There are a lot of moving companies in the moving industry. The whole industry is highly lucrative, so it stands to reason. There are all kinds of them, from highly-reputable moving companies all the way to fraudulent ones. But how about a cheap moving company in LA? Is it possible to find such a company in this day and age? Yes, it is but is not really what you think. You need to sift through all of the affordable moving companies Los Angeles before you can commit to a single one. It can be a lot of work, so you need to be prepared. Oh, and it will take quite a bit of time.
However, before comparing prices, you need to know that you are getting a quality moving company to do your relocation. Anything other than that is inviting trouble. So, with that in mind, the best place to start is:
Selecting a quality moving company
Relocations are difficult. They require great knowledge, experience and, in some times, heart. You need your movers to have these things if you are to entrust them with your belongings. Also, you do not really want to be scammed out of your money by entrusting your items to a fraudulent moving company. So, with that in mind, here are a couple of hallmarks of a great moving company:
- Taking the inventory
- Not asking for a large deposit
- Not having any name switches
- Good references
Taking the inventory
An honest moving company will do its best to take inventory of all your possessions and mark their weight. This is a process that needs to be done thoroughly, as it heavily influences the price of the move. The person who will be visiting your house, for that is absolutely necessary for an accurate estimate needs to check everything. If you are moving from California to Florida, for example, you may have a large number of items in your back yard. They all need to be accounted for, in order to have a good estimate.
For you see, one of the largest parts of the price is the weight and the size of your items. You can’t get a good estimate if only some of your items are accounted for. Thus, a representative from a quality company will check everything in your house, even rifling through your drawers.
Cheap moving company in LA – Not asking for a large deposit
Every quality moving company will not ask for an overly large deposit before proceeding with your move. After all, if you pay the majority in advance, you have no control whatsoever. Good companies know this and will not ask you for a large deposit. Simple as that.
Not having any name switches
There is a way to avoid BBB (better business bureau) to assess you, by name changing every so often. If a moving company does this, you can almost be sure that something “fishy” is up. If you are looking to move your office to LA, this is a risk you simply cannot take. A quality moving company will not have a name change, or if it does, it will be with really good reason and much fanfare. Avoid companies that change names frequently.
Good references
Quality movers will have good references and that is a fact. Throw your “feelers” out, see what is the buzz about the moving company you are looking into. If you don’t find anything about it, you can always try looking at the list of ATA members. All the moving companies that are members of ATA (American Trucking Associations) are considered reputable.
Ways to find a cheap moving company in LA
Licensing
Finding a cheap moving company isn’t as easy as selecting one from a list. The best thing to do is to start researching early. You are basically looking for somewhat newer, but still reputable moving companies, if you want the cheapest ones. The idea behind this is that a moving company that needs to get its name out there will be able to provide you with the best deals.
However, that is where the risk lies. In your search, you may find moving companies who offer great prices but are, in fact, trying to scam you. You need to avoid these while searching for legitimate moving companies.
The best way to make sure that the moving company is legitimate is to check their licenses, registrations and previous work. If all of that checks out, it is safe to proceed.
Moving date
Play with your moving dates a bit, see what each company can offer at different dates. This is perhaps the best way to influence the price of your move. If a moving company is overloaded on work, any further work is most likely going to cost a bit more. However, the reverse also applies. If you can arrange your move in the off-peak days, then you can get a much better price. Just don’t forget any of the important moving documents in your quest for cheaper moving. That is a mistake that is all too common!
The thing is, moving costs, as everything else, are flexible. If a moving company is starving for work, they will be a lot more amenable to your proposal, at a lower price. And some companies are overloaded in different time slots. Therefore, in order to get the best price for your move, try to have several timeframes to play around, ideally in the off-peak season.
Cheap moving company in LA – Conclusion
As you can see, there will be a lot of work coming your way if you want to do this right. What with all the research required. However, it is absolutely necessary to go through this process and to go through it carefully. Being a victim of a moving scam is absolutely horrible experience that no one should, well, experience!
Licenses and official sources are your friends here. You can thoroughly check every moving company out there in a matter of minutes. Do not be swayed by words, look for the facts, always!