Tips on Hiring Professional Movers

If your new employer doesn't pay for moving expenses, read on...Even if your new employer does pay for moving expenses...

Be sure your possessions are adequately insured. Basic moving insurance covers 50 cents per pound of loss. What if the entire moving truck is stolen, hijacked or in a collision?

• Full replacement insurance is about 85 cents per $100 of declared value.
• Depreciated value of goods insurance (what the items are worth today) is about 25 cents per $100.
• Have receipts for valuables and expensive items or insure over the estimated value, just in case.
• Consider getting a $1000 deductible policy if you need to keep insurance costs down

Get a written estimate

• Don't settle for an estimate over the phone
• Get details on extra charges
  • packing materials
  • insurance options
  • extra charges for stairs
  • "carry distance" from truck to the home

• Types of written estimates
  • Binding...a fixed price regardless of weight or distance
  • Nonbinding...price varies according to weight, distance, and special items
  • Not-to-exceed...customer pays no more than a specified amount
    
    Abstracted from an article by Scott Schnipper of Bloomberg Business News.

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