Types of moving companies

There are two types of moving companies :

• Full Service Movers
• You Pack/They Drive Movers

Full service movers load, drive and unload all of your stuff from the previous location to the new location. Sometimes, for some extra charge, these service providers pack as well as unpack the stuff.

You pack/They Drive Movers send a van or a trailer at your home for some amount of time that is specified before hand as part of service contract. This time span ranges from three to four days. You are required to load all your belongings within this time frame after which the Movers will drive the Van/trailer to the new location where you can unload your stuff, the time for which is again pre-defined.

According to one's convenience and requirement one is supposed to choose from among these two kinds of Moving Companies.The resources that one can use to help select the companies are :

• Yellow Pages,
• Local Phone Directories, or
• Online Moving companies

Full Service Movers : Benefits and Drawbacks

• A full House estimate is possible.
• Full Service Movers take up all the responsibility for moving the stuff.
• Skilled work force who are highly professionals in the field do the work.
• Chances of damage are negligible.
• Burdensome work of packing and unpacking is avoided.
• Saves a lot of time.

• Costlier than You pack/They drive movers as they take responsibility of all the work from A to Z.
• Some people may have apprehensions about the fact that their stuff is being handled and looked by strangers.
• A thorough overseeing of the packers and movers for safety reasons has to be ensured.

You Pack/They Drive Movers : Benefits and drawbacks

• More control on every aspect of the work in progress.
• Knowledge of where all the items are kept, in the boxes as well as in the trailer.
• Provides more flexibility with timing.
• Reliability with the handling of stuff.
• Helps in saving money as compared to Full Moving Services.

• Loading and unloading proves to be a very strenuous task.
• High probability of damage during packing, loading and unloading.
• Takes up a lot of time and hence is inefficient.

Crucial Considerations

• Ensure to have a documented proof of an in home estimate. Estimates over phone or through internet are not authentic.
• Mode of payment should be confirmed at delivery.
• Ascertain the best option by comparing the in house estimates by more than one company in each kind.
• Terms of Coverage in case of damage must be properly discussed.
• All Moving companies have either a MC number or a DOT number. MC number companies are brokers (which means they do not perform the move themselves but hire someone else to do it)therefore DOT companies should be accessed
• Confirmation of pickup/Delivery Dates should be made.
• Ensure that all trucks of Moving Companies can access both the locations otherwise a Loading-unloading process would have to made in between during transit which increases the chances of damage and takes up too much time.

Which ever Moving service you pick up, depending upon your budget , convenience and time considerations, make sure that the terms and conditions are properly discussed so that there is no room for confusion. Most people you know would have moved from one house to another in their lifetime a couple of times. It will be a good idea to take their help while choosing the services. Also before calling the service providers for an in home estimate browse through their website and look for some special services given by them. This will help you find an idea which company has an edge over the other. Also, In a Full Moving Service have someone overlook the process so that all the articles are packed. A proper house check is very necessary. Your rights and responsibilities, in either service you take, must be well defined and documented. A safe movement of goods , at the end of the day, would give you the peace of mind. Be upfront about your rights;Be well informed; Be responsible!