How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Moving Company?
The cost of hiring a moving company can vary widely. If you are moving long distance, staying local, or moving somewhere in the middle, these can all affect the price of your move. Your price can also vary depending on how many items you’re moving and how difficult the loading and unloading locations are to access.
Many companies make the pricing very difficult to understand. The price can be different based on the day of the week or the time of the year. It is very common for companies to not disclose all of their fees such as: fuel surcharges, large item fees, long carry fees, stair charges, or material charges, just to name a few of the most common ones.
There are also different ways that companies can base their rates on. The two most common are moves based on either time or weight. Long-distance moves tend to be based on the weight of the items being moved, and local moves tend to be based on an hourly time rate of how long it will take to move the items.
At Eversafe Moving Co., we prioritize honesty and transparency. Instead of offering estimates over the phone, we conduct a comprehensive survey of your belongings to provide an accurate quote. We even put our moving prices right on our website! In addition, our Price Lock Guarantee ensures the quoted price is the final price – no hidden fees or surprise charges.
Moving Prices
2 MOVERS $160 PER HOUR
3 MOVERS $240 PER HOUR
For storage rates and additional terms, visit our Moving Prices Page.
Will My Mover Provide a Comprehensive Quote Detailing All Costs and Services?
Because there is no standard in the moving and storage industry to accurately quote an hourly move, you often see companies quoting large ranges in time, rather than quoting an exact time. For example, you’ll see a quote of 3 to 6 hours, rather than a straightforward quote of the specific hours needed to complete the job.
The best way to protect yourself as a consumer is to ask for everything in writing. Make sure that all potential fees are clearly outlined. Understand what happens if the company goes over their time estimate, and, most importantly, do plenty of research to determine that you’re dealing with a reputable company.
Eversafe Moving Co. stands by this standard. We provide an in-depth quote that explains each service’s cost, ensuring you understand precisely what you’re paying for. We believe in total transparency, eliminating the potential for any hidden fees or surprises.
Does the Moving Company Provide Both Local and Long-Distance Moving Services?
Above all, the largest difference between types of moving companies is whether they specialize in long-distance moves or local moves.
Companies that focus on long-distance moves, often referred to as Van Liners, have a very different business model than what you’ll find in local moving companies. Both van liners and local moving companies can perform move types outside of their specialty, but each has their pros and cons.
Van liners can generally perform long distance moves at a much more competitive price point than local movers, but this does not come with downsides. Long distance movers tend to operate routes. Even if you’re moving to a small apartment, your items will most likely end up on a large semi truck. They will pick up and drop off different loads all along their route, and once they’ve reached the end of the route, they do the same thing on the way back. In order to accomplish this they often need to use temp labor to help wherever they find themselves in the country. It is not uncommon for them to move your stuff around on their trucks to make room, or to even transfer items to other trucks. This causes a scenario where your belongings are being handled by a bunch of different people that aren’t familiar with them, misplacement of your items, and extremely varying timelines for delivery depending on how the route plays out.
A local company will be able to have the same crew pickup and drop off your property, keep everything in the same truck, and have very predictable timelines. But, because the loads aren’t being piggybacked, and the local company is often heading back with an empty truck, the entire cost of the move is covered by a single customer. The expense of what it takes to move your items these long distances is not spread out over a larger footprint, where the cost is shared by several customers.
As an independently owned and operated company in Philadelphia, we dedicate ourselves to providing the best moving service possible, which is why we put a focus on your move, avoiding damage or lost items and giving you a truly accurate estimate on time and quote on the price of your move.
Do They Offer Packing Materials and Services, and For How Much?
Most movers can provide all the materials needed for a move. It is very important for you to discuss this with them ahead of time to ensure you have everything you’ll need to be ready by your move date. Generally, all packing will need to be completed by the date of the move, and the movers won’t have any supplies or time to be allocated to packing services on the day of the move.
You can arrange for your mover to do all, or even part of the packing needed for your move, but this will need to be booked as a separate service that usually will be performed on a separate day agreed upon in advance of the move. Packing is a first class service and can easily cost as much as the move itself, if not more per hour. Some companies do offer delivery of packing materials, and at the very least can inform you of the best places to purchase the materials near your location.
Eversafe offers these materials and services as optional add-ons, flexible enough to meet your needs perfectly. In terms of cost, you can find our exact packing costs on our Moving Prices page.
Are They Fully Licensed and Insured? What are Their USDOT and State License Numbers?
It is important to determine that your mover is fully licensed and insured. The USDOT requires that all residential movers post their USDOT number on their website. Making sure your mover is licensed and insured does not guarantee that you’re dealing with a reputable company, but it does mean they are operating legally. It is a good start in figuring out what type of company you’re looking into, but you’ll still want to do a full internet search looking into their reputation. Make sure that you look at every site that evaluates their service to make sure you get a well rounded impression.
It is important to understand that insurance in the moving world is very confusing. A company needs to carry general liability insurance, workman’s comp insurance, cargo insurance, and auto insurance.
When most people think of moving insurance they are referring to cargo insurance. This is the insurance that covers your items if they get damaged. The USDOT requires household good carriers to be liable for 60 cents per pound of valuation for your items. This means if an item is damaged and it weighs 100 pounds, the mover is liable for $60. This is very low coverage. For example, a couch weighs about 200 pounds and would be covered at $120. Or a large TV that generally weighs less than 50 pounds would be covered at $30.
You can purchase additional coverage for your items, but it starts out at several hundred dollars to buy and will also have a deductible associated with it. So, any payout will be on what is above your particular deductible.
Eversafe Moving Co. operates under full legal compliance. Our USDOT license number is 2261303, and our PA PUC license number is A-8913881. Our insurances include general liability insurance, workman’s comp insurance, cargo insurance, and auto insurance.
Is the Crew from the Moving Company Background Checked and Expertly Trained?
The USDOT requires all licensed moving companies to run background checks on all of their employees. However, they do not stipulate in any fashion what criminal offenses are acceptable for employment. This means that all licensed companies still have the flexibility to make their own hiring decisions. So, it’s important to do your research and make sure that you’re choosing a mover that is reputable.
At Eversafe Moving Co., we take this aspect seriously. Each crew member undergoes a thorough background check and receives extensive training. This ensures they’re not only trustworthy but also skilled at handling items of all types, sizes, and values.
What is the Reputation of the Moving Company and How are Their Online Reviews?
The best way to trust reviews is to do a search on that company and see how they are rated across all platforms. The more reviews a company has, and the longer they are in business will be two things that lead to you being able to get a more well rounded assessment. It’s not uncommon for a company to be rated highly on one site, and falter on the others.
A company will often promote the website where they are highly rated and downplay the others. Also, the more reviews a company has out there allows you to trust the reputation of the company. It’s important to see what their oldest reviews are, so you don’t find a company that has been simply stuffing their reviews for a short time to gain an advantage. If you see that they have been doing business for some time, that means people have had years to leave negative reviews and have not. Sometimes being in business for years and avoiding negative reviews can be just as much a sign of a good business as having many reviews.
Eversafe Moving Co. takes pride in our stellar reputation. We’ve been recognized as the Best of the Best in Philadelphia by Rich Noonan and the #1 Movers in Philadelphia by Great Guys Moving. With hundreds of glowing online reviews, our commitment to customer satisfaction and excellence in service is evident. Review all of our Google Reviews here.
What is the Typical Policy on Items Damaged or Lost During the Move?
Cargo insurance is what covers lost or damaged items on a move. This is the insurance that covers your items if they get damaged. The USDOT requires household good carriers to be liable for 60 cents per pound of valuation for your items. This means if an item is damaged and it weighs 100 pounds, the mover is liable for $60, This is very low coverage. For example, a couch weighs about 200 pounds and would be covered at $120. Or a large TV that generally weighs less than 50 pounds would be covered at $30. This is referred to as Limited Liability Coverage.
You can purchase additional coverage for your items, but it starts out at several hundred dollars to buy and will also have a deductible associated with it. So, any payout will be on what is above your particular deductible. This is called Full Value Protection.
Eversafe Moving Co. provides both Limited Liability Insurance and Full Value Protection. If you discover any damage or loss during or after the move, we encourage you to contact us promptly. It’s best if you’re able to communicate the issue while the moving team is still on site. Our team will assist you in initiating the claim process and guide you every step of the way.
