If you feel difficulties for calculate your long-distance moving costs, then you are not alone. No one said moving across the country would be free of frustrations and surprises. At Safeway Moving, we want to make your stress level as low as possible. The cost of the move is likely to be the element that causes the most stress for most customers. While every move and every household is different, it helps to plan for as many variables as possible. Here are some factors to consider when estimating your total moving costs.
What Are Some Variables To Think About
Different companies have different methods of calculating an estimated cost. Some common factors are weight, number of pieces, rooms, and stairs or elevators. Estimated moving costs may vary by the time of year and the distance. If your move needs temporary or long-term storage space, that can also affect the price quoted.
Special handling or security on items can also affect the price quote. You certainly don’t want to be surprised when presented with the final bill for your relocation. Read further to learn more about choosing a long distance moving company based on a price estimate.
Do Previous Customers regard the Moving Company Well?
Because social media reviews and testimonials are so readily available today, prospective customers can often learn a great deal about how a company operates by looking for details of its online reputation. Google, for example, uses a 5-star system for rating professional companies regarding their products or services. Other consumer rating sites can be checked for rankings.
A high rating, accompanied by an explanation of specific people or services, means more than just a 5-star rating. You can look for both positive and negative ratings and determine the things that were liked regarding the service and those that were disliked. It helps to see if the moving company is responsive to any posted negative comments.
How Important is Good Customer Service?
A sometimes-ignored variable by customers and company personnel alike is a hard-to-define attitude of professional demeanor. You might listen to someone on the phone who is courteous and friendly yet has the answers to your questions with an attitude of ‘I know what I am talking about.
That company is more likely to be selected to transport your furnishing than one which is slow to respond to a telephone call, and is abrupt, or gives obvious incorrect information about their services. An online estimate may give you a ball-park price but should never be the last price check before signing on the dotted line. No matter how busy the individual responding to a phone call is, customers, remember courtesy.
On-the-job training for every employee is a way to improve customer relations. Many elements enter into a perception of professionalism. Positive company reviews usually recognize a friendly smile, courteous greeting, and clean grooming.
Company uniforms help to link the company brand and the people. While professionalism doesn’t improve the move’s cost, it brings the company more positive reviews and thus more customers.
Where Are You, and Where Are You Going?
Covid-19 and the effects of increased at-home employment have changed some of the demographics of the United States. With improved internet access, even in rural or remote areas, employees who previously had to live within commuting distance of their office location are relocating to places further from the major urban areas. The major shift in population is likely to continue as infrastructure continues to improve.
There are some changes where some of the major employers are choosing to have employment centers. One example is Texas. Several large employers have moved to the State of Texas for various reasons.
These include tax benefits, weather, available land, cost of living, and transportation links. As people choose to leave the highly populated areas of California, Florida, and New York, it affects the moving costs in the original areas and at the destination points.
The costs associated with truck drivers, vehicles, and fuel costs also affect price quotes. Companies in the moving business must make a profit to stay in business. When prices of the major elements of operating the business take a sudden jump, estimates may fall behind the actual costs of the move.
For example, in many parts of the United States, fuel prices have doubled in the past few weeks. That may not affect your decision of whether or not to relocate, but it certainly will affect the cost of the move.
When Are You Going?
As stated, the time of year when the move will occur can affect the cost. Parents with children in school typically prefer not to change schools during the academic year. Distance learning or home schooling may make this variable less important, similar to other lifestyles influenced by the coronavirus.
Seasonal variations may drive the cost of your move to some extent. Moving to a zip code that experiences winter-weather conditions like ice/snow, the delivery of your items might be delayed. Road closures can keep trucks stranded for days in some parts of the country. The delays can also occur in zip codes subject to hurricanes, flooding, fires, or winds.
Quality of the Equipment
If you choose a company with old and worn equipment, the price may be reduced, but there is a likelihood of higher prices for other reasons. If the trucks don’t ride smoothly, your furniture may arrive broken or scratched.
Maintenance on each vehicle is something you can watch for in customer reviews or learn about when speaking with a customer service professional. Other equipment you may need to check includes moving blankets, packing boxes, and customer service packets to help plan and implement the move.
Size of the Move
Quick moving cost calculations may ask you for the number of rooms. This figure may not yield even a close approximation of the complexity of the move.
Some people desire to relocate a crammed Victorian with big furniture, including tight and twisted stairs on 3-4 stories.
You would expect such a packing and toting project to be more challenging than a three-bedroom, two-bath ranch-style house on one level with a short driveway.
Suppose you have a small number of furniture pieces. Then, to make the transfer as affordable as possible for both the moving business and the customer, your furnishings can be merged with those of another customer. In this instance, it is especially important to carefully check the manifest to ensure that the correct property arrives at the correct location.
In apartment buildings, the size and access to elevators of sufficient size to handle your large furniture units can be another variable that will affect the overall cost of the move. Street access to the subject property at the old property and the new property can also change the logistics of the move.
