As you shop for find cheap movers, remember to balance an affordable moving price with quality moving services from experienced movers with good reviews. To find inexpensive movers that you can trust to transport your things, follow these tips:
- Take Time to Compare: As with purchasing any other home service, it pays to comparison shop. Request moving quotes from at least 3-4 cheap moving companies, and if relocating out-of-state, request additional in-home estimates from at least 3 movers. Compare the moving rates & pricing for additional services. Make sure to note the specifics of the moving quote. Does one mover charge travel time, while another company throws in free moving boxes? Ensure you’re comparing apples to apples with the moving quotes you receive.
- Be Wary of Cheap Moving Companies that Provide Low–Ball Estimates: While some cheaper movers run limited discounts, or promotions, any respectable moving company likely charges rates on par with its competitors, since they often have similar moving labor and overhead costs. If you stumble across an affordable moving company that charges outlandishly low prices, be wary. This “cheap moving company” may be tricking you into a contract, only to tack on additional moving expenses later, or they may be running an otherwise shady and possibly unlicensed company.
- Check Licensing: With the above in mind, run a quick background check on all the cheap movers you speak with to ensure they have the proper moving credentials. If you’re moving locally or in-state, your state department of transportation, or a similar department, likely governs moving companies. State-to-state or interstate movers must register with the US Department of Transportation. You shouldn’t trust a cheap mover who doesn’t run a legal operation; after all, they have nothing to lose. A quick search in your state’s regulatory database or the US DOT database will reveal a moving company’s current standing with the regulating authority.
- Proof of Insurance: Your moving company should carry a few essential insurance policies to protect your belongings while they are in their care. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the US DOT, an interstate mover must have active BIPD liability and cargo insurance policies to maintain licensing. You can ask your mover for a Certificate of Insurance as proof they are insured. Additionally, state-to-state movers must offer customers full value insurance protection. This mandate means that if the cheap movers damage or ruin your possessions, they will cover the cost to replace them. Alternatively, you may elect released value protection, which insures your things at a minimum of $.60/pound. Some moving companies offer additional coverage, but this can quickly add to the moving service cost. Understand the options in your estimates and what type of insurance coverage your moving contract commits you to.
- Request a Free In-Home Estimate: If you’re moving long distance, you are entitled to a free in-home moving estimate if you live within 50 miles of your moving company. FMCSA recommends requesting this in-home moving estimate to get the most accurate moving quote possible. The movers will send an estimator to your home, who reviews your household inventory and discusses your required moving services. Based on this visit, they approximate the weight of your shipment and calculate an estimated total moving cost based on standard rates published on their tariff sheet.
- Ask About Form of Payment: Even the cheapest movers will accept multiple forms of payment, including credit cards and personal checks if they are a reputable company. Be leery of movers who only takes cash or who demand a large deposit up-front. While it’s normal for movers to charge a small deposit fee to secure your moving date, a cash-only or large deposit requirement might indicate a less-than-reputable moving company.
- Get Your Estimate in Writing: Before hiring cheap movers, make sure to get the moving estimate in writing. This step creates an enforceable contract. Once you get the moving quote in writing, a long distance moving company cannot deviate more than 10% higher than the original quoted cost. FMCSA enacted this law to prevent customers from getting swindled by cheap moving companies who inaccurately price jobs, then send a final bill that’s far greater than the initial moving quote.
- Make Sure All Documents are Complete: The movers you hire will provide you with a Bill of Lading that describes the agreed-upon moving services and the final quote. Make sure this document is filled out completely, with signatures from the moving company representative, before you sign. Avoid signing an incomplete document; a dishonest moving company could go back and amend an unfinished contract, leaving you on the hook to pay more than you bargained.
- Disclose Everything: While movers cannot charge more than 10% of the amount quoted in the written moving estimate, they can amend the quote if the household inventory changes materially between the time they perform your in-home estimate and the day of the move. For example, if you forgot to disclose that you have a rear garage full of heavy moving boxes that you didn’t show the company’s estimator when they performed their walk-through, they could refuse to carry out your contract or amend it to include the weight of these additional boxes. In order to get the cheapest possible overall moving price, make sure to detail all services you need and disclose the entire inventory you’re moving up-front so you don’t end up with a surprise later.