Questions To Ask Your Mover

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In an earlier blog I gave you some tips to help make your move as smooth and as quick as possible. I told you what to ask but I did not tell you what you should be hearing as the answer. So I am going to list some questions you should undeniably ask your local moving company when you call to get a quote and what you should listen for. The moving industry also has a language of its own, like most professions if you are not in it we can not decipher what they are saying. You get confused and end up kind of brushing it off your shoulder and hope for the best; therefore I will give you a little description or definition to what we are actually saying to you.

1. Are you licensed and insured/bonded? YES! We are licensed and insured, but we are not bonded.
Bonded: Refers to a type of surety guarantee that a specific project, service or act will be financially covered if performance is not complete or satisfactory. A bonded company has protected funds (controlled by the state) that are accessible for consumer’s claims against that company. The money is directly accessible to you for an assortment of reasons as controlled by a state agent. Bonded also implies that we are able to move military.

2. Are your employee’s full time or hired day labor? No. They are all full time professionally trained employees; we do not hire any day labor or hired help. My men show up in uniforms with their names and our logo, so you know that they are my guys. They carry their own tools on the truck so that they are able to do any minor disassemble and reassemble.

3. Can you give me a “Price Guarantee”? Unless you have received a written estimate from a salesman who came out to see your home, then no I can not give you a PRICE guarantee. Any local moving company that says they can and do give you a specific cost without getting a detailed inventory or sending someone out be ware. It is almost impossible to give someone an exact quote on moving without seeing their belongings or where they are moving from. Any company that does this can be considered a rogue mover. Rogue movers: Typically a rogue mover is going to work like this: They are going to decline coming out to see your belongings even if asked. They will give you a low ball estimate and then once they have all your items loaded, they will demand more money and essentially hold your items ransom until you pay what they are asking. They demand payment in cash only or require a large deposit up front. This can get particularly scary and upsetting when you have moved out of state and need your household goods.

4. Are there any additional fees? When you move with All My Sons of Dallas what you are responsible for is any time the men are working for you (time it takes to load you on the truck, drive to your destination, and then unload you into your new home) plus a one hour trip charge, which allows our men a half our from our warehouse out to you and a half hour upon completion of the job back to our warehouse. Any packing material used there will be an additional charge or specialty items (i.e. plasma tv’s, pool tables, glass or marble) that require special attention there will be additional costs accessed.

5. How do I pay for my move? All local movers should accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and American Express) cash, cashier’s check or money orders. When it comes to corporate moves it is best to get it approved if you wish to pay with a company check. Once again, if the company only wants you to pay in cash then you need to watch out.

6. If there are any damages how long do I have to file a claim? In Texas you have 90 days to file your claim. The best thing to do once you notice any damages to your home or belongings is to make the crew leader aware, write down any and all damages on your bill of lading. Go ahead and call your moving company and get the claim process started. Remember you have 90 days to get all the paperwork in so take your time and go through all of your belongings to make sure all is well.

7. How much notice do I need to give my moving company when booking? In the perfect world once you have a firm moving date the best thing to do is call and get your move scheduled. Two weeks in advance is a good rule of thumb however, most moving companies will be able to work with you if you book your move at the last minute.

8. Are there any penalties accessed if I cancel a move? Yes and no. We are in the moving business so we understand completely about closing not going through, apartments not being ready and any other uncontrollable circumstances that may come up. All My Sons does not penalize you if this happens. The only thing that could be considered a penalty is the day you want to reschedule for may not be available, not really a penalty just an inconvenience.

9. What times will my move start? There are two positions in a moving companies schedule, a starter and hanger. Starter: Our morning position. Starters get started between 7:30am-9am, depending on that morning’s traffic and weather. Hangers: Our afternoon position. Afternoon positions are just that they are after noon. We typically try to get them started between 12 and 2 pm, but it really does depend on what time the crew gets done with their morning job.

10. Do you offer storage? If so how much is it per month and is it climate controlled? All My Sons of Dallas does offer warehouse storage and it is climate controlled. Since it is warehouse storage everything is kept in vaults. A vault is a wooden container usually 7 ft tall by 5 ½ ft wide and 7 ft deep. This container is used to store your household goods. Storage fees are dependent upon the season and are charged on a per crate per month basis.

Above all make sure any and all of your questions are answered, and that any and all of your concerns are addressed.