“I already moved and movers won't stop calling me!!!”
or how about:
“I entered my phone number onto one site and I've already received 300 phone calls.”
Then there is the ever-popular:
“I thought I hired one moving company, but then someone else showed up!
Entering your contact information into a website can start to feel a bit like Russian Roulette. Who are these people? Will they sell my phone number? Will they sell my email address? Will they sell my move? (Yes, this is a common practice.) I still feel a twinge whenever a customer calls to tell us that they thought they were hiring TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® and instead ended up with 2 Guys and a Pick-Up Truck.
There are a lot of different types of moving companies out there (especially in Miami), but for our purposes, we'll focus on the main three. (Disclaimer: Everything I know about moving companies I learned in the tri-county area of Miami, Broward, and Palm Beach and what applies here does not necessarily apply anywhere else.)
- The Broker
This is someone who runs a website and a phone line. Their local number could take you to an office in Miami, Florida or Miami, Ohio. They are not movers; they are estimators and salespeople. They will give you an estimate for your move and then they will contact their local contractors and “sell” your move to them.
Pros: This is a common practice, especially in interstate moves. The local contractors are usually legal and licensed movers.
Cons: They are not bound by the estimate because they were not the ones to give it.
- The Vender
You search online and find a moving website that seems legit. They ask you to fill out a form with your name, email, and phone number; and you hit send in anticipation of a phone call. Instead you get 40…in one day.
Your “legit” website is actually another website/call center, only they don't bother giving estimates. They simply sell your information to any moving company in your area looking for leads. Sadly, of the multiple phone calls that will make you consider entering witness protection instead of moving, the likelihood is very strong that you will not be contacted by any moving company that you would really want to hear from.
- The One Stop Shop
This is the moving company you want to hire. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself with that link.) When an email request is sent in from the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® website then it will reach a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® employee. Your information will not be sold or shared with anyone else, especially other moving companies. (I will confess that one of our VPs will send you a couple of emails with moving tips.)
When your movers show up they will be wearing logoed TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® shirts in logoed TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® trucks because they work directly for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.
It seems like this should be something you would be able to assume with any moving company you choose to hire, but sadly is not the case.
So how can you tell what you are getting?
That is going to have to be another blog post as this one is already gone on too long. ;)
