To say that something – a product, a service, or an idea – is the best one out there will mean absolutely nothing if that something cannot be possibly compared to other similar products, services or ideas. Without proper comparison analysis, bold statements that contain phrases such as the best, the cheapest and the greatest will often fall flat like a pancake.
For example, if you happen to be better at chess than your childhood friend Mike and your next door neighbor Jason, that fact alone won’t automatically make you the best chess player in your city. Ultimately, you will need to compare your chess skills to other chess players as well (participate in a few local chess tournaments, for example) to prove that you’re as good as you think you are.
Now, if you’re about to move to another house or apartment, the thing that will guarantee the success of your relocation project is to choose a full service moving company that will be experienced and competent enough to take care of the toughest aspects of your house move. And to do this the right way, you will need to know how to compare moving companies so that your decision about which mover to hire is both educated and informed.
Remember that comparing movers is all about comparing moving company rates, followed by comparison of their moving services, and then there’s the final step of comparing moving companies reviews before you make up your mind which mover to trust with your prized possessions.
Ready for some comparison analyses of professional moving companies?
How to compare moving companies?
There are so many professional moving companies out there that it can be really hard to select the right one in terms of moving rates, quality of services and professional attitude. And to make things even more complicated for you when you find yourself in dire need of a reliable relocation partner, each moving company promises to do an outstanding job, each one swears that they are absolutely the best, and worst of all – each one vows that they offer the lowest prices you can possible find.
And after a while, you will probably find yourself totally confused who to trust – after all, it’s virtually impossible that all movers are the best and have the cheapest moving rates at the same time. So, what should you do? How do you sift through so many moving companies without getting lost? How do you possibly get to the mover that will meet at least a few of your requirements and fulfill some of your needs as a shipper of household goods?
Fortunately, there’s a good way to do just that, and the name of that successful approach is moving company comparison. By knowing how to compare moving and storage companies, you will be able to quickly discard the movers that are just not right for you until only one proves to be worthy enough.
Should you ever have a hard time deciding between equally good movers, use the following chart to compare moving companies and make the best selection for you, your belongings and your budget. For your convenience, feel free to download the comparison chart as a PDF document, and then print it out to compare your movers and choose the one that is best for you.
Moving Companies Comparison Chart
| Movers Comparison Criteria | Mover 1 | Mover 2 | Mover 3 |
| Name of moving company: | | | |
| 1. Responsiveness during the initial contact | | | |
| 2. Professional and polite attitude during the scheduled in-home survey | | | |
| 3. Thorough inspection of all household items for moving | | | |
| 4. Additional assessment of possible problems and risks on Move day | | | |
| 5. Complete and satisfactory answers to your questions during the in-home visit | | | |
| 6. Best (lowest) estimated price | | | |
| 7. Willingness and readiness for possible price discounts | | | |
| 8. Years of experience (how long the company has been in business) | | | |
| 9. Awards or accolades for service | | | |
| 10. Reliable moving trucks in excellent condition | | | |
| 11. Availability for your preferred moving date | | | |
| 12. Experienced and insured full-time workers | | | |
| 13. Extra moving services that will satisfy your needs | | | |
| 14. Professional packing offered as an extra service | | | |
| 15. Free packing supplies offered as part of the packing service | | | |
| 16. Temporary storage offered as an extra service | | | |
| 17. Predominantly positive online reviews at reputable movers reviews sites such as MyMovingReviews.com | | | |
| 18. Recommendations from people you trust – family members, friends, co-workers | | | |
| 19. Proper license by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT number) for interstate movers | | | |
| 20. Member of the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) | | | |
| 21. Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited business | | | |
| 22. Proper liability coverage offered | | | |
| 23. Free advice for appropriate value protection plans | | | |
| 24. Quick handling of claims and resolution of disputes | | | |
| 25. Your own hunch about which mover will be the best one for you under the presented circumstances | | | |
Movers Comparison Chart:
The importance of in-home surveys
If you’re not sure where to begin the search process for interstate or intrastate movers, then you should definitely take a look at our groundbreaking
31.5 steps to choosing a moving company. There, you will learn how critical it is to do a thorough research to find a high quality mover, and thus do what’s necessary to protect your possessions, money, and more importantly – your nervous system.
The very first step you should take – the one that will give you plenty of signs about what type of movers you are dealing with – is to get price estimates.
- Fill up a quick moving quote and then let a few professional moving companies contact you for visual surveys of your home, followed by the issuance of movers estimates in writing.
- The movers that will get back to you will all be properly licensed and adequately insured, so you can rest assured that dishonest attempts at moving fraud will be out of the question.
- Some companies may try to give you price estimates over the phone, or via e-mail. The best advice in such situations is to say no because such estimates cannot possibly be accurate enough to give you realistic expectations of how much you will pay in the end. Instead, request free in-home consultations that will result in much more accurate moving quotes.
Schedule in-home consultations with professional movers to get good answers to come very important questions.
Schedule in-home consultations with at least 3 reputable movers. Those in-home surveys are much more important than you can imagine. Experienced surveyors will visit your home at a pre-arranged day and time, and will have a closer look at all the things you intend to move to your new home. Show them every single household item you want moved so that they can provide you with an estimate that will be as close to the final bill as possible.
- The moving experts that will survey your home will also look for possible problems on Moving day. Such problematic circumstances include but are not limited to overweight household items (pianos, pool tables, oversized couches, or anything that weighs more than approx. 100 lbs.), oddly shaped or custom furniture pieces, valuable antique furniture, fragile items that require special packing, narrow hallways, multiple flights of stairs, broken or missing elevators, inability to park the moving truck close to the residential building, and so on.
- After the survey is over, each moving company representative will furnish you with a moving estimate in writing. And this is exactly what you have been waiting for – a genuine chance to compare moving company quotes.
Compare moving estimates
Holding a few moving estimates in your hand, you can now begin the process of comparing national moving companies, or comparing local moving companies if that’s the better option for you. Here are the guidelines on how to compare movers quotes so that you can really benefit from the offers you have received:
- Price. Without a doubt, the price on a mover’s quote will often either seal the deal, or break it. Most of the times, comparing moving prices seems easy and straightforward but the price alone should never be the deciding factor – be careful not to get lured by promises that are too sweet to be true (see below). Nevertheless, the final estimated price will have a strong impact on your decision, and that’s perfectly understandable as you won’t want to pay more than it is absolutely necessary. (What’s the average moving cost?)
- Lowball estimates. If you’ve used our free cost estimator tool, then you won’t have to worry about being scammed by dishonest movers because all moving companies in our database have been rigorously checked in advance. But if you still get a moving company quote with a price that is considerably lower than the rest of the estimates, then that uncharacteristically low price could be a sign of potential moving fraud. Movers estimates that are too good to be true (lowball estimates) might prove to be fraudulent. In such cases, what you must do is contact the mover and request clarification as to why the price is so low. If their answer is not satisfactory enough, don’t risk hiring their services. You must know how to stay protected when moving house – take a look at the ultimate moving fraud prevention guide by the U.S. Department of Transportation (Household Goods Moving Fraud).
- Additional services. Some people concentrate on the price so intently that they forget to take a good look at all the additional services marked on the quotes. The estimates you have received must contain detailed information about all the additional services the mover will need to complete to get the job done, plus the specific extra services you yourself have requested, and their respective rates. Additional services may include packing, unpacking, crating, disassembly and re-assembly of furniture, hoisting, temporary storage, shuttle services, split pickup and delivery, and so on. Read about the best ways to save money on additional moving services.
The moment you have completed the major task of comparing moving estimates, you should be either left with one clear winner or you may still be undecided, with a couple of attractive offers to choose from. To help you single out the winning bid, you are strongly advised to compare moving company reviews – that is, to read what people had to say about the movers you have shortlisted.
Compare moving companies reviews
Overall performance ratings of moving companies (star ratings) can help you make the right choice.
To leave feedback is a very important step, both for service providers and recipients of the corresponding service. Once a specific service has been received, there is always feedback about how well the service providers did what they were paid to do. In the majority of cases, it comes down to a personal choice whether a customer will choose to make their opinion known through various communication channels, or whether they will prefer to keep it to themselves.
In the moving industry, that all-important feedback comes in the form of moving reviews that people leave after their respective moves are over. Interestingly enough, great moving companies understand the significance of that crucial step and do their best to satisfy their customers by offering them, in the best case scenarios, quality moving services at affordable prices.
The winning formula? Pleased clients will happily spread the word, and then new customers will appear, as if by magic, in need of low cost, safe, and reliable moving services.
- Step 1: To initiate the moving company comparison, access the most reputable websites that offer real customer reviews of moving companies: MyMovingReviews, Yelp, BBB.
- Step 2: Input the names of the movers you’re researching, one by one, and read what former clients had to say about their relocation experiences with the companies.
- Step 3: While comparing moving companies reviews, be mindful that the testimonials and overall ratings are there to guide you in order to get a general idea of what you expect. Take super positive and super negative reviews with a grain of salt as sometimes such extreme reviews prove to be fake.
- Step 4: As a rule of thumb, you should stay away from a moving company with an overwhelming amount of negative reviews and low performance ratings on the top company reviews websites.
The final comparison step? Moving company research
We all know that moving is not easy. So, if you are one of the millions of people who can’t move by themselves for one reason or another or if you have calculated that a self-move will definitely be the more expensive option (almost always the case with long distance moves across the country), then you must consider hiring reputable
cross country movers.
As mentioned earlier, reading what different customers have said about the services of a moving company and how clients have rated their overall experience with the movers, will give you a good head start in your search for the best relocation service provider.
Yes, moving reviews and ratings will provide you with valuable pointers but the information you manage to extract from them can only serve you as a guideline. So, in order to get a better idea of which moving companies to consider for your move, you’re going to have to do a more extensive research.
Opinions are one thing, but hard facts are what will ultimately help you decide which professional movers to hire for your forthcoming house move.
The mover you choose must be properly licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
DOT: All interstate movers are required to be licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation in order to operate within the country. This licensing information can be easily checked online at the department’s website in the form of a concise electronic record (
USDOT number). This number serves as a proof that you’re dealing with a legitimate moving company.
- AMSA & BBB: Active membership with the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) and proper accreditation by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) are two additional strong indicators that the moving companies you have narrowed down will provide the outstanding quality services that you are looking for.
- Friends: Another good option to get a clearer picture of which moving companies deserve your attention is to ask your circle of friends, colleagues and neighbors, and poll their opinion. The chances are that at least one of them moved recently or know somebody else who did, so they can supply you the valuable feedback you need. The easiest way to reach most of your friends at once is to post a short message on your preferred social network, something like, “I need recommendations for a good mover. Please advise.” just like checking out moving reviews and testimonials, the suggestions you receive from your pals is important to reach an informed decision about which professional mover to hire.
There are many good moving companies out there and it has never been easier to get multiple quotes than it is today. Everything happens online, so you just have to find, research and compare various moving companies in order to get the biggest bang for your buck. Try the
online moving cost estimator at the top of the page for a fast and easy calculation.
