Hiring Movers: Watch Out For These Warning Signs

Hiring movers is one of the best ways to make relocating a pleasant and much less stressful ordeal. True, nothing is going to remove 100% of the hassle of finding a new place, packing up your belongings, getting situated in a new job, finding a good school for your kids, and so on. But just trying to find enough friends to help you haul your furniture out to the truck can be an entirely different kind of stress and one that is often best avoided. If you're moving across country, you may have no choice but to hire a company to help you. If you do, however, make sure you hire a good one. Here are some warning signs to watch out for.

No Verifiable Insurance
Movers need to have vehicle and other insurance in order to do legitimate business. While your homeowner's insurance will be relied upon should damage happen to your belongings, there's still no reason to trust a company that is trying to operate beyond the legal prescriptions in your state. If they are taking shortcuts in this arena, they will quite possibly take them while moving your things.

Large Deposit
Movers should be willing to accept payment upon completion of the job. If you're reserving a truck far in advance, it isn't out of the realm of good business to request a deposit, however. By the same token, though, it should be a reasonable deposit and not half of the final price. Do not even consider laying down a large, non-refundable deposit. This is a clear sign of a scamming company and you want nothing to do with that.

Poor BBB Record
You should always check with the Better Business Bureau before hiring movers. It isn't necessary that the company actually belongs to the BBB, but it is still an excellent resource to see if customers have been posting complaints. If they have, read the complaints and see if the company bothered to respond. Looking through complaints and responses you can learn a great deal. If you notice that the same complaints continue popping up, it might be a sign that you should look somewhere else for your services.

One of the best ways to find good movers is to ask around. Everyone has had to move at some point or another, and many people use professionals to help them do it. Ask your co-workers, neighbors, and the other people you know if they can offer you any recommendations. At least you'll have something to start your search with.