When it comes to shifting your house or office, hiring a Last-minute Mover is not a good idea often. These are office moving companies who cater to clients who need to relocate at a very short notice. Some even offer same-day removals, and claim to be specialists in emergency moving, at very affordable rates.
Unless you are really in an emergency and need to move quickly, hiring a Last-minute mover is seldom a good idea. In most cases, they will either fail to deliver on their promises altogether, or fall short of your expectations for various reasons. At the end of the day, they will leave you high and dry.
Let us look at some of the reasons why hiring a Last-minute Mover is not a good idea.
Background check: If you are in a hurry, you might not be able to do a thorough background check of the Last-minute Mover. Hence, you will have to depend more on your intuitions, than on hard facts. Therefore, you will have no other option but to believe claims about authenticity being made by the company. This will make you vulnerable to problems cropping up at a later stage.
Not taking references: the easiest way to overcome the lack of background check is to take references of good professional moving companies and from relatives and friends who have moved recently in your city. Their feedback will give you a fair idea about the quality of their services. If you don’t take references, you will have to blindly depend on the words of an unknown company, which can be problematic.
Going for the cheapest offer: if you’re waiting for the last-minute to hire a Mover just because you want to get a bargain from them, or choosing a Mover just because they are offering you the cheapest rate then wait! Find out the reason why they are so cheap. Are they saving cost by hiring lesser manpower and equipment? This will invariably cause immense problems on the shifting the shifting day for you, and may even result in your goods getting broken or damaged.
Not reading the fine print: many Last-minute Movers will put restrictive clauses or fail to mention hidden charges for their services. We know of many people who have hired a Last-minute Mover only to find out at a later stage that many of the services like packing, loading and unloading, are chargeable separately. Many Last-minute Movers will charge you extra for every additional floor that they have to climb with the furniture. These might come in as a major surprise to you later and place your moving cost significantly.
Not explaining your requirements properly: ideally, every Mover should do a site survey well in advance to understand how much of the goods have to be removed by them. In most cases where a Last-minute Mover hired, there isn’t ample time to do the site survey. So, unless you are very specific about your requirements, there can be a lot of confusion and arguments on the day of the move.
How to be better prepared:
The best way to avoid these problems is to start preparing for the move will advance, so that you do not have to hire a Last-minute Mover. However, there might be times when you might not be able to do so, and have to relocate in a hurry. Apart from the points that we have already mentioned above, there are some points that you need to keep in mind:
• Keep your budget flexible: emergencies and bargains do not go well together. So, don’t look for a bargain when you are shifting in an emergency. The cost of the damage that your goods might suffer will invariably be more than the money you save from the bargain you will get. There are many reputed full-service moving companies which will offer you Last-minute Removal services at an additional fee. Always go with them if you want your belongings to be safe, and budget is not a constraint.
If your budget is limited, then they extra cautious and ask the Last-minute Mover several questions till you are sure about the exact services that you’re going to get. Be careful about any unrealistic claim being made by them.
• Speak to their past clients: if you personally don’t know anyone who has hired the Last-minute Mover you are considering, then you can ask for references of past clients from the company itself. Get on a quick call with his clients to understand what their experience was.
• Don’t expect too much: a last moment move in most cases won’t be as neat and well executed as a planned one. Since you will be expecting the company to work under your time constraints, do not expect the moon from them. Be happy as long as they your goods in proper shape within the agreed upon deadline.
