MSN News or Lack There of.

I have lost any faith in MSN and their writing abilities. This is the closest thing I have seen to fear mongering in a long time. It is above and beyond muck raking and just plain ludicrous. Now, I wouldn't have such an issue with this If it hadn't been written as if the whole industry was like this. Or insinuate that every single company did every single item on this list, every single time.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ConsumerActionGuide/10-things-moving-companies-wont-say.aspx

The writer very obviously looked just for the worst of the bad. Even though the sections have different titles it's mostly the same 'we had to pay more' story. They also only seemed to have chosen stories did not have an in house estimate or they did not read the contract.

I can not say it enough how important it is to have an in house estimate, to ask questions and to read the contract.

Insurance on your items is called a valuation. The standard Free Coverage that most moving companies provide is $0.60 per Item per pound of that item. Which means if you decide not to pay for more coverage then if your 100lb item get's damaged you will only get $60 for the item. So if you want better coverage then you will have to pay to protect it. All moving companies have insurance plans, if they say you can't purchase more then do not go with that company.

In the article almost all of the people who were ripped off were charged buy the cubic foot or charged almost four times what their estimate was. I'm willing to guess that they either only got phone estimates for minimum weight charge for a long distance move.

UPS charges by the cubic foot. Back in the day, if you have a box that was 3lbs and it's size qualified as an OS1 (over sized one) they will charge you for 30lbs. Because that is what they feel the space is worth. They also have the man power to check the boxes as they go by. They also pack the trucks amazingly well, almost like a giant game of Tetris. Moving companies? Not so much. I would not trust a moving company that charged by cubic feet. If there was a space above the boxes chances are I would still get charged for it.

Most large moving companies will have rates set up for their agent companies to follow. At times charges will vary from state to state because of the U.S. Department of Transportation  and taxes. The DoT watches moving companies very closely and their fines are very high. No one likes to upset the DoT.

The company I work for has a 2,100lb minimum charge in the summer for a long distance move. Why? One reason is because it can very hard to get enough small moved together and going to the same general area. Mostly it is because if you are looking to have just one item moved the cost for it's weight will not cover the cost for man hours nor for the fuel to get the truck there. Unfortunately it is sometimes not worth the cost to hire someone else to move just one item.

There is just so many things in that article that are wrong or misleading it's frustrating. My boss was flat out discussed with the article. Unfortunately information that get's put on the internet is mostly negative. If you find yourself with questions please feel free to ask me them and I will do my best to answer them.

People are mean.

And unfortunately there is nothing anyone can do about it. This is only partially true. Moving can bring on all kinds of new stress.

Is it their first move? Did they have a prior bad experience? Do they expect you to do all the work for them? Are they planning ahead or is it a last minuet move? Do they need a certain delivery date?

Most will not even realize that they are stressing themselves out. The only thing that can realy be done is try and be as sympathetic and firm as possible. I say firm because if you are not wavering and sure of not only yourself but of your company this can calm people down imensily.

Some people only need to hear that everything is going to be all right and that they will be taken care of.

I had one customer who just needed someone to take extra time with her to explain every thing. How we pack, load and every little detail in between. The agent I sent out was extremely calm and easy going. He ended up spending almost two hours helping her out. By the end of his visit he not only set up her move, but helped her to relax. When I spoke with her on the phone prior to her move she was actually happy.

Sometimes you need to go the extra distance to help someone out. Even if they end up using a diffrent company you will have made a good impression on them and helped them on their way.

Customer Etiquette

If you are going to be rude to someone at least have a valid reason for it. if you call one day asking for something that policy says they can't tell you over the phone, don't call in the next day claiming you asked about something totally different and that the company policy is ridiculous. Better yet, admitting to being rude and then threatening to wright a 'very nasty review' if your demands are not met.

This is an excellent way to make sure that a company will not want to work for you.

This is almost as effective as making a mistake in writing your notes and saying the company lied. Exasperatingly when said customer had made a joke about it being on Friday the 13th.

When this happened I got chewed out three times that day. By my boss, the sales agent and then the customer. I got the customer to read his notes and corrected him that no, the 13th was a Friday and not a Saturday. Talk about lesson learned.

Explaining the Self in Self Storage

I will never, ever understand why people with ask if they have to move their own items into self storage. On one hand the joke never gets old. On the other hand I want to bang my head on my desk every time I hear it.

Self Storage is just that, you store it your self. You rent the unit and you move it in all by yourself.

While the company will have someone working they are not there to move your items into the unit. This is for insurance purposes. No company is going to take liabilty for that.

Some might have workers you can hire to move your items but they will not be free. Even if you think htey are they are not. People cost money.

Also, no company pays people to stand around. Likewise they are not going to allow people to stand around and offer their services. Again it's an insurance thing. Insurance is very expensive these days and no one wants to be sued.

The hazard of online movers.

If you are thinking about online movers please reconsider.

First you will probably never get an accurate price for your move if they do not see it. In all my time in the moving business I have never heard of an internet based move having a happy ending. Second I have heard numerous horror stories of people having used an online moving company hold their items ransom. Or the price jumps into the stratosphere.

This is why you need to have an agent go out and take a look at your items in person. As in physically go to your house and look at what you have in it.

And no, using one estimate and asking other companies to give you a price based on that will not fly. Unless the company is either desperate or plans on taking you hand over fist, most will not do an estimate for you.

Why not? Because some people have a better idea of an items weight, will see all items or they might have different methods of calculating the weight. More importantly they will be able to ask questions about things they see or don't see(like a hidden crawl space).

Also, you are agreeing to a faceless companies terms and charges. I understand that this is the world of the web and faceless purchases.. But every time I make an online purchase on a new site I worry because you just never know for certain until you get your item/service if they were telling the truth.

And that's for sheep things like tea. I couldn't imagine doing that with a whole house worth of goods.

If you truly feel confidant in using an internet mover please check on them with the Better Business Bureau. They are your friend and are there to serve you.

Small Advice Article

I want to hug and send so much love to Better Homes & Gardens right now. The articles were posted some time ago but the advice still remains sound.

Countdown: 12 Weeks to Moving Day
this article makes me weep with joy. It lays out some very simple ideas for people that are moving to keep sane. I have seen and talked to several customers that would have greatly benefited from reading this article to lessen their stress.

Hiring a Mover: 5 Mistakes Even Smart People Make
these are five very easy to do mistakes when moving.

10 Biggest Moving Mistakes
This article expands on the one above it. It's still a good read.

It does sadden me that there seem to be more articles about moving mistakes the there are about advice.

Please be nice to the help.

So, you are trying to get a service done but things are booked or there are other small troubles. at some point in your past someone might have suggested that to get your way you should be passive aggressive to the people you want to do things for you. Or even be truly aggressive to service people.

Don’t do it.
Just don't. Do. It.

There are four general ways verbally abusive customers are treated by service.

A best case scenario they won't notice. Some very few will not outwardly show that they care how they are treated. They will still give you the same service as a good customer. These people are far and few in between. They are almost an extinct species.

Most will probably 'pass the buck'. sadly, some people on the work force are so used to being verbally abused in some manner if you try it chances are they won’t bat an eye lash at it but they will also more than likely pass you onto someone else.

The middle of the road response you could get would be the same service but they might not go very far (or at all) out of their way to help you. They also will not bend the rules, or pull out miracles.

If you think the worst they can tell you is that they will not serve you. You are only partially right. Some might ban you from the store. They might even go so far as to call the cops on you if you are threatening them.

People who make less then you are not less of a person because of this. Frankly they are not paid enough to take that kind of treatment. Ever.