Hiring international movers – step-by-step
You have decided to move. Things seem to be complicated, annoying, and chaotic. You probably think that it is really hard to move especially if you do not have experience in moving and you don’t know what to expect. However, this is not all; if you are moving across the border it can get even harder. But do not panic, everything has an easy solution. You have to inform yourself well about the steps you need to take for your international move. And when it comes to the question of how you will move all your stuff, international movers are the ones who will take care of that. However, this is also something that you should be careful about. Avoid moving scams at any cost. Everything is about how well are you informed.
Step one would be to find good international movers
The best way to go through your move is to plan it step by step. In this way, you won’t make any mistakes. And not making a lot of mistakes is important when you are hiring overseas movers. The first thing to do is to look for recommendations. It would be a perfect scenario if you have someone who had experience with international movers and that someone can give you a trustworthy recommendation. Also, one more smart thing to do is to get help from reliable residential movers.
However, this is only in case if you are that lucky to know such a person. If not, the next thing to do is to go online. It is the 21st century and a lot of things are getting solved this way. Reading comments on forums and finding the perfect international movers can be easy if you know the importance of positive movers` reviews. Of course, do not believe everything that the internet says. For that, we have a second step you need to follow.
Step two includes research
Step two is kind of like step one. There is a lot of investigation to do before hiring the right international movers. When looking for them online make sure that you know where to look in a sense of: you are moving from Canada to the US for example, therefore, you will want to look for international movers inside of your current country. You don’t need to pay any extra money for them to come from the US to Canada to pick up your belongings and then again back to the US. It can cost quite more than if you just simply find them in your current country.
So, make sure to go through websites with a lot of attention to details, and any potential movers you would like to hire try and find them on some forum where you can read comments and experience of their clients so far. And watch out for phony reviews. There is usually a balance in comments if there is too much bragging it is probably a phony review.
Step three is to start considering different moving companies
Make a list. This is a very important step to take when looking for movers. This list is not a checklist; it is a list of several international moving companies that caught your eye. In this way, you will always have pros and cons for each of the companies you have put on that list. The reason to immediately remove a company from your list would be if you find more than a couple of bad reviews online. Yes, that is enough reason. However, if you find just that one it definitely doesn’t have to mean that the company is bad. Maybe the client was nervous that particular day and therefore the bad review. A move does that to people. It can make you nervous and anxious and thus you may think that your movers’ company is not doing things right.
Step four is where you get into the details
You have to check the international moving companies that are on your list. You should visit the website of the industry organization and try to find the company that you would like to move you. It is very important that you find them. If not, you should give up on them and remove them from your list.
The next thing to think about is to find out if your potential company has a working permit. As with everything else, there is a way to check this online. Just call them and ask them for a permit number and check them online. Also, you don’t want to hire some new company that will learn on your move. Especially since it is an international move everything should be in order and you will need someone more experienced to perform your move. And possible for all these things that you should check you can create a checklist.
- Check for the reviews
- Make a list for potential movers
- Check the industry organization
- Check their working permit
- Hire someone who is in the business for a while
When you do all of this you can be sure that you have hired the right international movers.
Step five includes making important decisions
Step five is something that you should have clear from day one. What will be the way of transport? This fact you can only know depending on where are you moving to. If it has to be across the sea you should find a company that does this kind of move. Via ships or by air. However, when you are looking for international movers’ chances are that they are equipped for any type of move you will require. And the last but not least, hire your movers on time! This is something of huge importance because it can happen that they won’t be available on the day you need them to move you. So, keep in mind that and reserve your global movers company at least two weeks before the moving day. Sooner better than later.
Moving is not an easy task and it is something that can be time-consuming. If you do your steps right when finding overseas movers, it won’t be stressful. International movers are the ones who will do most of the work but for that, you have to find the right ones. And these steps will help you with that.
Hiring international movers – additional steps
Hiring global movers is not an easy thing to do, especially if you want to hire reliable movers which will handle your items perfectly. There are a few extra steps that you should take in order to make sure that you have made the right decision and hired the movers that fit your needs. How to hire a mover is an incredibly useful guide that will help you choose correctly. When moving abroad you will have so many things to worry about, but your moving company should not be one of those things.
Request an in-house survey of your international movers
This is a very important step when hiring international movers. You need someone who is skilled and has the experience to assess the weight of your belongings. And an in-house survey is more than this. A member of the moving crew will estimate what moving services will you actually require. You will get the whole package estimated. For example, if you need hoisting services, they will tell you, and if you have prohibited items, they will inform you. Plus, you will be able to ask all about the things that have been bothering you.
Check what type of estimate do they offer
International moving companies are not the same. They offer different types of moving estimates, and it is important that you know what they actually offer to you. There are three types of estimates that may or may not suit your particular needs.
- A non-binding estimate – This is the type of an estimate where the price you were offered does not have to be the final price. Neither you nor your mover is not tied to any amount. This can be inconvenient if you did not have an in-house survey, and even then it leaves a lot of room for unpleasant surprises.
- A binding estimate – What is a binding estimate? Basically, when the international movers estimate the final price, you will be obliged to pay it. Whether you have items that weigh more or less on a moving day, you will be bound to pay for the original amount. While this may not be the most perfect solution, you will know exactly what is the price of your move.
- A binding not-to-exceed estimate – An excellent combination of the previous two is this one. If your items weigh more you will not have to pay it, but if they weigh less, you will pay less. Of course, this doesn`t count if you try to move more items than previously agreed with your international movers. They will make a new type of estimate in this situation on-spot.
Compare the moving quotes
Although it may seem like a lot of work, this is the best way to hire one of the international moving companies that will provide you the best services at the best prices. Compare the moving quotes of at least three different moving companies. See whether a certain company is charging you more for no reason. You will be able to see if they offer services at reasonable prices, and eventually, you will make the decision about what movers suit you most.
Do your international movers have what it takes for your move?
Every move seems the same, but only at first glance. If you have to move a piano, or a car to a different country, you need to speak to your movers. See what are their policies and how much it would cost to do that. Talk to the moving company representatives and ask them about the equipment they are using, the experience of their workers, additional services that they are using. Once you have full information you can proceed to the next step.
Do a thorough search of your international movers
Moving to a different country requires a lot of research. You can look up your movers simply by asking them for their USDOT number. Once you have this number, go to the FMCSA site and lookup if they have a license. The license tells a lot about the moving company and your international movers should have it.
Another thing that is equally important is the number of moving claims your movers have. You can check this on the FMCSA site easily by going to the section Reviews. All the international moving claims will be listed there, and you will be able to see the reasons why they were filed. This is an important step that you should absolutely do when hiring reliable movers. While accidents do happen even to the best of ones, if there are countless complaints, you might want to look for another moving company.
Read the contract carefully
Needless to say, you should ask your global movers to give you everything that you agreed upon in writing. An oral agreement is a non-existing one, and you should always ask for a contract. It is only when you have a contract that you can go through it and see whether you are in accordance with everything. Pay special attention to the small letters in italic, as they usually talk about additional fees. If you are not sure whether everything is written properly, give it to your lawyer for additional checkups.
The last step when hiring international movers is to check the insurance
No matter how close or far away you are moving, having proper insurance is a must. When it comes to an international move, there are greater risks of accidents, and you should be compensated for it. Ask your overseas movers what kind of moving insurance do they offer and choose the best option.
After all of these steps, you will be ready to hire reliable international movers. Good luck!