Hiring movers can easily spin into a difficult experience that ends up gulping a chunk of your money, time and leaves you stressed but it doesn’t have to be this way.
The truth is that when you’re relocating, hiring movers saves you a ton of stress but the tricky part of this is being able to hire the right movers. As a first time mover, you are more prone to getting it all wrong; especially when compared to people who have experience hiring movers and working with them. Below are some costly mistakes you should avoid.
Not Planning
When hiring movers, you need to dedicate adequate time to plan every single move. Moving is not something you do impulsively regardless of where you’re moving from or moving to. Drawing out a plan makes a world of difference when hiring movers but it’s not just about the movers. You need to plan the entire relocation.
Without a plan, even the best movers may run into problems while trying to help you move. Draw up a list that contains every single thing you have in your house but you should remember that not everything in your home will be moved. There are some things you will sell as well as those you might simply just give away. It’s important to share the list of the things you are moving with your movers to give them a clear picture of precisely what you’re moving. You can carry your really personal items in a different bag and take responsibility for that; especially if they are small items like jewellery.
Create a visual picture of what you want your new home to look like especially as it relates to the items you are planning to move. Anything that does not fit into your mental picture should be left out. There is a need to be very realistic in your choices and decisions.
If you are moving to an apartment/home that is smaller than your current place, you should realise that you will need to do away with some of the things you currently own. If, on the other hand, you are moving to a bigger place, you can let your movers know that you are moving quite a lot of things.
When planning, dates are very important as they help you know when you would be able to create time to work with the movers. The process of moving will be determined by the movers as they are professionals but a plan will help you find movers that fit into your schedule. Without a plan, you find yourself in a chaotic situation that could easily spin out of control.
Putting YourSelf in a Desperate Situation
Most businesses make more money when dealing with desperate clients and the same will apply to you if you wait till the last minute before hiring movers. The worst time to hire movers is when you are in a desperate situation and this is bad for many reasons – For instance, you will find yourself paying much more than you should have paid if you were not in a desperate situation.
You should always remember that movers do not work for you alone. They have other clients and as such, have a schedule they work with. A desperate client like you might not fit into the schedule of good movers, which could leave you stuck with movers whose services are below par.
When you get desperate, your power of negotiation is lost, which leaves you at the mercy of the movers to exploit your disadvantaged situation.
Carry Your Receipts
You should anticipate that when you’re moving your valuables, you’re likely to run into a typical police checkpoint. When dealing with the police in Nigeria, you should not take anything for granted. Despite hiring movers that are legitimately registered to operate within the state/country, you should not assume that the police will simply gloss over this.
Sometimes, the police officers at these checkpoints might be content with your driver’s license and a form of identification that ties the driver to the movers. However, things don’t always go as planned. The police officers might insist on seeing the receipts for some of the valuables you’re moving to your new apartment/home.
Failing to Compare Prices and Offering
Instead of jumping on the first movers you find, take your time to go round until you find a couple of potential movers you can work with. What this does is that it puts you in a situation where you can compare their charges until you find one that fits your budget. However, pricing should not be the only yardstick with which you make a decision on who you want to work with.
What kind of extra services are they offering? How big are their trucks? Do they charge extra when they have to take a furniture apart or assemble it? Do they have modern equipment that makes moving easier and stress-free? Are their teams efficient?
Be sure to compare, credentials, services and their reputation as well. Never jump on the first offer you get. It is a naive thing to do; one which you may live to regret.
Not Asking Questions
Asking questions; especially the right ones has a way of saving you from all avoidable headaches. It’s imperative that you ask a lot of crucial questions when hiring movers.
Failing to ask questions is a terrible mistake many first time movers make. The more you know about a potential mover, the better for you. it is at this stage that you should ask questions like:
- Tell me about the company and what you do
- How many branches do you have?
- How do you handle cases or damaged items?
- Can you walk me through how you handle customer complaints?
- Do you offer any value-added services
- How long has your brand been in business?
- Are there any other hidden charges besides what I’m paying for moving?
The questions as well as how they are answered will provide you with more insight into the company, its history and how they deal with their clients. The list of questions we shared is not in any way exhaustive. You should also ask questions about the quality of their packing materials.
Final Thoughts on Hiring Movers
Never prioritise pricing over other crucial elements when hiring movers. Remember that affordability doesn’t always translate into qualitative service. As important as movers are, they are just one aspect of the things you need to do when relocating. Have you had any experience moving from one apartment/home to another?
