You have decided to move – that is amazing! But, don’t start celebrating just yet. You still have a lot of decisions to make. That is, you have to decide what to do with your old home, how to find a new one, what items to bring, what to leave behind, when to organize a goodbye party, etc. And, while doing all of these, you also have to choose the right moving company to handle your long-distance move. In today’s day and age, there are tons of moving companies – there are cheap and expensive ones, reliable and fraudulent ones, and there are friendly and hostile ones. To choose one that suits your budget, situation, and all of your needs, here are 5 questions to ask your NYC long-distance movers.
1. Do You Have a License?
One of the most important questions to ask your NYC long-distance movers is whether they have a license or not. All professional moving companies are licensed! If you come across some movers who are without a license, run! That is a red flag. Those are fraudulent ‘movers’ who are either trying to steal your items or your money. Or, those are ‘movers’ who want to hold your items hostage until you pay them a certain amount of money. Either way, you want to stay away from these.
To avoid moving scams, and thus, to save your belongings and yourself, always ask to see the license. And, don’t stop there – just like movers, licenses can also be a fraud. Thus, inspect that license too. You can do that by checking their USDOT number online. And, of course, you can check the company itself by reading its comment section or reading what other people say about them on social media and various moving-related blogs.
One of the questions to ask your NYC long-distance movers is whether they are approved by USDOT.
2. Do You Have Experience with Long-Distance Relocations?
Since you are moving from NYC to some other state, you will need a company that specializes in long-distance relocations. You may think that all specialize in these, but you are wrong. Some companies specialize in local relocations, some in commercial, some in elderly, etc. Thus, as soon as you find movers you like, one of the questions you should ask them is whether they have experience with your specific type of move. All professional and reliable companies such as Teddy Moving and Storage will be more than happy to give you an answer – no matter what the answer is.
And, why is this important? Well, it is important because only professional movers who specialize in long-distance moving know exactly how to prepare you and your belongings for this long trip. They will handle everything moving-related while you deal with more important things.
3. Do You Provide Insurance?
Speaking of important questions to ask your NYC long-distance movers, let us not forget about moving insurance. Most people don’t get this because they believe that nothing can go wrong. But, it can. Many things can go wrong when moving long-distance. Some of your items may get lost during shipping, some may get damaged during transportation, or some may be completely demolished during a fire, flood, or some other accident. These cases are indeed rare when hiring professional movers, but, we would be lying if we said that they never happen.
So, before you hire movers, ask them about their insurance policy. Most companies will offer one of the following policies:
- Basic carrier liability (or released value) – the lowest coverage.
- Declare value protection – mid-level coverage.
- Full value liability – the most inclusive type of liability.
- Specialty items insurance.
The first type of insurance is often offered by moving companies for free, while all others need to be paid for. It would be a good idea to talk to your movers about what you plan on relocating and how that can be protected before anything else.
Insurance can make or break your long-distance relocation, so be sure to ask for it.
4. Do You Have Any References?
References may be one of the most important things to look for when it comes to choosing a reliable mover you can trust. Thus, when having an interview with your potential mover, don’t hesitate to ask for references. A moving company representative should be able to provide them to you immediately.
Moreover, even if you liked what you read, make an effort to research on your own as well. Just like previously mentioned, look at that particular company’s website. That is, go to the comments section. Then, check what other people are saying about them on moving forums and social media. If you come across some ‘bad news’, don’t exclude the company immediately. Don’t focus on the problem, but on how the movers handled that problem. If the movers handled the problem successfully, those are the movers you should hire. Trust us, hiring those movers is much better than hiring those with no bad comments.
Always look for references when hiring long distance movers.
5. Can You Provide Me with a Binding Quote?
We cannot talk about questions to ask your NYC long-distance movers without mentioning quotes. If you are like the rest of us, you will want to know how much your move is going to cost you before those movers actually come to your home, right? Of course! Nobody wants to be hit with an unpleasant surprise on that moving day. So, before you sign any contract with your movers, ask them to come to your home and give you a quote! Moreover, ask for a binding quote (not for non-binding ones). Binding quotes are not subject to change. In other words, you will pay only the agreed price. It would also be a good idea to ask several companies this question. This way, you will be able to compare different moving quotes and offers before you choose the one that suits your budget and all of your needs.
These are just some of the questions you should ask your NYC long-distance movers before you hire them. Of course, there are many more, but, we suggest starting with these as they are the most important ones.
