How to Find a Reputable Moving Company
Hiring a moving company requires customers to place a lot of trust in a business. It can be daunting to entrust all of your belongings (including valuable and sentimental items) with someone you hardly know!
When hiring movers, it’s important to find a company that is credible and qualified. Here are some things to look out for when choosing a company:
Check Credentials
Because the moving industry deals with people’s belongings all day long, there are various credentials a business could qualify for, as well as organizations that put a lot of work and time into making sure these companies are operating to code.
Here are some credentials to keep an eye out for:
The American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) is a nonprofit trade group and the only national association for the full-service, professional moving and storage industry. They represent more than 4,000 companies across the United States and internationally, including suppliers and affiliates. You can view the entire list of certified movers through their website.
Check for the Promover Certification, which the AMSA awards to moving companies “only after they pass a thorough background check, including their operations and previous work. Moving companies agree to abide by ATA's Code of Ethics and a set of honorable business practices.” Certified Promovers are also required to participate in an annual review to make sure they are still meeting the requirements.
The Better Business Bureau maintains business reviews on more than 4.5 million businesses and rates them based on complaint histories, responsiveness to customers, licensing, legal and government action, and other factors. You can search for a business at bbb.org/search. Only accredited businesses that meet the BBB Code of Business Practices and are permitted to display the BBB logo in their marketing and place of business.
Are they associated with any local moving organizations or charities? For example, since we are based in Charlottesville, CMS is part of the Virginia Movers and Warehousemen’s Association (or VMWA,) which supports its members and their customers by ensuring that the Virginia moving and storage industry operates safely and legally to the benefit of everyone involved. We are also proud to partner with Move for Hunger, a national nonprofit organization that works with the relocation industry to support the efforts of local food banks!
You can also check to see if the company verifies that its team members have a clean criminal history. Here at CMS, our employees have passed our extensive criminal background checks.
Finally, if you are moving out of state, it’s important to look for the Department of Transportation and carrier numbers on the moving company’s website (often displayed at the bottom of the page). These show that the U.S. Department of Transportation licenses a moving company to haul cargo in interstate commerce. You can even check these numbers yourself through the record system to ease your mind about any legitimacy concerns.
Read Reviews
Google reviews are where you’ll often find people’s most honest experiences with a company. Remember to check for the frequency of low ratings. Are they common or few and far between? Did the company respond to the review and attempt to reconcile with the customer? Is their customer service the kind that you want to be dealing with? Sometimes in business, there are misunderstandings, but observing how a business responds can be a good indication of how they will handle your situation if things go wrong.
Get an Estimate
Lastly, reach out and ask the moving company for an estimate! You should be asked to fill out a form, inventorying the amount and value of your belongings. Watch out for businesses that will try to charge you a significant amount of money as a deposit. According to Consumer Reports, moving companies shouldn’t be requesting more than 20% of the estimated cost of the move for your deposit. Some companies may not even charge you until after the service!
We hope these tips helped answer some questions for you! If you are moving to or from the Charlottesville area and looking for a moving company that will take expert care of your belongings, give us a call at (434) 977-2705 or request a quote.
