Questions to Ask When Interviewing Long Distance Moving Companies

Posted on Nov 4th, 2009 | no responses

Choosing long distance moving companies can be tedious and time consuming. Moving is always a difficult and stressful proposition, whether moving across town or across country. Moving your household over a long distance presents its own set of complications.

To be sure all your possessions arrive intact, it’s important to hire a long distance moving company you can depend on. By asking the right questions, you can ensure your long distance moving company will take good care of your things and get them where they need to go, when they need to be there.

Building a List of Long Distance Movers

To start your search, make up a list of movers you think would be a good fit for your move. Online sites can provide quotes to give you a general idea of how much an individual company might charge. Don’t necessarily choose the least expensive companies when narrowing down your list, as you’ll want to consider other factors before making a final decision.

Once you’ve acquired several initial quotes and have narrowed down your list, it’s time to start asking the hard questions.

In-Home Quotes and Detailed Interviews

An in-home quote is the best way to determine exactly how much your move will cost. A long distance moving company can give you a general idea of cost, but until they see exactly what you have that needs to be moved, they can’t supply an exact quote.

In addition to a detailed, in-home quote, you’ll want to interview the movers with a list of detailed questions. Some questions to include are:

How much experience do you have?
Experience should include not just moving, but quoting. An inexperienced move might give an inaccurate quote, as well as not give you a quality move. This could end not only with damage to your possessions, but a final cost higher than expected.

When will my possessions arrive?
A moving company might not be able to say when they’ll deliver to the minute, but they should be able to give you a window of a day or two. If the delivery time seems too vague, too optimistic, or doesn’t take into account possible weather delays or other issues, the movers might just be saying what they know you want to hear.

Can you provide references?
If the company has done numerous moves for local business on either end (or both ends) of your planned move, these references can give you a good idea of the kind of work the company does.

How will you approach moving my (piano, heirloom dresser–insert whatever specialty item you own here)?
Most movers have a plan for moving particularly large, cumbersome, or valuable items. Many will not move pianos, but will provide references for companies who specialize in piano moving. If a company is apprehensive about moving any individual item, it might be a good idea to let them recommend someone else. On the other hand, if they are overly enthusiastic about moving your Steinway grand piano, it might not hurt to look elsewhere.

In addition to looking for the right answers, pay attention to the attitude and tone. If a moving company seems overly willing to take on any project, or dismissive of possible problems, you might want to move on to the next company on the list.