11 Tips for a Perfect Move from Moving Expert C. Majure Van Dyke

www.countryclubmoving.com

Many of you have heard horror stories about moves gone bad which makes many people have serious reservations about picking up the phone and calling a moving company. Even though your personal experiences may have been excellent in the past, the news media has painted moving companies in a bad light. Some detrimental references may be well deserved, but most are not. Some moving companies are crooked, yet there are hundreds if not thousands of great moving companies in this country. It is unfortunate a few rotten apples give us all a bad name.

How can you protect yourself from the few rotten apples? Below you will find 11 tips to help you assure that you will get a good value from a moving company and end up smiling at the end of your move.

1. Ask a family member, friend or neighbor who they used. The chances are good that one of them moved in the last 5 years and this is a good place to start. If the moving company is still in business that is a good indicator of their reputation. The moving market is very competitive and the bad apples usually go out of business eventually. This is not always the case. Furthermore, just because the mover performed a proper service once does not necessarily mean you will get a good move. You may end up with the top performers in the company or the new/inexperienced movers.

2. Talk to the owner. Ask him if he can send his most experienced movers on your move. You would be surprised, but many times it is the owner answering the phone. He may not be able to promise all his best movers, but he certainly will remember you commenting about it and will do his best to make sure you get at least some of his best movers.

3. Let the moving company know what they are to expect at your move. Do not have the movers show up to move a whole household, plus a piano, pool table, safe and hot tub without first warning them of the special care items that must be moved. Movers that move pianos, pool tables, safes and hot tubs are specialized movers with a lot more skills than your regular "lumper"(mover). They will have specialized tools and knowledge for disassembly, reassembly and moving of these unique items.

4. Be honest with the mover. Some home owners believe the moving company will charge them more if they have a big house. That is simply not true. Whether your house is big or small, the home will take a certain number of man-hours to perform the move whether you use 2 men or 10 men to move your home. Let the moving company know the size of your house so when the movers arrive they will be prepared with the right equipment and right number of men to do the job.

5. If you are looking for a thrifty/cheap move then tell your mover. Tell him, "I can only afford ($ blank)." Most moving companies will work with you to get you moved. However, you may only be able to afford moving "just the big stuff". Movers do this all the time. Many customers move the small boxes and small items themselves to save money and have the movers move the big boxes and big furniture. Everybody is trying to save money these days, but most customers wish to avoid a visit to the chiropractor. Chiropractors are more expensive than movers! Save your back and hire a professional mover.

6. If you need to move long distance, then you need a mover that is licensed and insured to move from state-to-state. This is a completely different move from a local move. It requires more care and planning than just a move across town. Most long distance moves are quoted by the pound. There are several reasons for that. However, I will not get into that in this column, mainly because the competition and terms are changing as I write this article. Many movers will move long distance by the hour, trip, truck load and of course by the pound. You should get a quote from three or four movers. At least one of those quotes should be from a national mover, like Bekins, NorthAmerican (North American) or MayFlower (May Flower) and at least one or two more quotes from local and regional movers. That should give you a good idea of the cost. You will probably get a wide range of quotes.

7. It is probably not the best idea to pick the cheapest mover. If they are the cheapest, then they are the cheapest for a reason. They may be paying their movers minimum wage. You do not want a minimum wage mover moving your $50,000 Steinway Grand Piano or your grandmother´s family heirloom.

8. You do not necessarily have to buy the cargo insurance. The mover is responsible for your goods in transit up to $.60 per pound and that is not enough coverage for most households. Many moving companies will push you to buy the extra insurance. Check with your homeowners´ policy. Most policies will cover your household goods in transit. Do not buy double insurance, but make sure that you are covered. If not, most moving companies offer extra insurance and full coverage insurance. However, it is expensive. You are already paying for your homeowners insurance; so buy wisely.

9. Ask the mover how long he has been in business. Find out what size trucks he uses too. Some movers will show up with a pickup truck. Some will show up with a pickup truck and a trailer. The right equipment, for the right move is very important.

10. When you book the move, get a confirmation number. Book only with a company that will take your deposit by credit or debit card and give you a confirmation number. Having a third party credit card company as your advocate and proof of actually booking the move will help if there is a problem if the moving company does not show up or damages your furniture. Furthermore, if the company has your deposit, they really do not want to give it back, so they are more likely to show up as planned. Some moving companies over book like the airlines, rolling the dice, gambling that someone will cancel. Then they will call you last minute or not at all and make some excuse. On your moving day you do not need excuses, you need to be moved.

11. Get ready. Get organized. Mark your furniture with colored stick-on-tags that you can get from Office Depot or Target. Put the corresponding color on the door of the room you want the furniture in. Place all the items you are going to move yourself in your car. Then sit down and relax. You hired a good moving company that should take care of your furniture like you would. If this is your first time using a moving company, once you have experienced a good/great moving company you will never go back to moving yourself. This is one of the greatest services you can buy for yourself. Service from a company of movers that really care makes all the difference. Have a great move. Smile.

C. Majure Van Dyke is President of Country Club Moving, Inc. Country Club Moving has been serving the Midsouth and the Nation for 14 years. CCC, Inc. serves Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, Millington, Cordova, Arlington and Jackson, TN and other areas of north Mississippi, Olive Branch, Southaven, Horn Lake and Tunica. Mr. Van Dyke welcomes your comments or suggestions at

cvandyk1@bellsouth.net or online at www.countryclubmoving.com