Moving horror stories simply don't have to happen
There are an unfortunate number of untrustworthy moving
companies which pervade our industry and give it a bit of a black eye. There
are, however, a number of ways to make sure you are hiring a moving company in
Colorado with a good reputation, a history of successful moves, and protection
for you and your property during the moving process.
We’ve compiled a list of things you should consider when searching for a moving company, inspired by suggestions from AMSA, the Better Business Bureau, and MovingScam.com:
- Ask friends, relatives and co-workers about a reliable moving company in Colorado. A first-hand recommendation is far more reliable than ads from companies themselves.
- Visit www.movingscam.com to make sure the mover you’re considering doesn’t have a sordid past! To find out which movers have deservedly bad reputations, MovingScam.com has a blacklist, an active message board, and a ton of helpful information.
- If your move involves travel within the State of Colorado, don’t do business with a mover that is not registered with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The PUC requires all movers to be registered, which in turn means they must have vehicle, cargo, and general liability insurance. You don’t want to use a moving company Colorado doesn’t list as having this kind of insurance. Hint: Look for their PUC # number placed prominently in their phone book advertising.
- Check with the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) at www.moving.org to find out more information about a company, and to see if the company is an AMSA member, or better yet, if they are an AMSA Certified Mover. Exodus is one of two in Colorado who are!
- Make sure that you’re considering a moving company which Colorado’s Better Business Bureau lists as a member. Check the Bureau’s website at www.bbb.org. By the way: did you know that Exodus moved the Mountain States BBB in Northern Colorado?
- Avoid Internet-sourced movers. Internet brokers are anonymous and can often be hard to track down when you have a dispute or dilemma. Many victims of moving scams report that they found the ‘virtual company’ online. A website (like ours!) is commonplace for businesses, but make sure to find a local, professional mover with a stellar reputation – a hometown firm that moves people nationwide, and who will give you a reasonable cost of moving estimate. (Beware low ball quotes that are “too good to be true.” They probably are!)
- Make sure the company will not subcontract out your move. Clarify that the mover who gives you your cost of moving estimate will be the mover who shows up on moving day—if another mover appears, fire them on the spot!
- Don’t be afraid to ask for as much information about your mover as possible: get Department of Transportation (DOT) license numbers, dates of operation, owners’ names, and references—which you should then follow up and call.
- Make sure your mover does regular drug testing and full background checks of all their employees. And this should be mandatory: determine that they are on the payroll! You don’t want temporary, untrained labor borrowed for your job and then have them take off for parts unknown – with your stuff!
- Get solid estimates, read the contracts line by line, and compare them.
- Adequately cover your goods - most companies have several valuation options to cover your belongings.
At Exodus Moving & Storage, we’re very proud that we meet our own stringent standards for excellence. We’re not afraid to be held up against the competition, because we know our reputation and quality of service stand up to the test.
