Moving company quotes are not written on stone and can be tweaked as we require. However, for that, you need to master the art of negotiation. How good is your skill to bargain? Shall we see if you can enhance your expertise so that next time you grab a fabulous deal?
Come along with us. Let’s see what you need to do to obtain a cheap moving quote to pack your home cross-country.
Learn the company first
You need to have an idea of what you need to move and what you are looking for in a moving company. Search for movers to learn the cost of professional moving services, research your options, and find out which companies are worth working with.
Browse the moving websites, compare the tariffs and conditions. Pay attention to the overall quality of the website. You need to ensure:
The address is clearly stated
The local address is accurate
The contact numbers are in working condition
The client feedback section exists and it seems accurate
The USDOT number is mentioned
Prepare a moving cost estimate
Evaluate the household items to get an average cost of moving a household the size of yours across the distance you’re moving. Use a moving cost calculator to get a moving cost estimate. Free moving calculators are available online and you can easily find approximate costs.
Collect moving quotes
Get as many moving company quotes as you can. There’s no limit to the number of quotes you can get and the more quotes you have, the better are your chances to negotiate. Collect as many you can and we’ll suggest a minimum of 6 quotes.
Compare the quotes and what’s missing is a quote and what can be removed to make it cheaper. Discuss with the company about the changes you need to make in a quote.
Ensure the moving company is a reliable one
Before you agree to a moving company quote, confirm it is legitimate and reliable. Verify the licensing and insuring information – registration with FMCSA, BBB accreditation, professional affiliations (such as membership in the AMSA), etc. Check the background to learn the history. You can connect with the FMCSA’s safety violation and consumer complaints hotline to ask about complaints against the movers and research the databases of ProtectYourMove.gov, MovingScam.com, and Yelp to learn about reported problems and disputes with the moving companies.
Plan the negotiation strategy
When you have filtered down a few movers, roll out your cards to negotiate.
Ask for discounts, promotions, and offers
Discounts and offers will be mentioned on the websites but personally asking them is different. For example, if someone is offering a 20% discount, maybe you’ll earn 5% extra by personally asking. But that depends upon how good you bargain. Even if no discounts or plans are on offer, a mover will be ready to provide you a special cut as they don’t want to lose a potential customer.
Give them a flexible date
Usually, winters are lean months. You give them the option to move between November and March. Ask the mover to suggest a date in return for a cut in the moving company quote. Most obviously, he will agree to the demand.
Save on extra services
Show the willingness to cut down specific services against which the company can give you a nice deal. You can even skip the packing service and hire just the loading service. When you take up the point of dropping the packing service, maybe the company will further slash the quote as it does not want to lose the business.
Take up the competing moving quotes
Show the moving company quotes from competitors and each mover will be willing to cut down the moving company quote to not lose the business. Use this to your advantage if moving rates are not affordable.
Never be shy to negotiate for a good deal. It’s your hard-earned money and saving it will help you in the future.
