Here are a few frequently asked questions we receive from our customers. As always, we aim to assist…
Q: Are you guys a carrier or a broker?
A: We are a full-service CARRIER. This means that we provide the trucks, the drivers, the movers, and all the padding and blanketing your items will require.
Q: What do you mean by “Full Service”?
A: This means that we will take care of all the labor work. We will transport your furniture and boxed items from your home, onto our truck and into your new home!
Q: Why can’t I just get an online quote? Why do I need to speak to somebody about it?
A: Like snowflakes, fingerprints or even wedding arrangements, no two house moves are alike! There are simply far too many variables in the equation to just throw you a round figure based on the size of your home. You may live in a three-bedroom house but you may only have half the amount of items as the previous customer moving from a similar property. All we ask for is about 10-15 minutes of your time to discuss which of your worldly possessions you wish to entrust to us. If you have any fragile items that require special care it’s worth taking the time to let us know in advance. Alternatively, you can build your own inventory using our special interactive system if you’re not available to take our call as soon as you would wish. Your sales rep will provide you with the ability to do this. Take caution in accepting instant online quotes from moving companies without first providing an inventory as the opportunity for miscommunication and last-minute extra charges will multiply exponentially!
Q: I’m at work so I don’t have the time to go through all this right now!
A: Not a problem. We do understand many customers continue to work right up until the time they move. If you are still interested in a quote from us, simply let us know when a more convenient time to call you might be. We can get in touch after typical working hours or even on the weekend! Let us know and we’ll make it happen.
Q: So you don’t charge by weight?
A: No. Unless a company is willing to go to your house and weigh your household items as part of an estimate then there is no way that they can tell the weight of your furniture. They may take your items to a weighing station to verify but usually by that time, you have already committed to that company and whatever weight they quoted you over the phone.
Q: So how are estimates based on space better than those based on weight?
A: Fixed dimensions of items do not fluctuate as easily as weight. For example, a Queen Size bed frame will usually always have the measurements of every other Queen Sized bed. However, the weight of the frame differs tremendously depending on the materials used. This can result in another company charging you a needlessly excessive amount for an item.
Q: How exactly do you calculate the cubic feet of my furniture over the phone?
A: There are two ways; our database contains a thorough list of household items with pre-programmed cubic feet for each item, working on the basis that a certain item rarely exceeds the cubic feet assigned to it by the system (see the Queen Bed analogy from the previous question). A more accurate way is for the customer to provide us with measurements of their items – a far less troubling task than you might think! All we require is the height, width, and depth of any furniture items that are too large to fit inside a box. With specific measurements for all of your goods, the opportunity for ambiguity and confusion in your estimate is greatly reduced.
Q: What does your estimate include?
A: Our estimates include fuel surcharges, tolls, and taxes, an unlimited supply of moving pads and blankets to protect goods while in transit, and finally the loading and unloading of your goods from house to house.
Q: I’m not sure how many boxes I will be moving!
A: Not to worry. Nobody EVER has an exact count of the number of boxes they plan on moving! One way to work around this is to give us a ballpark figure of the maximum possible number of boxes you see yourself moving with. We will then offer you an estimate based on that figure. Later on, when you have a better idea of your box count, we can go back and reduce your estimate rather than increase it.
Q: Does the estimate include you packing our boxes?
A: Our basic estimates do not include the packing of your boxed items, nor the boxes themselves. We would expect all boxes to be packed and sealed by the time our movers arrive. We can supply these services to you at an additional cost.
Q: What should I do with my fragile items?
A: The Department of Transportation regulates that All fragile items and units with substantial amounts of glass, such as table glass tops, as well as artwork, stone, marble, and granite items must be properly wrapped and protected by you before our movers can load them onto the truck, otherwise we would have to crate said items which comes at various different charges. Just like the boxes, we can offer these services to you at an additional cost.
Q: I’m extremely busy right now so I won’t have time to do all this packing before your movers arrive!
A: No worries. We offer a Full Pack Service which takes care of all your boxed personal and fragile items! Prices are based on the volume of cubic feet, we will bring all the boxes and packing supplies that you request and will get to work, taking care that every last item in your home is prepared and good to go! You can just sit back and watch us work…that is until we take the chair from underneath you!!
Q: I have a lot of furniture that comes apart. What can you do for me in that regard?
A: Anything that you have which can be disassembled – bed frames, tables, bookshelves, desks, etc – we will gladly take care of it! Disassembling and re-assembling your furniture is all part of your estimate.
Q: How do I go about paying for the estimate?
A: Payment works in three stages:
- In order to reserve the move and guarantee you a spot on our shipping calendar, we require a deposit for moving out of Arizona, or other states designated for pickup. This (10%) deposit is deducted from your total and completely refundable up to 7 days prior to your move. Payment can be made over the phone using a credit/debit card or you can mail a check to our office.
- On the day of pickup, the balance of (60%) is due. This balance can be paid with cash, credit/debit card (Visa or MasterCard), cashier’s check, or money order.
- The final balance (30%) is due at the time of delivery. Method of payment must be in CASH or POSTAL MONEY ORDER FROM THE POST OFFICE. However, if you need to pay the final balance by credit/debit card, we can arrange it at a 5% handling charge.
Q: My delivery address is not ready yet but I need to get out of my current address now! What can I do?
A: Fortunately we can offer you up to one month of FREE Storage if required which should offer you some breathing space! There is no charge for delivery from storage to the final destination since you have already paid for it! An additional month in storage will be charged @$0.60 per cubic foot based on the total cubic footage of the shipment.
Q: What kind of insurance does a moving company provide?
By Federal Law, a moving company MUST provide you a Limited Liability Coverage of $0.60 per lb. per article (which is standard and included in your price). There are several other options that you can choose from to insure your goods with full coverage:
- Renters insurance – Should you have.
- Homeowners insurance – Should you have.
- MovingInsurance.com (888-893-
8835) or Baker International (800-356-0093) or any other third-party insurance company. - Through your moving company with a full pack.