Pros and cons of verbal moving agreements

Hiring a moving company is the best thing that you can do when you are moving if you hire a reliable moving company. Reliable movers have the experience, the knowledge, the skills and they can do a job much faster than we would ever do on our own. However, it is no secret that rouge movers exist as well, with the sole purpose of getting money without providing any services. Or, movers who will leave you with a damaged inventory. That is where the contract comes in. Find out what are the pros and cons of verbal moving agreements.

What are verbal moving agreements?

Verbal moving agreements are made between two parties orally. There is no paperwork, nothing to sign. Just your word and the word of a moving company. Making verbal agreements is common in our everyday lives. If you make an agreement with your neighbor to fix something at your house, you would never make a written contract. The same thing applies when we talk about verbal moving agreements. You make a deal with a moving company and you do not have to sign anything.

Pros of verbal moving agreements

You will not find an abundance of advantages when using verbal moving agreements. However, of course some pros do exist and you may want to decide not to have a written agreement at all.

Less paperwork

You will not have to spend hours researching your verbal agreement and signing every page. With verbal agreements, there will be no paperwork at all. And this truly is an advantage, as you will not have to keep reading the contract, check every term and condition, and spend your evening trying to find a loophole.

You can change the details easily

If you decide to change the date of the move or the weight of your shipment, you can do it easily. Since there is no paperwork, you can just speak to your movers and make a new verbal agreement. If in the previous agreement you did not agree on the cancellation or change fees, you may change the conditions without any consequences.

Cons of verbal moving agreements

There are several cons of a verbal moving agreement that you should take into consideration. Using a traditional written contract has proven to be reliable and much easier to prove in court. Verbal agreements are a great thing when everything goes smoothly. There is no reason to write everything down and bother with papyrology. However, if something goes wrong, it is good to have a written contract to rely on. And there are plenty of reasons why you should always ask for a contract.

Scam moving companies

A verbal agreement can be valid in court if both sides admit that the verbal agreement actually exists. However, if you are dealing with rouge movers, they might deny everything. In this case, it will be hard to prove that the agreement existed in the first place. It is a risky endeavor, and you should only take verbal moving agreements into consideration if you are absolutely certain that the movers are reliable.

It is easy to forget all the terms and conditions

When making a contract, it is important that absolutely everything that you agreed on is in it. The same cannot be said for the verbal moving agreements.

• What are the additional charges that are included in the move?
• What is the delivery window?
• The exact weight of shipment?
• The estimated moving cost?

There are so many things that you need to know and it is easy to forget. If both sides cannot remember what was in the agreement, or claim different things, then the agreement itself cannot be valid. Furthermore, you want to have the best moving insurance for your move, but if you are not guaranteed in writing, there are slim chances that your claim will be successful.

There is a greater risk of not following the agreement

No matter whether you are dealing with a reliable or unreliable moving company, mistakes can always happen. And the risk of not following the agreement is much greater when it is made orally. Also, the bigger your move is the bigger are the chances that something will go wrong. If, for example, you have to move a one-bedroom apartment down the street and you do not have many items, then a verbal agreement is just fine. But, if you are moving your three-story house across the borders, you are facing a risk having a really weak agreement.

Choose wisely and according to your needs

Every decision that you will make in the moving process has its pros and cons. What matters most is making the decision is that the choice fits your needs. No two moves are the same, so your move will be different as well. If you assess that oral contracts would suit you, then go ahead and have this type of agreement. If a moving company offers you only a verbal moving agreement, however, it is safe to assume that they are fraudulent movers, and you should move on. All of this can have an impact on your decision on whether and how much should you tip movers.

Whether you choose to have verbal moving agreements or written ones, you should never hire a moving agency with no agreement at all. Keep the agreement simple, and easy to memorize, and most importantly choose your movers wisely. Good luck!