Our Customer Vetting Process Before Accepting a Moving Load

The same way a customer vets a mover is the way a long distance moving company should vet a consumer before accepting a job. From experience, I can affirm that not every sale is worth closing.

Sure, the media has a ton of websites advising consumers to vet the movers before signing a contract. But let's discuss what many movers should do to prevent complaints and disturbances between the company and the consumer.

Being Hired By The Ideal Customer

Larger moving companies often come to a realization that consumer complaints and customer dissatisfaction may come with working with the wrong client. Closing sales is good, but when done irrationally, you can cause more harm to the business than good:

Unrealistic Budget Expectations

Although starting up a moving company only requires a truck and a holding facility, long hauling can be costly, and a lot of your charges go toward operational expenses. So when you're getting quotes, it's important to have a reasonable budget expectation of at least $5,000. Otherwise, hiring movers is not the best relocation option for you.

Unexpected Long Wait Times

If your truck is not private or exclusive to your household goods only, you have to be flexible with delivery. In our past, we would accept a contract moving cross country (CA to NC) and consumers would expect direct delivery. Please be advised, when moving cheaply, something has to give — and usually that means your long distance movers taking longer than anticipated for delivery.

Billing Disputes

Long distance moving costs can fluctuate. Whether you like it or not, there's really nothing you can do. As a consumer, you must understand that your initial estimated costs are based on volume. During your estimate process, you can be as detailed as possible to ensure your estimate is reasonably accurate. Otherwise, your price may change. Some consumers understand this, others don't — but we prefer to get hired by people who acknowledge this and are proactive to avoid it, instead of blaming the industry for how we calculate costs.

Negative Reviews

As a reputable national brand, we hate complaints and do our best to avoid them. However, after years of relocating households between states, we found that some individuals are destined to complain no matter the outcome. That's why it's important to ensure we are being hired by the right clients instead of closing every sale.

How We Vet Our Moving Loads

To avoid the stress and headaches for both parties, our estimators are trained to vet a consumer by discussing their expectations:

Realistic Prices

We ask, "What are your budget expectations, and what are you hoping to achieve within that budget?" This allows us to identify the customer's concerns while ensuring we can match their service expectations.

Shared Loads vs. Dedicated

We separate our budget consumers from the higher-end clients by asking, "Do you prefer a shared load transport for a cost-effective rate, or a dedicated truck for fast delivery and private transport?" This allows us to quickly identify what exactly the customer is looking for and to check if we're able to assist.

Transparent Quotes

Regarding price, our estimators tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. Like: "Yes, your price can potentially change — this is industry standard." But also: "We offer guaranteed prices for an added fee, or we can work on making your quote as accurate as possible." This allows us to lead with honesty rather than closing a sale through deception.

Real Delivery Windows

We aim to keep it real: lower rates take a while for delivery (7-15 days); higher rates are much quicker but more expensive (averaging $8,500). So what do you value more — saving money or convenience?