Moving? Here's How to Find a Company that Delivers
Last updated May 2024
Ask several companies to bid on your move. Our ratings and advice will help you find reliable, well-priced outfits.
Local Moves
Review ratings. We surveyed consumers in seven major metro areas and asked them for feedback on moving companies they had used recently. Some companies received rave reviews from nearly all their customers, but an alarming number of consumers were disgusted with moving companies that arrived hours or even days late, lost or broke stuff, reneged on promises, and demanded exorbitant prices.
Check complaint records. While customers might have given moving companies less-than-rave reviews based on fairly minor issues, filing a formal complaint with a consumer agency usually reflects serious dissatisfaction. Check whether any company you consider has any complaints on file against it with local government offices of consumer affairs in your area. Also search for complaints with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Consider working with certified moving consultants. These pros can come to your home to prepare an estimate and offer advice on packing and other moving matters. American Trucking Associations’ Certified Moving Consultants complete an online program and pass a test. Certification indicates knowledge but says nothing about whether the consultant practices “lowball” bidding or other unethical behavior.
Make sure they have adequate insurance coverage. Ask the moving company for proof that it carries liability insurance coverage for damage to your house, your neighbors’ property, and to any person, and that it carries workers’ compensation coverage.
Long-Distance Interstate Moves
For long-distance moves, there are other quality factors to consider.
Each major national carrier uses several local agents and hundreds of driver-operators. While long-distance haulers presumably try to maintain overall quality throughout their systems, there can be big differences.
Enhance the odds of a successful long-distance move by choosing a high-quality local agent. Though they won’t actually haul your goods or unload them at the other end, they will probably pack you up, and may help load, and can give tips on getting organized and saving money. Plus, the local agent can intervene if problems occur with the personnel at your destination.
For additional protection, be sure your mover is properly registered and insured. Check the U.S. Department of Transportation Protect Your Move website to determine licensure status of movers.
Review Insurance Issues
Your mover’s standard contract language probably severely limits its liability for loss or damage to your belongings. While standard protection is free, its reimbursement rate is capped at 60 cents per pound, which won’t adequately cover most household items.
Most movers offer additional “valuation coverage protection” or “full-value protection.” $50,000 of coverage with no deductible typically costs $450 to $1,000. But before you pay several hundred dollars for moving insurance, check your homeowners or renters insurance policy; your belongings may already be covered. But you’ll have to file a claim for damaged or lost items, be responsible for any deductible, and run the risk of a future rate hike or getting dropped.
Schedule
Most local moves are completed in a single day. If you are moving during peak season (May to August) or on a weekend, book far in advance.
Long-distance companies often cram several households onto a single truck. Setting accurate pickup and delivery dates is very difficult because a delay with one load affects the others. Long delays (five days or more) are more common on deliveries than on pickups, but problems can occur at either end. Although you can make a claim for costs resulting from delays (hotel rooms, etc.), there is no way to be compensated fully.
If the delivery date is critical, consider only movers that offer “guaranteed pickup and delivery service.” With this, if the mover fails to pick up or deliver the shipment on the agreed-upon dates, you’ll get reimbursed, typically $100 to $200 for each day of delay. Movers also sometimes reimburse their customers for a portion of living expenses (hotels and meals) caused by delays.
Storage Needs
If your new home won’t be ready when you leave your old one, have the mover arrange storage. Get proof that insurance will cover your belongings against theft, fire, and other risks while in storage—the coverage you can buy for goods in transit doesn’t protect you from damage while in long-term storage.
Long-distance movers often place customers’ belongings in temporary storage to access another client’s stuff on the same truck, or if they need to wait a few days until their customers are ready for final delivery. Try to avoid this because it substantially increases the risk of damage.
If your new home can’t fit all your belongings and you don’t want to part with them, you can rent a self-storage unit.
Special Services, Higher Costs
Most companies charge extra to handle certain bulky or exceptionally heavy items, such as pianos, ride-on lawnmowers, and grandfather clocks. Movers’ price schedules may also include special charges if the truck is too big to get down the street to your home and a smaller truck is needed to shuttle your belongings; or if the truck has to pick up or drop off belongings at an additional location. Discuss such matters with company representatives providing estimates.