21st Century Solutions For Not Being Hit With Extra Charges At Your New Home

Posted on November 4, 2017 in Advice, Moving Costs, Preparing for a move by Ninja Movers

Long carry

When you receive a moving estimate, don’t be surprised if you get some questions about the distance from where the truck can park to the front door. If it’s longer than say, 100 feet, you are charged extra based on the amount of stuff you have. If it’s a local move, it will add to the number of hours.

Stairs

Movers don’t specifically charge more for stairs inside the home, but if there is more than one flight of stairs to get to the front door, you will pay extra. Even if the stairs are inside the home, it could require an extra mover and it will certainly add to the time.

Obstructions

People don’t give much thought to the obstructions that might impede a move. For example, my home has shrubbery next to the front walk that could prevent movers from carrying big items through. Fortunately, there’s a quick workaround in my yard, but that’s not always true. If you can’t clear your new home of obstructions, you should at least notify your mover so they can prepare.

Shuttle

Shuttles are typically only a factor in long-distance moves, but they are very costly. Most interstate moves are performed in a 53-foot tractor-trailer. Some homeowner’s associations have rules against tractor-trailers. If your new home is on a winding or hilly road, it’s often physically impossible for a truck to get through. Shuttles can add a shocking amount to the move, and for good reason. There is a lot of labor involved.

Every time a shuttle is needed, the movers have to call in another truck, often a rental. Then, all of the items are transferred from the big truck to the smaller one before the movers finally unload the contents of the smaller truck into the new home.

Storage

If your new home isn’t ready for delivery at the time the movers are ready to deliver, they will charge you for storage, often by the day. If your goods need more than a day or two of storage, the mover will charge you for unloading the truck, and then when you’re ready for delivery, loading it.

How to avoid extra charges at delivery

No one wants that hit of extra and unexpected charges. That’s how a good company can get a bad reputation, often through no fault of their own. Fortunately, there are advantages now that we didn’t have even a few years ago. Take your moving estimator on a virtual tour of your new home through your smartphone, laptop or tablet. Show them where a truck might park, how your front door is accessed and whether there are stairs.

Save money by letting your movers know in advance that your new home won’t be ready. Many movers offer one month of storage for free or at a dramatic discount, as long as they can store at their home base. Things get very expensive for the mover, and for you if they have to rent storage space.

Featured image via Pexels.

How To Move Your Car Across Country

Posted on December 16, 2013 in Long-Distance moving, Moving Costs by Ninja Movers

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Tags:car carrier,car moving,Car transporter,how to move a car,moving costs

When you’re moving cross-country, one of the toughest decisions you can make is when to drive and when to fly. Even if you do choose to drive, there is often a second or even a third vehicle to worry about. With some proper planning and armed with a little information, moving your car(s) can be convenient and might even save you some money.

Some moving companies own car transporters, but most do not. However, your moving consultant will be happy to arrange for your car’s transportation through a highly reputable company.

Before moving your car, you want to ask yourself how valuable the car is to you. If it’s a family car, standard auto moving, which is on top of an open car transport trailer, is safe and appropriate. However, even the most careful car transport company can encounter road hazards and little scrapes and dings from debris. If the car is extremely valuable or a collector’s item, it could be beneficial to have your car moved inside a truck, keeping it out of the way of environmental harm. You can plan on enclosed shipping nearly doubling the cost.

There are several factors that go into the pricing of moving your car. To cut down on cost, you want to make it as convenient for the car mover as possible.

Know your car – The pricing of car transportation is based in part on weight and size. Know the make, model and year of your car. Notify the carrier of any modifications that could change the weight of the car. The car will be weighed. If you are moving across country, look to spend from about $750 to over $2,000.

Does the car run? – If your car doesn’t run, it will take a lot of expensive effort just to load it and unload it onto and off the truck. The car carrier will be able to handle the job, but it will cost extra.

Bring it to them – If possible, take the car to the car transport company’s lot, especially if you are outside a major metropolitan area. The further out of the way a company goes, the more it’s going to cost.

Take pictures – The car carrier will make a thorough inventory of the condition of your car, but taking your own 360 degree pictures will help if any issues should arise.

Prices fluctuate quickly – Much of the cost of moving a car, like moving anything else, is the cost of the fuel required to complete the move. Higher fuel prices will mean higher moving prices, and they can change from today to tomorrow.

Ninja Movers will be able to assist you with all your auto transport needs.

How Moving Costs Are Calculated – Part Two (Long-Distance Moves)

Posted on August 12, 2013 in Long-Distance moving, Moving Costs by Ninja Movers

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Tags:insurance,long distance moves,moving,moving costs,packing,shuttles,storage

In theory, no matter how far you move – whether it be across town or across country, the moving process doesn’t change. Your home is packed and then loaded onto a truck. The truck drives to your new home and then the items are unloaded into your new home. In reality, however, distance does make a difference.

A long distance move is generally defined as one that crosses state lines and is more than 200 miles away. From a moving company’s perspective, there are two main things that distinguish a local move from a long-distance move – the way the move is billed and the way it’s delivered.

A long-distance move starts very similarly to a local move. A crew of movers pulls up to your home. They might be driving a semi-truck, but more likely, they will be driving a smaller truck. As your items are prepared for the move, however, the process changes a bit.

With a local move, the truck is exclusively yours. You see the items being loaded and you see the items being unloaded. It’s very straightforward. With a long-distance move, unless you have a large home or if you pay a fee for an exclusive delivery, you will be sharing a truck with other customers. For that reason, it’s imperative that the movers take a thorough inventory when the truck is loaded and that they will check each item off the inventory when the truck is unloaded.

Obviously, it’s more time consuming to take an inventory, but that’s okay. Unlike with local moves, you are not paying for time. With long-distance moves, you are paying based on a formula that calculates pricing based on weight of your items, the distance they will travel and the amount of packing that needs to be done. There might be extra charges, like a bulky fee or a piano handling fee, but typically, weight, distance (with fuel) and packing are it. If either of your homes are not accessible by a semi-truck, you will be charged a shuttle fee.

Some moving companies will try to charge you for volume instead of weight. The best advice that can be given if you encounter one of these companies is to run and run fast. When you are being charged by weight, you are entitled to follow the truck to the weigh station and receive a copy of the weight ticket. When you are being charged by volume, you have no such assurances and you will be charged if the mover is inexperienced at efficiently loading the truck.

Avoid over the phone estimates with long-distance moves. There are far too many variables. It’s always best to get a not-to-exceed or binding price, so there are no surprises at the end.

Ask who will be delivering the move. Your goal is not to get the names of the actual people, but the name of the company. Many movers outsource their long-distance moves to other companies. In fact, even big-named van lines (e.g. United, Atlas, Allied, Bekins, etc) cooperate with local agents for long-distance moves. If you need a guaranteed pick-up day or if your home is not accessible for a 53′ semi-truck, you will be charged for a shuttle and your home will be packed and loaded by a local affiliate (or agent) of the van line. The van line will pick them up from the local agent. You’ll want to check the reputation of the local agent as well as the van line.

If you need a guaranteed delivery date or if your new home is not accessible for a semi-truck, you can expect a shuttle and possible storage fee on the delivery end as well.

Like with local moving, all items that aren’t furniture should be packed. Make other plans for plants. Movers will typically not take plants across state lines and even if they do, it’s unlikely they will make the trip alive.

It’s not uncommon for long-distance customers to need storage while they find a home in their new location. Most movers are able to offer this service. Some will give you 30 days of free storage, some will not. Make sure you are very clear on storage pricing since it can add up quickly.

Whether you want your delivery as soon as possible or you want some storage in between, your household goods will most likely go through some extra steps. They will be unloaded into the mover’s warehouse and then they will be loaded onto the semi-truck that will take them for the long-haul. To protect your goods, the movers will check the inventory list each step of the way.

Because of these extra steps, it’s always a good idea to purchase extra insurance. Federal law only covers your items for $.60 per pound per article. In other words, if a 20 pound LED TV breaks, you will only be covered for $12.00. Movers should offer insurance if your homeowner’s policy doesn’t cover the move or allow you to purchase a rider for the move.

See How Moving Costs Are Calculated – Part One (Local Moves)

See How Moving Costs Are Calculated – Part Three (Short Hauls)

See How Moving Costs Are Calculated – Part Four (International Moves)

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