Relocating to a new place is a huge responsibility.
There are several jobs you need to juggle at the same time and it is best to get as much help as you can.
One of the most physically tasking works in a house relocation is packing and moving all your stuff.
It requires an enormous amount of time, energy and most important of all, the skill to get your things safely to the new place.
A good relocation company can help you with packing and relocating all your stuff. They can take a huge load of stress from your relocation schedule and give you sufficient time to concentrate on the other most pressing details.
In Melbourne, there are a lot of house removals who offer various packages at cheap rates.
But one has to be beware of the company they choose as there are a lot of inexperienced removalists out there who can mess up your relocation.
Therefore, it is important to do proper research to find a trustworthy removalist company to avoid any losses you could possibly incur.
1. Researching The Best House Removals Agency
The professional and experienced house moving services can take charge of the relocation of your entire stuff including the arrangement for transportation, the logistics, packing, and unpacking. But it is easy to fall prey to the removal companies who can cheat you of your money.
The only way you can avoid getting caught with such removalists is through thorough research both offline and online. When you search for house removals in Melbourne on the internet, you will come across hundreds of options but only a few of them are legit and certified.
It is important to go over the online reviews of these removal companies. The reviews on their own websites are enough to back their credibility. Search for reviews on other websites like forums and communities where people post their stories about the experience with a house or office removalists.
By offline research, you can start with inquiring your friends and acquaintances who were recently moving house and get their thoughts on the removalists and their recommendations. They might have found some details in their own research for the removalists and can share it with you.
2. Listing Your Requirements
Based on the research, you can narrow the removal services based on the nearness to your location and their services to a few.
Now that you are familiar with some of the terms and services that removalists provide, you can now list all your requirements down. Start your list by mentioning the day you want to relocate and any other extra services you might need.
Professional removalists can pack and unpack all your stuff with a small fare. They also provide storage options wherein you can keep your things stored in a secure storage facility for a few days till your new house gets ready. Also, if you do not want to hire them for packing the entire house, you can at least get their help for furniture removals. The removalists will dismantle your furniture and pack them in specific boxes, transport them to your new place and fit them back again in the same condition as it was.
3. Choosing The Best Melbourne Removalist
When you have listed down all your requirements, it is time to make a few calls.
Speaking with the company directly will give you an idea about how they treat the customers and the kind of service they provide. You can also get a free quote from the van and man hire agency by mentioning your requirements. It is important to have a proper estimate of all the things you need to relocate to get a near to accurate estimate.
The removal company should be able to answer all your questions clearly. If you do not get a proper response even in this inquiry phase, then you may not be given good service as you need.
Depending on the kind of responses they gave, their availability and the cost for relocation, you can now pick the best removalist suitable for your house furniture removal.
4. Questions you should ask before choosing a removalist
Before you go ahead and hire a removal company for your packing and moving needs, it is important to ask certain questions which will give you more clarity regarding their services and cause less confusion as you go ahead.
The most important questions you must ask the removalist you are considering on hiring are –
- Does the removal company charge on an hourly basis or a fixed quote? This is important because if they follow a fixed quote scheme, then even for a small moving job you may have to spend a lot more. We suggest that you go for a removal company that offers an hourly rate as that is fairer and cost-effective in the long run. You will only be paying for the services you utilize, nothing more, nothing less.
- What is the price per hour? Since this field is quite competitive, you will find different pricing ranges wherever you go. Remember – cheap does not always mean good. To find a removalist that fits in your budget, you will have to enquire about their hourly rate and also find out what are the services they offer under this rate. If both these conditions are being fulfilled for you, then you can go ahead and hire the company. The per-hour price can range from 70AUD to 200AUD.
- What is the Depot fee or Travel fee? A depot or travel fee is an add-on fee that gets added to the base price or the hourly price. This is the fee that is paid once the van leaves your old destination and is en route to your new place. Paying this fee is important because this is the fee that ultimately is used to pay the staff of the removal company. So we suggest that you play fair and try to find a removal company that asks for a travel fee. This means that they treat the workers (the people who do all the hard work) in a fair manner and pay them their dues.
- Do they provide Insurance? Make sure that the removal company you are hiring has its insurance in place. This insurance makes sure that your belongings are in safe and secure hands. Making sure that the company is insured is extremely important and we can’t stress this enough. If you are finding that the removal company is hesitant to show you their insurance papers, this is a sign that there is something up and they are not being completely transparent with their customers. A good and reliable company will be upfront about their insurance policy.
- Do they have an AFRA Accreditation? AFRA accreditation is a factor that gives you an indication that the removal company is legitimate and reliable. AFRA stands for Australian Furniture Removal Association. When the removal company has an AFRA certification, you can be sure that they have all the standards and practices in places as required by the governing body of AFRA.
5. Red flags to avoid while choosing a removal company
When you get into a conversation with the removal company you are considering hiring, you will pick up on certain factors that will give you a clue whether they are a relabel company or not.
During a conversation, if you find these red flags, we suggest you find another removal company.
- They are not a licensed company. If the removal company you are considering is not licensed, then that is one of the biggest red flags that can come your way. Having a license means that they will be registered with the government and will have a legitimate business that is not hidden and is out in the open. Some removal companies try to take short cuts because they don’t want to pay the licensing fees, but those are the type of companies you must stay away from.
- The estimate they provide is unbelievably good. If the quote provided by the company is way cheaper than the other companies you have inquired about, then that too is a matter of concern. To get great quality services, you will have to spend some money. A cheap removal company will probably cut corners and not pay its staff well. They will also not have the required insurance, which will make the process messy in case there is damage to goods in the transit period. Also, make sure that the removal company does a physical inspection of the place before you sign up for their services. This is a huge factor to consider when going ahead with a removal company.
- They don’t have references of past clients to share with you. If a removal company offers high-quality services and has served many happy customers in the past, they will not hesitate in sharing their references. But if you are finding that the removal company is not sharing their references openly and they don’t have many reviews on their google page, then that can be a matter of concern. Talking to prior customers who have used the removal company’s services will clear some of your doubts and also give you an idea of what you can expect from them.
- They ask for all the money to be paid right in the beginning. Most of the reliable removal companies will ask to be paid once the move has taken place. Some may ask for a token amount at the time of signing the contract, but asking for the whole amount before even starting the packing and moving is definitely a red flag. Paying the company the whole amount right in the beginning is a terrible idea for many reasons because they might provide you with shoddy services or just run away with your money altogether. So if the company you are considering is asking for an upfront payment, we suggest you look for other options.
- You are not given a list of numbers you can reach out to during the move, especially the driver. Professional removal companies will always provide you with all the necessary phone numbers so that you are kept in the loop at all times. The number of drivers is quite important because you can directly communicate with the person driving your luggage to your new home. If these numbers are not provided to you and you are unable to contact the driver, t can be quite a stressful situation.
If you are looking for that reliable and experienced house removals company, contact Move My Stuff now.
Check our other blogs:
5 Ways to Deal With Used Furniture During The Relocation
Office Moving Checklist ( Downloadable PDF)
Change of Address Checklist You Must Have
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