Not gonna let my girls get ripped off in this economy. I recently supervised a move with professional movers and here are some of the things to look into:
- Ask if the moving rate is for all of the movers or if it is the rate per mover.
- When they tell you the number of movers, find out how many are doing the actual labor. One may be sitting in the truck.
- Keep an eye out for how much packing materials they use. If they are wrapping the boxes in miles of tape, it is costing you time and money.
- Find out if you can assist them with bringing items to the truck. The extra set of hands will expedite the move.
- Ask about how they bill for transportation time. Be sure they don’t charge for traveling to your apartment, only between locations.
- If you are planning a big move that will take a number of hours, find out if they will be taking a break and if you are charged for it. When I moved to BK, the movers took a 15 minute smoke break in the truck that had my furniture still in it! Oh hell no!
Some helpful tips…
- If you can have everything packed up before the move, you will shave hundreds off your bill.
- You can get free wine boxes at liquor stores and they are great for packing books. They are small, so they limit the amount you pack, which keeps them light.
- Keep an eye out for Fresh Direct boxes on the street. They usually get used for an hour and typically are in perfect condition.
- Book the truck and movers separately. Rent a U-haul and find movers on Craig’s List.
- For more tips, check out this article…
1 Comment
April 6, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Not that advocate being a thief but…..snag a few rolls of packing tape from your office or buy them youself. The moving company will charge you anywhere from $5 to $7 a roll and may use 10-20 depending on how much you have to move. Providing them with as many of your own as you can is a quick $$ saver.