We have done it before and we will do it again. No matter how much we hate it, it repeatedly occurs in our lives. We can’t escape it.
What are we talking about? Moving.
That’s right. The bane of our existence is moving; having to pack our stuff, move it to another side of town, and unpack is just the worst. On top of that, you need to contact your bank, telecommunications provider, and government about your change of address. It is a gruelling endeavour to say the least.
Won’t somebody please think of the movers? They are the ones who perform the thankless task of moving several homes and businesses every single day of the week in the unbearable heat and the brutal cold.
Do you want to make their lives a bit easier? You can! And yours as well.
Here are five things to always tell movers when booking the big day:
1. How Much Stuff You Really Have
One of the biggest grievances professional moving crews have is that customers flat out lie about how much stuff they have or they downplay the amount of things they own. It’s frustrating for these businesses because they need to plan ahead of time, plus they’ll be the people carrying heavy loads.
When you’re contacting movers for the big day, it is best to adopt this old adage: honesty is the best policy. Do you have two sofas, an arm chair, 83 boxes, a big screen television, a deep freezer, and a myriad of other goods? Then just say so! Don’t reveal it the minute the movers arrive.
2. Flights of Stairs There Are
Another complaint that movers have? The customer not informing the company that their building does not have an elevator and that they will need to instead walk up and down five flights of stairs. Yikes!
Indeed, some businesses will request this information when you’re scheduling an appointment, but some consumers will be flippant or clandestine about the number of stairs there are. If you are thinking of doing that, then don’t because it will just irk the movers, and since they’ll be carrying your valuable items, you want to be in their good graces.
3. The Exact Location of the Move
“Hello, I’ll be moving from central Oshawa to uptown Toronto on January 23.”
That’s pretty vague, isn’t?
Well, believe it or not, but many moving companies receive this type of information from time to time. It requires probing to actually get the specific starting address and the specific ending address.
Here is some simple advice: don’t waste time. Just give the company your address.
4. What Type of Access They Have
Some apartment buildings have only one elevator. Some homes have a very small driveway that requires moving trucks to park on the street. Some condominiums prohibit moving on certain days and times of the week.
These are important points to give the moving company. Anything you think would be helpful and critical to the movers, then you should give it to them. It makes the job easier to prepare for, and it makes life a lot easier.
5. You Will Be Fully Packed on Moving Day
The sweetest words to ever tell a mover is this: “I will be fully packed and ready to go on moving day!”
It can be frustrating at times when a client is unprepared come moving day: boxes aren’t taped, there are still plenty of things to pack, there are still socks in the chest, or the client has yet to even book the elevator. Yes, this is the norm!
This means the job could go on possibly longer than the allotted four hours. It also means other clients will be delayed and the movers will be heading home later than originally anticipated.
And it’s all because you couldn’t pack your stuff despite knowing you’d be moving for the last six weeks.
Moving is a tough job – for both the professional moving company and those who will endure the headache of moving from point A to point B. But it doesn’t need to be if you employ all of the right measures, such as telling the movers everything they should and need to know from the very beginning.