So you have found and qualified a few atlanta moving companies, and now it is time to hire someone.  Based on all the information you’ve collected from finding atlanta movers to qualifying them, pick your top 2 or 3 companies.  This is where we get into the guts of actually hiring a moving company.  I know this seems like you are constantly asking questions, but the atlernative is to hire a moving company blindly and cross your fingers all your things show up and make it in one piece.  If you break up these sections into a time line, it won’t seem like a big process.  Give yourself about a 2 weeks to find a moving company so you don’t have to rush it.  Now, if you already have an idea of who you want to go with then you can skip a lot of these previous steps and get straight to the estimate. As well all know, MONEY TALKS!

Questions To Ask When Getting An Estimate

Ok, it’s estimate time. You should have 2 or 3 companies that you feel really comfortable with based on your qualifying questions.  Here are some of the main questions you want to think about and ask when you get estimates from these companies.

Getting the estimate: If possible, you want to have them come to your current residence to access all the items.  You want to give them as much information as possible. How many bedrooms? How many big items do you have?  The more information you get the more accurate your quote will be.   If they just give you a quote over the phone, just be aware that your price can drastically change if they feel there was more items than they anticipated.

How much notice do they need? You need to think about how soon you will be moving. Typically you want to give a moving company about 3 – 4 weeks notice before your move.  Particularly if it’s during the spring or summer when the weather is nice and a lot of people move. They could be pretty booked.

What day(s) are you looking to move? Usually the weekends are hot moving days, so if you can schedule something during the week your most likely to get the date you are requesting.  If you can, try and be flexible and give yourself a few different days to work with just in case the moving company is booked.

How long will the move take roughly? You want to make sure they have enough manpower to move your things.  Your time is valuable and we all have busy lives.  Ask them for an estimated time to complete the move.

Are they licensed and insured? What is and how much is covered? I know this sounds basic but you want to make sure the items you are moving are covered. You want to know what happens if something is broken along the way.  If you have big items such as pianos, pool tables or weight machines, some companies charge extra for those.  If you have valuables that you can move yourself, I suggest doing that.

Does the weather matter?  Will they move rain or shine? Pretty self explanatory.

Do you want them to pack your belongings, or will you pack yourself? I can tell you from personal experience, I hate packing.  I don’t use the term hate lightly, but I hate packing.   So it may be an additional cost to have someone else pack your things, or majority of your things, but it could save you a lot of time and frustration.  Make sure to ask what they charge to pack your belongings and how far in advance do they do the packing?  Usually you can reduce the cost and pack some things yourself and maybe have them pack up your non personal items like your kitchen or kids bedroom.

Do they use blankets, shrink wrapping and padding? You want to find out what they use to protect your belongings during the move.  Most places shrink wrap and use blankets, but some places may charge extra.  Make sure to ask them if this is standard or are there additional charges.

How far are you moving? Make sure to let them know  your current location and your new location.  Also, unless it is a quick move, if you have plants you will want to take these with you so you can water them along the way.

What is their cacellation Policy? As well all know, life happens. Things change.  So you want to find out what happens if you need to cancel or move the moving date.

Very Improtant: Ask them if this is the final amount or just an estimate? Some companies base their prices on weight and after all items have been moved.  This means your total at the end can be quite different than what you were quoted.  So make sure to ask them about additional charges, if this is a contracted price or will / can it change. Some companies do a “Not to exceed” pricing. Which means they will quote you a price and also give you a “not to exceed” price and you pay whichever is lower.

REMEMBER: GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!

So there you have it. Some of the most crucial questions you will ask your Atlanta moving companies when getting an estimate.  Review all the paperwork and make sure you are comfortable with all that it entails.  Compare quotes and get to moving!

The first thing I recommend is checking out each moving company with the Better Business Bureau to see if they are an accredited business and have had any complaints. The next thing you want to do is compile a list of questions.  Find out more information about each companies background and their policies. Here are some important questions to ask:

How long have they been in business? Generally you want a company that has been around for at least 8 to 10 years.  However, if you received a recommendation for an Atlanta mover from a friend or family member and that moving company hasn’t been in business that long, I wouldn’t rule them out.

Are their movers experienced? See if you can’t find out how long some of their movers have been with the company.  Obviously everyone’s new at some point but you want to make sure they have at least 1 to 2 people on your moving crew with a few years experience.

Are they going to hire subcontractors? Some bigger companies will hire smaller Atlanta moving companies to do the moving for them.  This isn’t a deal breaker but make sure they give you all the information. Ask for the name of the subcontractor that they plan on using. If they do not know which company it will be either ask them for a complete list of all their subcontractors or to get back to you when they find out for sure. Then research information on the local Atlanta mover that they plan on subcontracting to. They should not have an issue giving you any of this information, and if they do it may be a red flag.

Do they have any outstanding complaints and/or claims? Most moving companies will give you a history of any outstanding complaints or claims that were made against them.   They should also provide information on whether the issues were resolved as satisfactory to the client.  More often than not you won’t get complete details of these claims, however if there are any outstanding issues you should ask for more information about why they have not been resolved.

If at this point you feel that they have answered your questions successfully and you would feel comfortable with them moving your things, then this is when you would request an estimate.

• The best way to find good reliable movers in Atlanta is to ask friends and family for recommendations of companies they have used in the past. We all know that our friends and family are usually not shy of an opinion so if they’ve had a good, bad or even terrible experience with a company they will tell you.

• The second best way is to call your local real estate agents. Most real estate agents have long ongoing relationships with local Atlanta movers. They can give you a list of their top moving companies within your area that they deal with on a regular basis for their clients. You may end finding yourself a good local real estate agent as well!

• The last way is to search online or in your local phone book. Today the internet is more powerful than ever. With a few keystrokes you can find all your local Atlanta moving companies within a specific distance. Choose your favorite search engine Google, Yahoo, or Bing and start searching. Compile a list of all the Atlanta movers that are closest to you and check any reviews that may be available.

You should have a minimum of 4 to 6 moving companies either recommended by others or ones you found on the internet or phone book. This will give you a good starting point to get you to the next step of qualifying a mover. This is where we will show you what to look for in a moving company, how to find out if they have hidden fees or scams, and if they are truly the trustworthy moving company for you!