Are you moving soon, but you’re not sure which moving company to hire? Trusting your valuables to strangers is scary. Many people can often rely only on online reviews to make a decision about which moving company to hire. Should you trust moving reviews? Los Angeles Transfer has been LA’s go-to moving company for a very long time, and we’ve decided to share some tips on how to find the right, reputable moving company. The answer is actually quite simple. Don’t leave anything to chance! Negative experiences with moving companies do happen, and unfortunately, they aren’t rare at all. To find out how to separate reliable from dangerous moving companies, check out our advice below.
Don’t trust moving reviews if they’re only positive
If you see a bunch of positive reviews, the first thing you can do is to see if the company is a member of the American Moving and Storage Association. No matter how good of a service someone offers, it won’t be good enough for everyone. You shouldn’t trust reviews that consist only of positive stories. Read a few: are they written in a similar style and have similar punctuation? Chances are that they’re written by the same person – a writer that the company has hired. Skip over that company and find another, more reliable one. It’s easy to fall prey to overwhelmingly positive reviews, but don’t get your hopes up right away. When you find a company that seems to have reasonable reviews with the most positive, but also some of the negative aspects, you might be on the right track.
Don’t trust moving reviews if they’re overly negative
Finding the right company can be a hard job. While it may seem like a real thing and that you should avoid a company with many negative reviews, think of the moving market just like any other. There are many moving companies that have competition. The competitor companies might sink to the low level and, instead of upping their own game, they’d write fake negative reviews. That way, their competition seems bad and they get fewer calls. Everything is happening online since the technology era is blooming from day to day, and these tactics can truly negatively impact a business.
Okay, so how to actually find a company that’s trustworthy?
There are a lot of moving companies that are legitimate, trustworthy, and reliable. It’s not as easy to find them and be convinced that you’ve made a good decision. What are the things that you can do?
- Hire local movers – like Movers Orange County.
- Ask friends and family
- Contact locals that have moved recently
- Call the moving company
- Ask the company for their certifications, licenses, and insurance
- See if they’re the member of the American Moving and Storage Association
Ask around to see if someone will recommend the company
Rather than looking for it online, see if someone has recent experience with a reliable moving company. Chances are that they know someone, even if they themselves didn’t move recently. The word of mouth has always been a powerful way of finding out the quality of service. If someone has had a positive or negative experience with a moving company, at least you know where to start. If you have found an acquaintance with a positive experience but they moved to another place, chances are that the same moving company has movers in your area – so check them out nonetheless. Don’t close yourself to opportunity no matter how far-fetched it’s looking.
Get a free estimate
Getting a free quote or an estimate is an easy way to see what prices you’re dealing with. It’s not binding and you don’t have to commit – but you’ll get valuable information and that’s what we’re looking for. For just a few clicks and minutes you’ll get a price estimate for your move. If the company doesn’t send their worker or sees your items on the video – don’t hire it. When you get it, consider whether the price is too low for such a move. If yes, it’s probably a good idea to call the company and see why – and if you end up talking with them, don’t sign the contract right away. Read everything carefully and make sure that you understand every single word. Give it to your attorney to read and check out the prices. Are they similar to the free estimates, or are they astronomically bigger?
Search for other experiences online
Don’t check out the reviews that are placed only on the company’s website. Do a thorough research and read other experiences. Chances are that you’ll find them at the forums, blogs, and similar websites. There are websites which have many moving company reviews, and if the company is the one that people often fall prey to, someone must have left the review.
Check out the licenses when deciding whether to trust moving reviews
This is one of the first steps that you should take when finding a company you can trust. Ask them to show you their licenses and insurance. There are two types of movers – federal and local. Federal movers need to be registered with the Federal Government. That’s why they can be found within the DOT system. Local movers, on the other hand, are regulated by the state that they’re in which has their own regulations. That’s why you should check with your state if you’re in search of a reliable local moving company.
Simply use common sense
Should you trust moving reviews is always a tough question, but the answer is: depending. Many people fall prey to moving companies only to pay astronomical bills so they could have their belongings back. When in search of a reliable moving company, make sure to take a few days to truly dig in. If you don’t have enough time and have to move out – don’t worry, just use Storage Los Angeles. If you use our services, you have 30 days of free storage. Call the moving company you want to hire and talk with them over the phone. Ask them a lot of questions regarding the way they handle the moving process, prices, and insurance. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t – move on. If it seems okay, proceed with caution.