Moving Preparation
Some things you can easily do to save some cash and make for a smoother move can be easily accomplished with a little forethought and common sense. As with all things, taking a little extra time in preparation can pay dividends in the end. Organization and preparedness are often overlooked when stress and time constraints take control. Haphazard packing, a hurried call to your local mover and a quick appraisal of your inventory can make for a difficult and unsatisfying moving experience.
Movers know this is a stressful time and most will overlook the open boxes, the still made bed, plates on the table, items on the furniture, stereos still connected, obstructed walkways (toys etc). I could go on and on, but basically if you’re paying by the hour and the mover can’t negotiate his way around you’re losing money. If the mover has to spend 10 minutes clearing dressers, nightstands, tables etc for each piece and then dance around clutter while carrying a load, you’re losing more money. Just simple preparation and organization here can easily take an hour off your final bill. Ease of access to the items being moved and clear walkways can inspire the flat rate movers to move some of the items you we’re planning on moving yourself at a big discount (often some even free). I’ve done this and seen it done many times in appreciation for a customers preparedness as it really makes the job go smoother.
Making sure you’re packed and ready to go may seem like an obvious task to many. Quite often however, customers want the movers to take their open boxes with items brimming over if not even falling out. This is not only difficult to carry, but almost impossible to load the truck correctly. Save the open boxes for the backseat for your best price. Loose items may be light, however the added time needed to pack these items in the truck safely can really add up. Although you might think this would appeal to your hourly movers, the added risk of breakage is a big consideration. I think most people would be surprised how often movers are asked to move book bags, and I don’t mean the school kind but trash bags full of books. This is a really bad idea for obvious reasons. Bags are fine if pillows, clothes and the like are stuffed in them, but anything that can punch through in a tightly packed, bouncing truck is going to make a time consuming and potentially damaging mess. Keep in mind, the suspension of a moving truck isn’t designed like a cars.
I know some of these things seem like common sense, but sometimes in the stress of moving the temptation to cut corners becomes appealing. Cutting corners can save some time in preparation, but when too much is encountered on one job the time it takes to work with and around extra obstacles can really add up. A 3-4 hour job turns into 5-6 hours and so on. The higher than estimated cost of moving in some cases is not the movers fault. The best way to start saving money is to give yourself the time and get the supplies you need to properly prepare so the movers can expedite upon arrival. That way, when the movers show up 3 hours late they’ll have no excuses not to work fast!
