Moving is a stressful process especially if it’s an out of state move or across country. To avoid the stress and expense, many people decide to hire professionals to move their belongings. If you consider hiring movers, it’s essential to negotiate with them before agreeing on any price or terms of work.
Whether it’s with the company or the individual doing the work, knowing how to negotiate can help reduce your costs dramatically. This article outlines some of the basics of negotiating and provides some tips for success.
Things to Know in Advance
Researching about your moving company before negotiating is an important step. Many companies offer a free estimate, so take advantage of it and see if the price is reasonable before you commit to a contract.
It’s also good to know what services are included in your moving package—you may not need everything offered by the company, but there could be some things that will make up for higher prices.
Communicate your needs and budget to the movers so they can provide you with the best information about their services. You may also want to ask if any additional fees could come up in addition to what you have already discussed or agreed upon. This is a good way of ensuring transparency before signing anything.
Gain Bargaining Power
Preparation is key when negotiating with movers; you need to gather as much information as possible and take measures to protect your move. Determining what’s most important, your goals, priorities, and possible compromises can make the process more effective.
Contact several Moving Companies for estimate
The first step to negotiating with movers to move cross country is not to accept the first estimate that comes your way. Instead, contact several moving companies to get an idea of a fair price for your move and compare prices from different providers. This process can take as little as five hours or up to one day, depending on how many quotes you need; but help you move cheaply across country and it’s worth the time investment!
It would help if you also tried reaching out via email instead of the phone call, so they don’t realize you are shopping around and increasing their rates. It may sound sneaky, but it works! Finally, if all else fails, ask if there are any ways to offer a discount outside of lowering costs (such as early payment).
To effectively negotiate with movers, you need to have good leverage – gather as much information as possible, take measures to protect your move, and determine your goals, priorities, and possible compromises.
Be Flexible with Scheduling your Moving time
To be flexible with the movers, you should have a plan of action and know when you want your things delivered. This will help them give better estimates on what it will take for delivery and how much time they need to allocate for moving, packing materials, etc. It may sound like common sense but not having a plan can lead to overages or delays, which add up quickly!
The best way to get a lower cost is not to choose peak moving season. If the movers are busy and have to manage all of their clients, it can lead to delays or a shortage of manpower.
It is not unheard of for customers who want out as soon as possible to pay more than necessary because there isn’t enough time for bargaining.
The best way for you, the customer, to get lower-cost is by using peak moving season (spring break) when many people need services – this means that less attention will be on one customer. However, this also means that the movers may charge higher prices due to demand, so if you choose this option, make sure your budget has some room! The trade-off might end up being worth it but only at certain times of the year.
You can mention your competitors
Mentioning the competitors to the moving companies can help reduce the price of a move. The most common competitors are other movers that have lower prices. The customer can ask for an estimate from these companies and compare them with the estimates given by their own company to see which is best. Of course, there might be situations where the competitor has more experience in certain areas than your original moving company, so it would be wise to shop around first before making any decisions!
Other than Negotiating the other ways to reduce cost
If the customer has negotiated a good deal with their moving company, then they might need to think about other ways of reducing the cost.
One way is to work out what can be taken and donated before hiring movers. This will save money on packing materials and time that could have been spent at an auction or recycling center instead! Another great idea for reducing costs would be to rent items locally from companies like Rent a Center, which offer more competitive rates than bigger chains such as Ikea. In addition, this article recommends asking friends or relatives if they want some things donated rather than thrown away, so try not throwing anything away until you’ve asked around first!
Conclusion
With all the tips and tricks, you’ve learned, negotiating with movers should be a piece of cake! You will know what to expect in advance. You can ask for concessions while maintaining your bargaining power by being flexible about scheduling. And don’t forget to mention competitors when talking about rates and other ways to reduce cost. If you are looking for more information on how we negotiate with movers or any other moving-related topics, visit our blog at www.movinglabelsblog.com/. We have tons of resources covering everything from preparing before moving day to understand if it is better to pack yourself or hire pros, plus so much more! When it comes down to it, there isn’t anything too complicated.