Searching for an ideal moving company for your relocation can be a significant time investment. When moving from Washington to California, for example, you will want to find a mover that is experienced in both areas, as well as honest, reliable, trustworthy, etc. That means that you may start to look for referrals. They are a great way to find moving companies that have a greater chance of being what your relocation needs. However, whether you should accept all moving company referrals is another question entirely. This article is going to try and answer it.
How can you benefit from moving company referrals?
These referrals will provide you with information about the moving company. They are usually experiences from customers who were impressed by the company’s performance. However, there are things such as “paid referrals”, “fake” referrals, and so on. Normally, the real ones will benefit you the most. But you need to be able to sort them out. Let’s say that you are looking for international movers Seattle and are hunting for referrals. You may find numerous referrals from people who haven’t even seen Seattle, let alone relocated there. Obviously, you should discount those.
What to pay attention to when looking at moving company referrals
Here is what you want to look at when combing through a referral:
- Moving company services
- Online reviews
- Ask for a moving estimate
And, as mentioned previously, you should always verify the referral source, if possible. The best sources will be your family members, close friends, and some colleagues. Online sources tend to be less trustworthy. While you can gauge some moving services Seattle by online sources only, it is much better if you have a “live” recommendation. Try to get one, or several, if you can.
Moving company services
Normally, you want to go with a company that is able to provide what you need. You want your Southern California movers to be able to deal with all of your belongings, not only some of them. And you need to know that they can cover all the “angles” if need be. Basically, the more services a company is able to provide, the better.
Online reviews
Online reviews are a mixed bag, to be perfectly honest. Most reviews are going to be “directed” and not from actual customers. Also, the fact of the matter is that people are much more willing to share bad experiences than good ones. And, as you might expect, no one is perfect. Not a single moving company can say that they never had a “bad” relocation. It is impossible. What you need to do is pay attention to the overall narrative that is present. Try to find as many reviews as possible and piece the complete picture from them.
Ask for a moving estimate
Lastly, you never want to go into a relocation “blind”. For local moves, a free estimate is usually going to be quite accurate but you still might want to go with a binding estimate. The latter is all but required in long-distance relocations, though. In any case, you want to know how much money you will be required to spend and getting an estimate, even a free one, will provide you with that information.