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If you are moving to or from Florida and you have chosen to do so with the help of qualified professionals – you’re definitely on the right track. Moving on your own is much harder to pull off, considering the amount of time and nerves you’d have to waste. However, if you choose the wrong moving company, you will be faced with an extremely stressful journey that will leave you wishing that you’ve done everything on your own (or better yet, that you’ve hired better movers). Hiring commercial movers who are reliable and who know what they are doing is a must. In order to help you do that, we have prepared a guide on all the questions to ask when hiring commercial movers in Florida.
#01: Which types of estimate do you offer?
The first question to ask is related to a type of estimate that you will receive. Before we move on explaining what kinds of estimates exist and which ones you should choose, we need to stress out that, under the laws of the United States of America, you are obliged to receive a free in-house estimate. This means that someone from the moving company should visit you personally in order to assess the weight of the belongings you will be transporting. Good moving companies, such as Moving Kings Van Lines FL, will send a representative as soon as the initial phone call is concluded. If they don’t offer to do that – avoid that company.
Now, there are three types of estimates you can receive. Ask whether a company offers all three, as some are better than the others.
- Non-binding estimate. If you receive this type of estimate, there is a chance that you will eventually have to pay more than what was originally arranged. Choosing this type of estimate can put you in a pickle, as you won’t be able to plan your budget accordingly and, thus, you might not have enough money to pay the bill.
- Binding estimate. If you get this kind of estimate, you can rest assured knowing that you won’t have to pay more (nor less) than what was arranged. That is the kind of estimate that we can recommend to our readers.
- Binding not-to-exceed estimate. This estimate is the best one. While you definitely won’t have to pay more, there’s a chance that you’ll pay less if some factors work in your favor. So, try to find a company in Florida that will answer affirmatively to your question: “Do you offer a binding not-to-exceed estimate?”
#02: Which services are available?
The next question is related to types of services that the company in question is offering. When you are moving, there is a good chance that you’ll need to find a Florida company that offers different services, such as handling large objects (such as furniture, a piano, or a pool table) or storage services. If the given company doesn’t offer the type of service you need, then you’ll need to find a different company.
These additional services might be useful to you even if you weren’t previously aware of that. For example, while the employees of a good moving company will help you to pack for moving without stress, there’s a chance that some of those things will need to be placed in storage. Perhaps you possess belongings that won’t fit in your new home, or you’re looking to declutter after discovering plenty of long-forgotten items while packing that you are sorry to get rid of.
Similarly, you might think that, in order to safely move furniture, all you need is some effort and muscle, however, you may be surprised by all the things that could go wrong. For example, your furniture will probably need to be disassembled (and then assembled again later on), so that it can fit through narrow doorways and so that it can be safely transported. Think hard about services you may need, and ask the movers if they are equipped to handle everything you need.
#03: Is your equipment kept in a good condition?
Then, you’ll also need to ask equipment-related questions if you want to be sure that you’re hiring commercial movers in Florida who are well-prepared to take care of your relocation. Basically, all of their equipment needs to be in a good (if not pristine) state.
If their moving vehicles, for example, are in a bad condition, that could be fatal to your belongings. And while shipping your items in an unkempt van could work out just fine, it’s best not to risk it. The state of the company’s equipment can go a long way toward showing you what kind of a company you are dealing with. If their equipment isn’t well-kept, then the company itself is probably bad for doing business with.
What’s more, before hiring commercial movers, you should check out their equipment, even if you have received satisfying answers to your equipment-related questions. Better safe than sorry.
#04: Can you provide me with references?
Finding reliable movers in Florida means that you’ll have to check out the company’s background as best as you can. You will need to do thorough research in order to make sure that the company will do a good job.
So, ask the company representative for references, including the phone numbers of their previous satisfied customers. Three references should suffice. Now, this question will be useless if you don’t follow through and actually call these previous customers. While this is not likely, references can be forged. And what better way to find out whether the company offers a high-quality service than to learn what are the experiences of their previous customers first-hand.
Good luck with hiring commercial movers that are just right for you!
After asking these four questions (along with other subquestions that are embedded in these four), you will have a pretty good idea on whether the company in question is the one you should hire. Remember, hiring commercial movers is not something that should be taken lightly, as many things can go wrong when you are dealing with unreliable movers. But, that is a topic for another time.