there is still not enough room to contain the contents of an average American home. For some, it’s more like moving back into an average college dorm room.

A tiny home, like a large home, is a commitment, but for those for whom it’s a drastic change, a little commitment phobia might be the wise way to go. In other words, move into your new home with all the enthusiasm you would have with any new relationship, but be cautious.

You might think at this point that I’d be encouraging you to put all of your belongings in storage. While we’d welcome you to store your larger household with us, that’s not very practical and while it won’t completely defeat the purpose (storage is still a lot cheaper than maintaining a large home), it would be a waste of money.

<h2>The top piece of advice is still to downsize, downsize, downsize.</h2>

Buy some graph paper and carefully map out the layout of your new home. Here are some tips for doing that. When moving into a more normal sized home, it might be sufficient to only measure your furniture, but in this case, measure everything, including the contents of your closets, cabinets and drawers. If you haven’t used or worn something in the last year, sell it or donate it. Apps like LetGo can make that a whole lot easier. If you have something you love, but just won’t fit, let us take care of it for you. If you decide to graduate to a bigger home in the future, it will be safe for you.

Featured image via Nicolás Boullosa/Flickr.

Ask Us Anything At All About Moving — Anything

Posted by & filed under Moving Estimates, News.

It’s Friday. Let’s throw caution to the wind and have a little fun. We asked customers, social media followers and friends to ask us anything about moving. Here you go:

<h2>Where do you hire the movers?</h2>

Most of our movers come from word of mouth, but we are always hiring hard workers who are good with customer service,

<h2>Can I make a career out of moving?</h2>

Absolutely! The owner of our company started out as a mover. So did most of the management.

<h2>What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever moved?</h2>

Hmmm, well our movers do keep things confidential, but there was that time we moved a forensic pathologist. Let’s just say it took some creative packing to move the collection of human skeletons.

<h2>Do you like your customers?</h2>

Well, they are customers, not friends, however, we have developed a lot of friendships over the years from our customers. Moving is very intimate. You build a level of trust when people are in your home, handling all of your most personal belongings. Overall, though, we love making our customers happy and yes, we completely understand if the relationship remains completely professional.

<h2>Have you ever moved hoarders?</h2>

It would probably be safer to say that we’ve moved a lot of pack rats and even more collectors. We aren’t medical professionals. We’ll leave the diagnoses to others. However, if a situation is unsafe for our movers, we will turn down the job.

<h2>What’s your favorite kind of move?</h2>

Each of our movers would probably give you a different answer, but I am an art lover. Art collections are challenging to move, but in a good way.

<h2>Tell us about the worst customer you’ve ever had.</h2>

Moving is very stressful, we know that. It’s not uncommon for our movers to work with anxious customers. Believe it or not, one of the most difficult situations is when customers trust us too much and they leave for the day. It’s imperative that someone is nearby to answer any questions the movers might have.

<h2>If you could tell every customer just one thing, what would it be?</h2>

There seems to be an idea that moving is one of the greediest business, that we only see dollar signs instead of people. For some movers, this might be true, but we are playing the long game. In the long run, happy customers are far more profitable than a quick buck.

If you have any questions, no matter how weird, comment below. Remember, you can ask us anything.

 

 

 

 

 

Tip the movers.

How Much Should You Tip The Movers? The Answer Isn’t Always Simple

Posted by & filed under Moving Estimates.

One of the most controversial subjects when it comes to moving is tipping. Should you tip your movers? Do the movers expect a tip and should they ask? Honestly, it’s probably the last thing you want to think about at the end if a long day, but it is generally customary to tip the movers. It’s not mandatory, though.

 

Tip the movers.

Featured image via KAZ Vorpal/Flickr.

Most movers are young, and they work very hard for not a lot of money. If they do a good job, by all means, throw them a few dollars. If they don’t, then don’t ever feel pressured to tip them and if they ask, you should immediately contact their dispatcher.

How much to tip varies depending on the type of move. In the most simple terms, a tip of about $5 per mover per hour, handed to the supervisor to be divvied up, is appropriate. This works for both local and long distance moves.

For local moves, you can tip between 10-20%, depending on how happy you are with the movers and how hard they worked. For interstate moves, it gets a bit more complicated, It’s simple to tip by the hour for both pickup and delivery. Remember, you may not have the same crew on delivery, so splitting the tip between legs of the move is a good idea.

Again, do not ever feel pressured to tip. The movers do appreciate the tips, and for the most part, they deserve them, but if you aren’t happy, they shouldn’t be rewarded, Do keep in mind, though, that not all problems are caused by the movers. If they are late, for example, it’s likely a dispatch issue or a problem with a move taking longer than expected.

The bottom line is the movers want customers to be happy. When you are happy, their jobs are much easier. They don’t work for the tips, but they sure help.

 

 

 

 

How To Pack For Your Move And Keep Your Life Relatively Normal

Posted by & filed under Packing.

If you ignore the back breaking work of getting your 300 pound sofa into and out of the moving truck, the worst part of moving is packing. Who wants to live for days and weeks on end in rooms full of cardboard? Who actually wants to pack? Short of hiring movers to do the packing (rarely a bad idea), is it possible to pack and still have a life? Sure! Sort of.

Many packing novices start out by packing everything they see. While that’s certainly a way to get the job done, it’s not the way to keep your life as normal as possible. As a packing veteran, here’s how I do it:

Ask your moving consultant for help – Even if you aren’t paying your moving company to pack for you, you can ask them specifically what boxes you need and how to pack them. They are a great resource. Use them.

Set up a goal – I generally set a goal of five boxes a day. That gives me time to work and time to enjoy at least a bit of my evening. The larger your household, the more help you should recruit and the more boxes you’ll need to pack every day. Simply divide the number of boxes you’ll need to pack (see above) by the number of days before your move, There’s your goal.

Pack books, music and videos first – These are the items that you’re least likely to need before your move. If you do pack something you absolutely need, download it.

Pack clothing next – Set aside the clothing you wear every day, but pack everything that;s out of season or that you know you won’t be wearing before the move. Save some comfortable clothes for moving day.

Then pack the pictures on the wall – You might even want to take them in your car to the new place by wrapping them in blankets and securing them in your car. If that’s not an option, your mover will have picture and mirror boxes,

Pack the knick-knacks – You don’t need those, right?

Pack everything in your kitchen that you don’t use every day – You might have to do a little more dish washing but if you leave one place setting, a couple of pots, pans and other utensils, the kitchen should be a breeze come moving day.

Try to not buy groceries – Trust me when I say the last thing you’ll want to move are the goods in your fridge. If you are moving across country, give it all away unless it will fit in a cooler. If you are moving locally, move the perishables in your car. The less of it you have, the better, This might mean a few days of takeout, but on the bright side, that leaves you more time to pack.

None of this will make your move exactly convenient, but if you follow these pretty simple steps, it shouldn’t completely take over your life.

Featured image via Caitlin Childs/Flickr.

 

 

 

 

 

How Do I Choose The Type Of Long Distance Mover For Me? Part Three

Posted by & filed under Long-Distance Moving, Uncategorized.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about all the ways you can move your goods across country. When most people think of moving, they think of hiring movers. Makes sense, right? Well, many people are do it yourselfers and many are budget conscious. There are other ways to transport your goods, but are they worth it?

The third option for moving cross country is loosely called “you pack.” There are several ways of accomplishing a “you pack” move, but they all have the same basic premise: you pack and load and someone else drives.

Over the last few years, a couple of options have really stood out. One is shipping with a freight company and the other with a storage company. Again, the premises are basically the same. The company leaves a container, or two, or three, at your home for a certain number of days. You pack it up, then they pick it up. Easy peasy.

You are charged by the amount of space you use. With the freight companies, they will generally deliver a 20 foot cargo container where each cubic foot is delineated. You are charged per cubic foot of use. Unless your goods take up the entire cargo container, your shipment will share the container with non-household goods. Anecdotally, I’ve heard of household goods sharing space with things like onions, which does not end well. Fortunately, that sort of thing does seem to be very uncommon.

The other common you pack service is storage containers. You’ve probably seen them. A company delivers a couple of containers, which stay in the driveway for a few days, then are picked up. Again, a simple concept and people are charged by container. Also very simple.

As with all types of moving, there are some downsides to you pack services. While the company is doing the driving, they are leaving you to literally do the heavy lifting. Yes, you can hire people to help, but that quickly eats away at any financial advantage to you pack. With you pack services, delivery times can be a lot slower. Make sure the sales people are very clear with you.

Another possible disadvantage to you pack is the limited amount of time you have to load and unload. Usually, it’s three days, although you can typically pay for extra time. For a large household, especially if everyone works, this can be inconvenient.

The main difference between you pack services and professional movers is accountability. When you move with a professional, especially if that professional packs for you, there’s no question of liability in case of damages, although in both instances, federal law severely limits movers’ liability to $.60 per pound for professional movers and $.10 per pound for you pack services. In both cases, it’s recommended that you purchase additional insurance.

Regardless of which type of move is best for you, always do your homework. Even the big named storage container moving companies are usually franchises, so service can vary wildly.

Next week we’ll talk about the final option: renting a truck.

How Do I Choose The Type Of Long Distance Mover For Me? Part Two

Posted by & filed under Long-Distance Moving, Moving Estimates.

As with bread and yogurt and pretty much anything that can be purchased from a grocery store shelf, there are so many choices on how to get your precious goods moved from point A to point B that it seems daunting. Last week, I wrote about what’s perhaps the best known way – those big named movers you’ve seen peppering our nation’s highways.

They aren’t the only ones, though, who can reliably and safely move you across country. Sometimes, smaller companies might be able to meet your needs better and for a better price.

While big named long distance movers have name recognition, as last week’s post proved, it’s not always a guarantee of great service. It’s also not a guarantee you won’t get great service, so as with anything, do your homework.

Small companies are independently owned and should be licensed. They need to register their rates with the federal government and in many cases, their states.

A not so hidden secret in the moving industry is that many companies follow the same pricing structure. You’d think that that would mean that all companies would charge the same. They don’t. Movers usually provide high discounts, ranging between 50 and 70 percent.

Other companies, like VIP Movers, registers their own pricing structures and sometimes, these can be far more straightforward. There’s usually a price per cubic foot (as opposed to pound). Both have advantages and disadvantages, but realize that even when charged by weight, the estimate is still based on cubic feet, since it would be really inconvenient to weigh a 350 pound credenza. Then, they estimate weight by multiplying by seven. In other words weight or cubic foot, it doesn’t really matter.

The disadvantage to independent movers is that you might have to do a little more homework. Beware of unlicensed independent movers. Don’t assume they have a great record. Once you’ve settled on a good one, though, you might find a bit more pricing and service flexibility. Independents don’t generally have to coordinate with a third party. Many companies can customize pick up and delivery to your needs (although perhaps at a higher rate) and your contact will be your contact throughout the moving process.

Independent movers are full service movers. That means they can pack you, they’ll load the truck, and of course, they’ll move you across the country or across the state. They offer the same services as the big guys and they can be just as reliable.

Do not ever, though, confuse independent movers with moving brokers. Brokers are third parties. They don’t have trucks. They don’t have movers. They just coordinate with a series of movers who actually do the move. We’ll talk more about them next week.

Part One: How Do I Choose The Type Of Long Distance Mover For Me — Van Lines

Featured image via Wikimedia.

How Do I Choose The Type Of Long Distance Mover For Me? Part One

Posted by & filed under Long-Distance Moving, Moving Estimates.

As with so many other things these days, consumer choices for moving are almost endless. When you’re moving across country, there are the big name brand movers, there are local movers, there are containers that you pack and others move, there are moving storage containers and of course, you can always rent a truck. All of these options have their advantages and depending on your needs, any one of these could be the solution for you.

First off, let’s start with the big guys. The pioneer in long-distance moving is still around. They are a company called American Red Ball. They started out in 1919 and used horses and wagons.

Fast forward a century and while the act of loading a vehicle and unloading it hasn’t really changed, the types of vehicles has.

American Red Ball is still around, but a handful of other companies seem to dominate the market, at least it seems that their blue trucks or orange trucks dominate the nation’s highways.

At first blush, the big named van lines might seem the way to go. They have history so they must be reliable, right? Well, it’s not that simple. When you contract with one of the big guys, you are typically contracting with two companies if not three. There is the company who will pack you and send your items to a warehouse. There is the company that will move your goods across country and there is the company that will deliver your goods. Occasionally and especially if your shipment is big and you are flexible on your move out date, one company will do all of that, but if you need a precise move out date and your load isn’t all that big, you will be dealing with at least two relatively independent companies. That’s not to say this is necessarily bad, but when shopping for a mover, check the credentials and reviews of not just the major van line, but of the company that’s picking you up as well.

Van lines could have hidden costs. If you need your goods to be stored while you wait to move in, you could end up paying a lot — often more than with independent movers and storage companies. Van lines also tend to be less flexible with shuttles. Meaning, if you live in a place that’s not accessible by a tractor trailer, you might have to pay a shuttle fee. That means a smaller truck may have to pickup and/or deliver your goods. If that’s the case, you’ll have to pay for the labor involved in transferring your goods to and from the large truck as well as for the truck.

Still, there are many very reliable companies that carry the name of one of the major van lines. Don’t rely just on their name, though. As always, do your due diligence and perhaps consider shopping for other types of moving solutions as well.

Not all companies that have the words “van line” in their name is actually a van line. Many are independent movers and many don’t even provide the moving services. Next week, we’ll talk about independent movers.

Featured image via Pixabay.

Part Two: How Do I Choose The Type Of Long Distance Mover For Me — Independent Movers

Why Is My Moving Bill So Hard To Understand?

Posted by & filed under Moving Estimates, News.

A truck, some strong movers and some packing materials. That’s all moving is, right? If that’s the case, then why is my moving bill so hard to understand?

It’s not your imagination. Moving is a rather simple process, but the pricing can be very confusing. In California, all licensed moving companies must adhere to a schedule of charges. These can be based on the guidelines of the big van line companies or companies can design their own pricing structure. As long as it’s approved by the California and national licensing boards, the structure will be legal.

For interstate moves, there are typically two ways of charging. One is by weight and the other by volume. Both have their benefits and problems.

Most (but not all) large interstate moving companies charge by weight x miles + packing. Many smaller companies follow this pricing structure as well, but many charge by volume (cubic feet) x miles + packing. So, what’s the difference and which way of pricing is more honest?

Regardless of pricing structure, there are ways for disreputable moving companies to rip you off. When movers charge by weight, they are supposed to offer you a weight ticket that shows the weight before loading the truck and after loading the truck. While this does seem clear cut, there are ways to game that system too, such as include other goods or fill up the gas tank before the second weigh in. Believe it or not, that can add hundreds of pounds and hundreds of dollars.

Dishonest companies can also rip you off when they charge by volume. In some ways, you need to take their words for it and just assume the space used is logged correctly and that the truck is loaded correctly.

In other words, if a company is out to rip you off, they will do it, regardless of their pricing structure.

Interstate moves should only be charged by the hour if the destination is close. The advantage there is you generally have next day delivery, whereas if you are sharing space (usually a significant cost savings), delivery could take days or sometimes weeks.

Regardless of how moving companies ultimately charge, they all estimate by volume.

Wait, what?

Estimating a move isn’t rocket science. All but the most old school moving estimators come prepared with what’s called a “cube sheet.” Sometimes the cube sheet is a literal piece of paper, sometimes it’s built into software, but it is a standard list of items with standard cubic feet of each. It’s your inventory list and it’s important. An average sofa, for example, is 50 cubic feet. When companies charge by weight, they just take the entire cubic footage and multiply it by seven. In other words, that same sofa should weigh around 350 pounds. Believe it or not, the calculations are typically quite accurate. Honestly, this is something most people could do for themselves, but we don’t recommend it in most cases simply because moving estimates should be at no cost to you and you want to make sure the mover has the full scope the job.

Many movers guarantee their pricing and while that’s a good thing, even the weight-based movers are charging based on that cube sheet. You should receive a copy of the cube sheet which allows you to verify that the estimator recorded everything. If they didn’t, notify them and they will adjust the pricing. Guaranteed prices are based only on what is on the cube sheet. You will pay for any additional items.

 

Next week we’ll talk about how ensure that your mover is honest.

 

Image via Brad Montgomery/Flickr.com.