How to Choose the Right Removals Company
Choosing a removals company can be difficult, and many people have no experience of moving house when they start looking for the right company, so it’s hard to know what to expect or how to choose. Moving house can be a huge, stressful occasion, so it’s vital that you place your belongings in the hands of a safe, reputable company. Luckily, there are some general pointers to help you find the right one.
The first thing most people do when looking for a removals company is search online – that’s a great start, but don’t forget that just because someone has a professional-looking website doesn’t mean they are a professionally-run company. You need to look between the lines, and examine the services they offer alongside other ways of assessing the company.
Online Reviews
A simple way to assess a company is to check out their reviews
– looking at neutral, 3rd party review sources like Google
Reviews is a great place to start, and you can often eliminate one or two
of your choices by taking out any companies with bad reviews, especially if the
reviews have been left recently.
Asking friends/family for recommendations is also a great place to start, and you should get some honest feedback along with your list of names. Also, if you need to buy some packing materials, see if any of them offer this as an in-house service.
Removals Company Shortlist
Set yourself a shortlist of two or three companies, and make sure that each of them offers the service you require, and operates in the relevant area(s). Once you have your shortlist, contact them individually and use this as opportunity to answer any questions you may have, and get a feel for helpful and knowledgeable they are.
Move Pricing
If you’re happy with your shortlist, the next step is to put together some prices – you don’t necessarily need the cheapest, especially if one offers a higher level of service than the others, but it’s important to stay within budget and feel like you are getting good value for your money. Many removals companies will come out to see you and offer a home-visit survey – others allow you to do this yourself online.
Once you have the pricing for each company, compare them to ensure they are accurate, and then check whether it’s a formal quote, or just a guide price – it’s vital that you get a formal quote before proceeding with any work, so if you are given a guide price for any of the removals companies, ensure you follow it up and get a formal proposal sent over before you commit to anything.
It’s also important to consider whether your quotes are offering a true like-for-like comparison – in particular, make sure you check what insurance they offer, and whether it’s sufficient for your needs.
Once you have all the facts and weighed up the benefits of each company on your shortlist, it’s time to make your decision – hopefully at this stage you will know which company gives you the most confidence and value. Give them your moving date(s), even if they’re not 100% confirmed yet, and make your booking in good time so you have plenty of time to prepare.