We were called last minute one afternoon about a move that had to happen right away. We sent an appraiser that night because they wanted us to pack them up the following day and move the next. According to this customer that called, money was no object. It just had to be done right away. In the meantime this fellow was calling us from New York, Arizona, etc. Then calling us long distance, he said the mother-in-law and wife decided to pack because his wife was a hoarder. The next day the move was postponed because the wife wasn’t ready. Later that day they called and everything was up in the air and apologized and hoped we weren’t frustrated. I said no, we just don’t do business in this manner. What do we have here? A husband that has no control. A wife that’s undecided and a mother-in-law that wants to do the work to save money. Don’t call me! I’ll call you; thank you very much. We don’t need fantasy attraction seekers, who have an unwarranted sense of entitlement, not caring about others.

This is not your best “move”! Sometimes a price just sounds too good to be true and it usually is. The devil is in the details. Ask yourself do you want a “no frills” move or do you want a good secure move and are willing to pay. After all, how many times in your life will you move? Asking a million movers what the price is per hour is just pure confusion. Not all movers are the same nor do they offer the same service. Some are insured, some lie and some just aren’t insured. Some are just people splitting the  money and not a real business. Some show up for your move and some don’t.
Don’t just shop for price. Ask about services, guarantees and history. The average price to look for is $85/95 per hour and up depending on your move. Remember you only get what you pay for and to get what your paying for ask questions to the mover before reserving or get a home visit followed by a written estimate.

Moving your home is always difficult for the owner and keeping the correct perspective is ultimate o the list of the person being moved. Lose your perspective on the move and you’ve lost the day. It’s ion a way like a battle, which you can’t afford to lose.
In the beginning you have the shock troops coming in or the appraisers. We all have a tendency to appraise our own moves on readiness, time, the number of men, logistics and truck size. When the move is appraised, it can be a shock in differences between your own appraisal and a professional one. If the appraisal is low in price, it usually is too low. It’s not a good average to take the lowest price unless it’s guaranteed on your invoice to not rise above 10% before tax. Many movers will hesitate in doing this and the guarantee is based on certain conditions, such as readiness and logistics.

On moving day, your perspective should be that you’ve done what your mover has asked of you and you’re ready. This is the mover you chose. Your battle plan should adhere to the one decided on by you and your appraiser. If you didn’t adhere to this plan then all costs and problems that may occur are all on you and your appraisal is not valid, so follow the plan agreed on.

Keep your perspective on moving day when the front line troops arrive, your movers. Everything will go well to have a win, win move if your perspective is a good one during the move, tempered with understanding and give and take. You then have won the day!

A personality many times is the driving force in making a move go well. If you have a pre-existing attitude toward movers that isn’t objective, then many times your move will not go well. Creating a friendly atmosphere and not spending your time texting is important. You are the customer, the subject of attention and a star for the day -not a shadow in the corner. Be available for questions and open to suggestions. There are some people who always expect the worst and you will never please them; they’ll even complain about a fingerprint on the wall. These folks are usually obsessive compulsives and it can be difficult to work with them. However, if they are open to you, all problems can be solved. The bottom line is to try and please. Movers are there to please you. Approach with that idea in mind, be approachable and usually everything goes well. A good attitude is infectious and you will have a good move. There are always destructive people out there or just angry souls that no one can satisfy; let’s hope we don’t encounter those personalities in 2011.

When a mover arrives on your reserved day, they expect you to be ready and packed. I don’t think this is too much to ask you! If movers have to step over goods and parcels, your move will be longer and if they have to empty cabinets or take them apart, again your move will be longer. Never try to estimate your own move, you’re not the professional and you may not like the result.
Logistics enters with every move. If you have a long hallway more than 20-feet to the elevators for example, it does take more time. This is a no brainer. Never lie to the mover if you decline a home visit! Tell them exactly what’s to be moved.

An example of the above is a person who had been moving themselves with a bundle buggy when they decided at the last minute they wanted a mover but only wanted some things moved. Some things turned out to be more things not prepared or packed properly. Because it was last minute, we could only give them four hours on a Sunday afternoon. Their demanding attitude was offensive, especially when they said the owner smelled and asked the workers if he treated them well! They had glassware packed with tea towels or boxes with no tops and not wrapped. One cabinet was filled with records and tons of stuff under a bed they wanted moved with no apology. Need I say more?

We asked when reserving if they had mattress bags. They said no, we should just use their sheets. Our inventory of these items was out at that time and we were preparing to close for the holiday season for 2 weeks.

Let me say without further ado, this apartment was a mess, although they thought it to be normal. It was wet and cold and the men asked if they wanted the sofa set shrink-wrapped but no was the answer. In the end, they said we didn’t ask. The hallway was at least a 50-foot walk and they wanted to hurry. We gave them an extra hour even though it was to be only 4 hours. Try carrying bits and pieces down a 50-foot hallway to an elevator and then out to a truck with unpacked goods. In the end, they tipped the men and with the same breath complained about smudge marks or dirt on their sofa and that it took too long. Go figure!

Naturally it’s the movers’ fault always and usually this comes from folks with unrealistic expectations or looking for something for nothing. If you don’t like the results, why tip? Instead of complaining they should have been grateful that anything got moved from that horrible environment. When we arrived and could see their apartment, we gave them a limited liability contract only, thank goodness!

How do you choose a good reliable mover? Well for one, stop thinking about the word cheap or considering rates that are to anyone absurd. Remember, the average rate 45 years ago was 18-20 per hour so use your intelligence.

Rates starting at $85 to $95 per hour and up are signs of a genuine reliable mover. Prices depend on the size of your move, trucks, the number of personnel and the logistics of your locations. What sounds cheap isn’t necessarily cheap. You get what you are willing to pay for. Some movers have specials and you should enquire about these. Movers must print all the terms of your move on a contract to avoid problems and to know what your getting have a home visit. Ask the mover for an email confirmation of your estimate. A good mover will try to do his best to give you the above. Look for comments online for more info and to Bestmoversintoronto.com

How would you like as a mover to walk into a home to pack up a customer who has all their jewellery spread all over a bedroom. This is very silly especially when you not alone but have other contractors working in the house.

In all movers contracts there is a term that they are not responsible for jewellery, cash or other such valuables. Who would want to be maybe blamed for something missing or just misplaced or stuck in a bed sheet? No one! You must take these items with you in your car, not with the mover. If you want the mover to be responsible, there must be an inventory of all items and signed for by the mover.

The same idea goes for art of extreme value. It has to be created and insured either by the mover or your own insurance company. We visited a home where the owners quoted prices on artwork of $50,000 to $200,000. They said just wrap them in moving pads or blankets; absolutely not! If a customer doesn’t care about their valuables, it’s a problem waiting to happen. If you value your belongings don’t be careless. Take the right steps to ensure a safe move.

We once had a customer who said she lost her diamond ring. Later, the husband said he found it in the bathroom and put it in his shaving kit. We had another customer who was missing $400.00. Again it was the husband who took the money and of course the wife was furious. Don’t be these people! Always know where everything is and what’s happening around you.

A Move With A View

It’s nice when a customer appreciates your knowledge and skills acquired over many years. He had always said, “ask Peter, he knows how it should be done!” He said of my skills, “it’s like magic!” I don’t know of that but we always try to please. After 40 years I should know what I’m doing.

We had a customer that needed four containers packed from his home going to Brazil. He said he would call from Brazil when the containers arrived. He wanted to fly myself and one other to Brazil to oversee the unloading of the containers into his new home. When he called 5 months later he explained the new house was up on a hill with over 200 steps going up. He said the containers could not go up the road to the house because it was too steep. The plan was he would hire 10 men to carry from the locals and he wanted me to oversee the project. When I arrived a week later, we got on with the process. It took 4 days to unload and we lost man after man from the locals who quit. We simply hired more to get the job done. The house was absolutely beautiful with the most astounding view, as maybe you would visualize paradise.

During the unloading we had problems with gunshots down the road and people trying to break open the containers at night. Everything got finished in the 4 days, 10 hours a day. The customer threw a great party for the local workers event the ones that quit. He thanked e for my project supervision, paid the bill and I flew home from paradise with a small regret of not being able to wake everyday in such a place.

What would you think if I lowered your 450lb armoire 35 feet from the top of your house without damage? I’m sure you would think that’s great and be very thankful!

If the rest of your move was damage free with your goods, would that not be a good thing? Would you try to tell the movers it should come down the stairs instead and insist they keep trying? If a small hole occurred in the wall because of your insistence, would you blame the movers? If fingerprints were found on your wall because of the movers bracing themselves, would you have a hissy fit? I don’t think so!

If the movers repaired the small hole and went out of their way to please you, would you not be satisfied? Would you criticize the movers on your iPhone to all your friends because it’s such an emotional experience and then hold your hand over your mouth and hide so you don’t have to look?

I wouldn’t expect these reactions from anybody, but then… Man up! Some people have expectations that are over the top or over the top of something usually due to their emotional makeup. How should movers react to this type of situation? They should refuse the job, which is their right, and leave the moving site.

Unfortunately, we did not!

Have you ever thought about space? Is it going to fit or not? Will it go up or down the stairs? It came in that doorway, so why won’t it go out? The secret is sometimes it just doesn’t and this is something a customer sometimes doesn’t want to hear or understand.
An example of this is an armoire that was delivered by a furniture company. It went up the stairs because they had the open space of the living room to turn the armoire in order for it to go up the stairs. When bringing it down, there was no turning space at the bottom only walls, stair rails and a ceiling overhang. What can you do? You have an angry customer who doesn’t want to understand the math and believes that magically what goes up must also go down but that logic isn’t always true.
Name-calling or telling the movers to shut up when they are trying to explain the math is not the answer but it takes all kinds. In this case, the movers didn’t leave (most would have); instead they lowered the armoire down 35 feet from the top of the house. It weighed 450lbs and fortunately the equipment was available on the truck. A great feat no less but they received no thanks from the homeowner, only criticism.
There is no magical solution if the mover tells you something won’t fit. This is their job and they do know the job and what’s best. Always work with the mover and a solution may be found. Nevertheless, some people are thankless. There are no Harry Potters in the world of moving to put 450lbs into a 5lb box.