Hiring Movers in San Diego? Follow These 8 Tips for a Smooth Move

San Diego is a big city with a bevy of options when you’re hiring a moving company. Having options is always good, but with all of the choices, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to go ahead with contacting companies. These tips for hiring a company can help you to navigate the seas of moving and get your belongings safely and securely to your new home.

1. Check Movers in San Diego Out Online to Ensure Professional Service

Excellent references are essential to ensure that the company you’re considering hiring will do the job professionally. Online reviews are a great way to filter out the baddies, and San Diego moving companies who are professional will be rated highly. Making the mistake of choosing just any company could result in a moving nightmare with broken goods and inflated costs.

2. Get Multiple Quotes from Several Companies, and Weigh Value-to-Quality to Choose One

There’s nothing wrong with getting quotes from multiple companies, and if you let them know that you’re shopping around, they may sweeten the deal to get your business. Having the company’s estimator come to your home can also give you a feel for their level of professionalism. Once you get several quotes from movers in San Diego, it can also help you sniff out dud deals and find the best option.

3. Watch Out for San Diego Moving Companies That Sneak in a Name-Switch

If you’ve called “Calamity Jane’s Professional Movers,” and the paperwork header lists them as “Lazy Movers Inc,” it’s a big red flag. When moving companies use multiple names, it’s almost always so they can avoid problems with the Better Business Bureau and hide their shoddy business practices.

If you have reason for suspecting a company of doing a name-switch, find out their federal and state license numbers. You can call the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to find out if customers have reported the company for doing bad business.

4. Make Sure the Company Does a Moving Inventory to Produce a Quote

Also, referring to the Better Business Bureau if you suspect a company may not be on the up-and-up can answer whether you should work with them.

Professional movers in San Diego will inventory all of the items to be moved in your home to determine the price of the move. They estimate the weight and volume of everything in your home and come up with a quote. Moving costs generally are contingent on these values, so a truly reputable company will always do a moving inventory to find a quote.

5. Get a Solid Contract With Reputable Terms on the Estimate

There are three estimate types that guarantee that you’ll be paying exactly or about the amount that was estimated during the moving inventory. These include a nonbinding estimate, a nonbinding to exceed estimate or a binding estimate.

• Nonbinding estimates: These estimates assure that you won’t be paying more than 10 percent over the amount estimated on your contract.
• Nonbinding to exceed estimates: With this type of estimate, you’re guaranteed not to have to pay any amount over the estimate. If the costs turn out to be less than estimated, you’ll pay the lower amount.
• Binding estimates: These terms mean that you’ll be paying only the estimated amount, including for all extras. However, if you request additional services after the estimate, you’ll have to pay more for them.

6. Watch Out for Contracts With Blank Fields

If you’ve chosen a reputable company, you most likely won’t run into this problem, but keep an eye out for it. When San Diego moving companies keep fields blank on some parts of the contract, they could fill them in later with terms and costs that you haven’t approved. Unfortunately, it’s hard to prove that they’ve used this shady tactic after the fact.

When fields are blank, don’t sign the contract until they’re filled in or crossed out. By keeping tabs on this, you could save yourself from serious headaches during and after your move.

7. Save Money on Packaging Materials

When you pack everything yourself using your own materials, you’ll probably save significantly on costs. You also won’t have to pay for the packing labor. Movers in San Diego can work with you whether you pack yourself or have them do the packing. You can purchase packing materials from companies like Amazon or The Home Depot. But, there’s a catch: If you do the packing and your items are damaged, the cost of repairing the damage or replacing items could come out of your wallet. Using moving insurance can alleviate this liability, though, although pay close attention to the terms and conditions.

8. Using Moving Insurance

Full value protection means that movers in San Diego are liable for the full price of repairing or replacing damaged items. It’s total coverage, and it’s usually included in the terms of the contract if you’re working with a reputable company.

You can also choose to have the alternative level of liability, which comes at a lower cost in the contract. The downside is pretty significant, though: Any item that is damaged will be recompensed at 60 cents a pound, no matter the value of the item. So, a piece of artwork worth $1,000 that weighs one pound will be repaid at a value of 60 cents.

With all of your bases covered using these tips, you have the knowledge you need to choose the best movers in San Diego for the job. As an informed consumer, you’ll protect your belongings while moving, and make the move to your new home as comfortable as possible.