How to Choose Local Movers? Questions to Ask

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When hiring local movers, you should know it is not that simple as typing local movers near me because you want to find a proper company that can meet all of your requirements. That is why you should learn more about finding local movers and prepare some questions to ask them in order to prepare for what you are facing. The better you are prepared for your upcoming move, the less stressful experience will be. Not to mention, great communication between you and your local movers will make the whole process smooth and seamless. Prepare for the big talk when getting a quote, and learn what you should ask your professional movers before booking your move. 

A very important question for local movers when you are planning the move is if they are licensed. We like to say that professional movers are always licensed, and even more important is that you should never hire anything less than licensed local movers. Not only you will feel safer throughout the process because you will know you have some rights if it comes to some issues during the move. Local movers that are licensed are also insured, so in case of any damages you will be protected and your professional movers will be there to help you resolve the issue. If you are not confident that your local movers are licensed, you can always ask them to send you their PUC number. And at the end of the day, there are many local movers in every part of our state, so you can always find someone else to help you out with your move. 

When planning a local move, you want to hire local movers who are experienced and skilled enough to help you with your moving project. Hiring professional movers that are in business for a couple of months might be good to offer support to a local business, but on the other hand, everyone prefers to have someone with a long tradition. This shouldn’t be crucial when it comes to hiring local movers, but if you believe that you will feel safer, you should always ask this question. There are numerous professional movers around, and there is no doubt that everyone can find some local movers that are going to suit them the best. The only thing is to start searching for local movers ahead of time in order to find someone you trust. Most people do think that local movers that are longer in business are traditional and experienced more than the ones that are not. On the other hand, a long history does not necessarily mean high-quality services, but local movers who have been around for many years have gained considerable experience and have yielded satisfactory results in order to stay competitive for so long. It is reasonable why everyone wants to have them. 

Different types of moves require different sets of skills. That is why your local movers should be experienced with the moving project you have. It is not that difficult to recognize if this is the case. For example, apartment moving requires your local movers to know how to handle hallways, elevators, stairs. For an office move, professional movers should be skilled to handle office furniture properly. While you are on the phone with the moving company that you are looking forward to schedule, you will be able to recognize if this is their first time facing the moving project that you are planning. Professional movers should be honest and refuse to help you with your move if they cannot help you properly. This is especially important for hiring local movers that should handle heavy furniture, such as a piano, a pool table, a safe, or anything of that sort. In this case, your local movers will advise you to hire someone who is specialized to handle particular items they are not skilled enough to do so. This is fair on behalf of your local movers because those are valuable items and no one should jeopardize them. 

Extremely important question! Not only you want to find affordable movers, but you want to have local movers who will provide you with all the services that you are looking for. As we already mentioned, there are many local movers and they all have different rules, services, and prices. Most local movers do explain what is included and what is not, but you should ask whenever something is not absolutely clear to you. Most of the professional movers include manpower with a truck, tools, moving blankets and plastic wrap for protection, and some additional pieces of equipment such as wardrobe boxes, straps, moving dollies, etc. Just imagine miscommunication where you hired local movers expecting they will pack and move everything you own, and you never check. Your local movers arrive unprepared for packing because that is not included in the price. The whole relocation will become a nightmare that can be avoided by one simple question. When it comes to moving, it is always to be better safe than sorry. Good communication with your local movers is crucial for anyone who is planning to have a stress-free relocation. And that is everyone. 

Let’s be honest – moving is stressful and you want to find local movers to make it less stressful, but you should do your part as well. Just imagine finding affordable movers that sound too good to be true – they probably are. Unfortunately, local moving is still a grey area with not many rules and regulations set and stone, so you should be careful when finding local movers who will be hired to help you with your relocation. That is why you should always check if there are some hidden or additional charges that are not mentioned initially. Especially in California where local movers can charge the double drive time fee, and that is regulated by the law. Some local movers do assume that you know about this, so they don’t even mention it. And you might be moving for the first time, and have no idea about it. We mentioned this a lot of times so far, but it is true, local movers do have their own rules and regulations when it comes to charges, so it can happen that your chosen local movers have some fees on top of the price. Always be sure to check this, it will save you some headache. 

It is important to learn what payment methods your local movers accept, so you can prepare for the moving day. The last thing that you want is to have professional movers who will wait for quite some time for you to get money. Some local movers don’t accept checks, and you want to know that ahead of time. There are some professional movers that are offering discounts for cash payments, and you might be thinking about money-saving this way. Take all of that into consideration, and learn about payment methods even before booking your move. 

We already mentioned licensed local movers as the only movers you should hire. The reason for that is the insurance they have included. Most of the professional movers are offering basic coverage insurance, which is 60 cents per pound. If that is not the case, or even if it is, you want to know it ahead of time. In case you have some extra valuable items or some possessions that are tricky to handle, you might consider purchasing additional insurance for particular items. Local movers cannot sell you the insurance, but you should learn whether they are fine with you buying an additional one. If they are not, that should be a sign that something is not right, so make sure to check that as well. 

Speaking of insurance… Before booking local movers, you should learn more about the way they are handling any type of problem during the move. The main issues during the relocation are damaged, but the move can go wrong in many different ways. Besides damages, you can have issues with local movers being too slow, or rude, or anything of that sort, and professional movers should be real experts dealing with this. When it comes to damages, you should learn how you can file a claim. Usually, professional movers have their customer care department that will listen about the issue accrued during the move. They will ask you a couple of questions to learn more about the issue and file a claim for you. After that, local movers will find the solution for the issue accrued and they will let you know if you should deliver something else on your side, or what the final resolution is. 

Local movers require the deposit in order to put you on their schedule. That deposit is always deducted from the final bill, but you should learn what will happen in case you decide to reschedule or cancel your relocation. Some local movers have the rule that the deposit is non-refundable in case of cancellations, so don’t be surprised if you don’t ask. Even if that is not the case, you should plan ahead of time and if you decide to reschedule or cancel your local move, make sure to notify your professional movers in time. This way you will show your respect for their time and dedication. No one likes to be bailed at the last minute, so make sure not to do this to someone who is there to help you out. 

As mentioned, there are different local movers, and not all of them are licensed and insured. And you want the best for your belongings. Make sure to ask the moving company if they do the background checks of their local movers. That is someone who needs to walk into your home and handle all of your memories and possessions. You want those people to be trustworthy. It is very important for every moving company to do background checks of their local movers, and also to provide them with the appropriate training. 

In case you don’t want to worry about a thing during your move, you can check if your local movers can help you with packing as well. They usually can, and this service will save you a lot of time. Not to mention that your items will be safe and sound during the process. Since most of the local movers don’t offer this as a part of their standard package, it needs to be requested additionally. 

If you are calling local movers just to get the idea of the price and services they can offer, and you are not planning to book them at the moment, make sure to learn more about the best time to book your professional movers. Most of the affordable movers get booked pretty fast, so the sooner the better. Learn how soon their calendar gets booked up. 

And if you have decided to book local movers now, you should learn about the arrival window they are offering. Most of the local movers cannot arrive at your location in a sharp time, but the arrival window is offered. Make sure to learn more about this time, so you can plan your work and errands ahead of time. 

Bonus tip: Read the agreement/confirmation email  

This is not a question to ask your local movers, but don’t forget to read the confirmation email and the agreement before your moving day arrives. Those contain all the details that you might not have heard during the call. Make sure to read everything about your rights and the rights of your local movers during the process. 

And if you are in need of local movers, you are in the right place – reach out to Laguna Moving Services. Our customer support is here 7 days a week and ready to answer any question you might have. Get your free moving quote today and book the best professional movers in Orange County. We are looking forward to working with you.