FAQs Among First Time Moving Company Customers
If you have always moved on your own in the past, the prospect of letting professional movers handle most of the work this time is probably very appealing. It's so nice not to have to wrestle a couch out the door or drive a large moving truck! However, you might have a couple of questions about how residential movers work, being that this is the first time you have hired them. These FAQs are presented below.
Question: Is there any part of the move the movers won't do?
This depends on your contract. If you signed up specifically for a full-service move, then you can expect the movers to pack everything, load the boxes (and your furniture and appliances) into the moving truck, drive it to your new home, and unload everything. They may or may not unpack, depending on the company; read your contract to find out. You can, however, handle movers to just handle certain aspects of the move. For instance, you could pack everything yourself, and then let them do the rest. Most movers just prefer that you pack your own jewelry and valuables, whether you sign up for full-service or not. That's really the only thing they won't do.
Question: What happens if something breaks?
Assuming you hired a reliable moving company that carries the proper insurance, any items that become broken or damaged in the move will be paid for via that insurance policy. Do keep in mind, however, that movers tend to be very careful. They have a lot of experience, so they are less likely to damage items, and they don't really want their insurance rates to rise, so they do their best to keep things in good shape so they and avoid making claims.
Question: Do you tip movers?
Usually this is considered to be proper. You should plan on tipping about 10 to 15% of the total bill. Usually, it is easiest to give the entire tip to the head of the moving team once the job is over. However, if you only have a couple of movers helping you, then you could just split the tip evenly between them. If the job is overly difficult for some reason, such as if the movers need to climb three flights of stairs, an extra few dollars will be appreciated.
Hopefully your questions about hiring movers have now been answered! If you have any further concerns, contact moving companies in your area.