Moving itself is quite the nightmare already. You don’t need anything to make it any more difficult or give you anything else to worry about. However, even with the best planning, things can still go wrong. If you’re about to move, or you’re right in the middle of your own nightmare, we have some helpful tips to make sure you don’t blow your top or wind up stranded on the side of the road on your big day.
This happens to people all the time. You took the time to set up and carefully plan your move, have everything ready to go, and suddenly something comes up and your new place isn’t ready for you yet. What if your old place is already rented or sold? Your entire life is in boxes, and you have nowhere to put them. What in the world are you going to do?
First of all, don’t panic. When planning a move, you should make sure that you base everything around the availability of your new place. That way, you won’t have this issue. If you rent, you can ask to shorten or extend your lease to coincide with your moving date. If you are selling, you can make occupancy contingent on your securing a new place to live. If you’re already in this situation, you can put your stuff in storage (or someone’s garage) and find a couch to sleep on if there is no way to stay longer in your current home. It’s not ideal, but there are solutions.
Sure, it’s a pain when the movers are late, but it isn’t a nightmare. If it’s moving day and you’re waiting on them to arrive, it can be a stressful experience. What if they never show up? This could happen, and it certainly has happened before. Whether it is due to the company being double-booked or careless with their appointments, or whatever the reason may be, not having movers on moving day is a big deal.
What can you do? To start with, make sure that you get verbal and written confirmation of your move from the company. Most will gladly send you an email confirmation. When it gets to the week of your move, call the office to confirm your appointment. The day before your move, call them again to confirm that everything is still on schedule. You might feel like a nuisance, but it’s better safe than stranded without your movers.
The morning of the move, keep their contact information on hand. That way, you can keep in touch in the event of a traffic delay or mechanical breakdown, or if there is another issue that arises. When planning your move, try to set up a backup plan, just in case, something goes wrong. Also, try to schedule a move ahead of time so that you can have extra time if you need it in a situation like this.
Whether they steal your stuff or bill you for unnecessary charges, a lot of less-than-reputable moving companies may try to take you for something during the moving process. It’s hard to know who to trust and a lot of companies don’t perform background checks on the people that they hire. They might make off with some expensive jewelry or pretend to break your 60-inch flat screen so that they can take it and keep it for themselves.
These situations are less common, but they can happen to anyone who doesn’t research their movers. Make sure that you take the time to read reviews and find out how long companies have been in business. If a company doesn’t have a solid reputation, it doesn’t matter how cheap their moving rates are. The less reputable the company, the more likely you are to get ripped off in one way or another.
One of the worst things that could happen in a move is a vehicle accident, and especially when it happens on the highway at excessive speeds. This isn’t anything that can be controlled, for the most part. You can do your part to reduce this risk by choosing a reputable moving company with a good safety record and driver training program. When you are looking at your options, these are issues a lot of people don’t think to consider, but they really can make a difference.
If an accident does happen, try to stay calm. You may or may not see the accident, depending on whether you’re driving with the truck or making your own trip. Either way, as soon as you are notified, it’s going to take the stress up a few notches. Just try to focus on doing what you can, if anything, and wait to hear from the moving company as to the status of your belongings and how any that survived will be delivered to your new home. Any reputable company should keep someone in regular contact with you from the time that an accident is reported until your stuff is delivered or your loss claim has been settled.
You can’t prevent everything, but you can plan for it. When you are moving, make sure that you include backup plans for emergencies and freak accidents, as well as other situations that could arise along the way. You don’t need to have 15 moving plans, by any means, but at least have a few resources on hand in case you need them in a pinch.
Are you looking for the most reputable movers in your area? Whether you just need some labor help or are planning a full-service move, we have what you need. Our team of moving and relocation experts can help you find the resources that you need, whether you’re moving across town or across the country.
