Aside from death and marriage, there are few life events quite as stressful as moving. It can be traumatic for the family, especially if you have children that love their school and neighborhood. It’s always time intensive, and can be quite costly as well. Facing the packing, the endless yard sales and all of the utilities that need to be transferred can leave you ready to close the curtains and throw a blanket over your head. But if you bring in the right moving and storage company, you’ll rest easy knowing your family’s most precious possessions will be well cared for. There are dozens and dozens of companies out there you could choose from, and no two are alike. Many have been around for years, and yet that doesn’t guarantee a quality job. Here are a couple of tips to help you find a reputable moving and storage company in your area.
First of all, ask around in the neighborhood. Chances are many of your neighbors moved at some point in the past few years, and their company may be the best option for you as well. Find out if their moving and storage partner is local, what they charged, and how it was to work with them. You’ll want a report that paints a picture of respectful, hard workers, promises kept and little to no damage to personal property at the end of the day. And the best part is you might get a discount by coming to them through the recommendation of a previous customer. So add any companies that frequently come up to your list for further research.
Now it’s time to hop online and see what you can dig up. A quick Google search will probably unearth a ton of choices, so you’ll have to look deeper to determine which company is the right match for you. Obviously check out their website. Look for a professional tone, years of experience, and proper insurance coverage. Other companies may undercut their pricing, but any reputable moving and storage company will be fully covered for jobs large and small. If they’re offering some sort of online coupon that provides you with a bit of a discount, consider that gravy.
With a couple of names drawn from your web search, head over to Yelp and do some more digging. Yelp is basically the online version of you walking around your neighborhood and polling the locals for reviews. But this way you’ll find hundreds or even thousands of reviews you can sort by age and rating. You’ll want to see a company that’s been positively reviewed frequently, and for a long period of time. Expect that even reputable companies will get the occasional bad review, so mentally throw out the top and bottom ten percent of all reviews. Then you’ll be left with a good cross section of thoughts on each company to consider.
Once you’ve plumbed the depths of each company’s online reputation, it’s time to check them out in person. When you have a list of three to five finalists, make an appointment to go out and talk to a salesperson or customer service representation. You’ll want to hear more about their philosophy, and the way they organize each move. Since you’ve already done a ton of research prior to this meeting, now you really just want to see what sort of feeling you get. How clean and organized are their facilities? Did they take the time to answer your questions without pressuring you? Do they have the ability to get your job done? With all the details filled in, you should feel confident enough to pull the trigger.