New Jersey Moving Company

When hiring a moving company think of what you really need.

Do you need packing, moving and set-up? What if you really only need a couple of good movers to take the heavy stuff over? Most movers will accommodate your needs, you should be very clear in describing what you want.

Examples

I sometimes get calls asking for just 2 men. I know the thinking is 2 men are cheaper than 3. If you are moving a house you need 3, 4 or more movers. You will end up paying more for 2 men because it will take longer than it should. A fresh crew verus an exhausted crew will always be more efficient.
People will ask for a small truck. We all charge the same for a 14′ truck or a 26′ truck. Our expenses are virturally the same. I have smaller trucks for NYC or deliveries of a few items. A larger truck loads easier and quicker, often you pay less because we use a “float and run” method of moving.
Moving across the street really is not cheaper than across town. We are still putting everything on a truck and then into a house. Our day is about 15 minutes shorter, not a big cost on moving day.

Talk to your mover and we will suggest ways to keep the cost down. I do not make money on people that do not hire me, it is in your interest and mine that we find solutions.

Faith can move mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers ™

NJ Moving companies are not equal

Today I received a call from a client I gave an estimate to last month. He wanted to hire us to move the items the low quote mover had not moved. I asked what had happened and heard this story…

The other mover had quoted on the phone (by NJ law we must come out to give you an estimate) a price substantially cheaper than my in house estimate. Although I had informed him of the laws governing movers, they were enticed by a great price. The phone estimate movers showed up and proceeded to find all sorts of new charges. The agreed price was gone and at the end of the day, my price was considerably cheaper. They refused to move the items that did not fit on the truck ( I had estimated for a second truck) but they would come back tomorrow at an additional cost. When he complained, they surrounded him and intimidated him. He now was concerned about his family’s safety.

Please, please, please check us out with the NJ board of consumer affairs, you can do this online if you want, or check out http://njmovers.com/ to atleast see if we are licenced and members of the state association of movers.  Check us out with the BBB

At the end of the day we all have to make a living, hire a moving company that wants to move you every time, not just once.

Faith can move mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers!(tm)

twitter – @njmovingguy

Hiring a moving company

Hiring a moving company?

You know to check them out with the BBB. You know you should check to see if they have a license. You know they should be a member of a moving association like the NJ Warehouse and Movers Association or the American Moving & Storage Association. You also know you want an in-house estimate of charges, but are you really doing that ??
Call after call to our office would rather we did not come out, they want a price over the phone. By law I should, but you don’t have time to meet the guy/women that will move everything you own and love.
I might mention we are registered with the BBB and tell our rating. You should check that out but it’s a bother and the estimator seems so nice.
You should only call licensed movers, with liability coverage, their own trucks and men, but the guys that posted “moving services” on Craig’s list seem like they can do this.
As consumers we often invite problems because we neglect to do the smallest of background checks. Don’t be one that gets burned.

Faith can move mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers ™

BTW Craig’s List is an excellent source for all kinds of things, but in NJ they do not post a consumer notice that movers must be licensed here and so most who post under moving services are not legal, licensed, and insured.

BD Movers/TonyBaumer

Household Moving NJ

You need to move and you are working your plan to find your moving company. Here are your choices,

• Phone book – possibly a hundred movers are listed in your phone book. You know none of them but recognize a few names. The problem – you know none of them.

• Internet List – lots of choices here also. The problem – anyone (almost) can list themselves as movers here. Is it a couple of  guys and a pickup or is it a moving company with insurance?

• Internet “find a mover” sites. There are thousands of movers here! Some sites are very good and reputable. The problem – Who is a mover and who is a broker? The site sells the leads to movers, so often the mover with the largest budget gets the lead.

• “Google” search for movers. Actually not a bad choice if you search on a locality and check to see where the company is based. The problem – many movers use keywords in their websites that make them appear to be in Toms River NJ,  but they are really 100 miles away.

• Mover associations like the New Jersey Warehouse and Movers Association. I like this a lot. The members are licensed for the state you searched in. They more than likely signed a “code of ethics”. They are committed (presumably) to learning more about their industry and improving it. The problem – no problem.

• The BBB. Many companies are listed here, and the BBB give them a rating based on complaints. I like it! The problem – some excellent movers are not listed if they did not join the BBB.

• The chamber of commerce. Good thinking. The members are local, they are active in the community and may have agreed to a code of ethics there as well. The problem – not every company joins, and lousy companies can join if they pony up the dues each year. In reality though, I rarely find that to be the case.

• Ask around. This should be part of the equation. You will hear of the bad experiences quickly, that should weed out the worst companies and guide you to a couple of good ones.

If you put it all together, you should be checking out the state movers associations, check out the local chamber, asking around and checking with the BBB. If your mover is showing up in most of those places, you probably have found a good choice for your move.

Faith can move mountains, for everything else call us! ™

How to bid a moving job

I get requests for a moving quote from businesses and offices that are not asking the right questions.
The request will sometimes ask for a price per man, per box, per truck, etc. I really want to scream. I know they think they are being so exact, that they will get the best deal.
Sorry, you have lost sight of what you really want from a NJ mover. In it’s simplest form, you want a price to move from a to b. That is want I want ot bid on. Why would you care if I use 10 men or 20 men? 3 trucks or 10? You want to move at a reasonable price, and you need to move over “x” days. I can bid on that without the tiny details. If I hire someone to build my house, I don’t ask about hammers and nails. What is the project cost? Simple.
I recently lost a bid because we spoke different languages. They were moving a large office but did not know how many people would be moved or how many stations. They wanted a per man, etc breakdown. I hate those estimates, because it is so open ended. Instead, I priced it per office station. That way I knew what I was getting into and they knew their total cost without “timing me” or counting heads, trucks, and or watching a clock. Because it did not fit their idea of how to measure it, they went with another NJ moving company. When it was done, it cost more than they thought it would because they asked for the wrong thing. They should have defined their goals and asked for solutions. Any mover (or street corner) can provide men but a professional will provide the solution. Are you asking the right question?

Faith can move mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers(tm)

Moving requests over the years

These are some of the true requests (in spirit if not in word) I have gotten over the years:

• Can you move the aquarium with water and fish? No

• Can I leave the food in my refrigerator and freezer? No

• Can I leave the clothes in the dressers? Yes

• Can you move my mother before the ambulance comes? NO!

• Can I help load the truck? No, you can’t come on the truck but you can move your furniture and boxes to the driveway if you want.

• Can I drive with you? No

• Can you move my pets in the truck? no

• How about my plants? Usually no, but if there is floor space and we are moving a short distance, OK

• Do I have to pack in boxes, can I use trash bags? OK for soft items like blankets, not OK for lamps.

• Are you married and would you like to meet my granddaughter? Yes and No

• Can I leave my items on the truck till I close on the other house? Yes if it’s overnight, no if it’s longer.

• part 2 of that question is why? Because once your stuff is on my truck, I am out of work.

• part 3 of that question is but so and so mover will let me. He must have not work for his trucks and you might ask why that is. (January and February are the exceptions to this answer, all movers have trucks that can store for a day or two)

• Can you stop at my brothers, storage, or ex-wife’s? Yes

• Will you move gas, oil, propane, chemicals or my foul, putrid compost bin? NO

What is your moving request?

Faith can move mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers ™

5 Things clients do to sabatage their move

1st off, 99% of my clients are great people. They are charming, above average in looks and intelligence, wonderful conversationalist. That being said, some go out of their way to make their move a very difficult day.

• Number one would have to be those that did not finish getting ready. If you hired your mover to just move you, then you need to have everything packed by the time they arrive. If you run out of steam, (it happens), call them so they can try and get a packing crew out to save the day. You should never think, ‘the mover will handle it” . most of us do not show up with an extra 50 boxes to pack the kitchen and dining room. We have to have you out by your closing and you just changed that.

• Number 2 are those that have scheduled the closings at 9am and 5 pm. Now we have to race to get you out by 9 (won’t happen) and then charge you waiting time because the men must sit in the new driveway for 7 hours. It means I may have another customer screaming at me, because the crew is stuck on your job and not helping them move. (One crew will often move 2 small-ish houses a day.)

• Number 3 is when the you did not sell the items you told me were getting rid of. We do not have the magic truck that expands to handle any size house. I will send a second truck if you need it, but I need notice to make that happen. If you surprise us, we have have to leave items or make a second trip. By the way, I’m not talking about when I mess up and figure a smaller truck is OK. When I mess up, we handle it.

• Number 4. You forgot to mention you built a wall 5 years ago, so the sofa that was delivered 6 years ago now can’t get out. I am very clever, as are most movers, in getting things in and out. But… you may need a carpenter or at least a chain saw now. Not my fault, please do not get upset with me. The other side of this is when I tell you, ” sorry, that is too large to fit” you insist, I try , you have a scratched wall or dresser.

• Number 5 is when the customer insists on moving even though, the street is being paved, a hurricane, northeaster, snow storm is raging, or the new house is being carpeted, painted as we move in.

I get so frustrated when any of these things happen, it is so unfair to your mover and the other people moving. If you give us a heads up, we can go to crisis mode, make calls, move mountains and successfully move you.

Faith can move mountains, for eveything else there is BD Movers (tm)

International Moves, 5 things to remember

OK, you decided to move to Lithuania or Egypt (both moves we are doing right now) Maybe you ordered the overseas container yourself and are getting anxious to take the next step. Here’s what you need to to remember.

• 1. Call the embassy or your forwarder and get a fact sheet on the country you’re moving to. They may have restrictions on what you can take. Some countries are very concerned about books, video tapes, and media coming into the country. I won’t point fingers, you can probably guess which ones, but every country has their quirks. Respect them and you avoid a world of trouble.

• 2.Make a complete inventory of what you are taking. You will need a list for customs that should include all your furniture, appliances, and cartons. You must list what is in the boxes also. If the new country speaks Lithuanian, give us a copy in that language also. Make multiple copies. I like to have one in the container taped to the last bulkhead we build.

• 3.Check out what appliances will work overseas. Electrical current is different around the world, your TV and toaster may be paperweights over there. By the way, video formats can be different also.

• 4. Check transit times. Some countries are harder to get to. Some go through a yearly season of strikes, others may be in or close to war zones. If you are over there waiting, have clothes for that climate.

• 5. Set up bank accounts, credit card, etc before you get there. You may need money readily available.

• 6. bonus – hire a mover experienced with overseas moves to help you, the learning curve is steep.

Faith can move mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers.

Hey! http://twitter.com/njmovingguy

It’s Spring so movers are in the news

I always meet spring with mixed emotions. For movers it means the phones will start to ring a little more, people will be moving more, remodeling and construction means I’ll be moving people into storage or PODS more. But I also know the news stations and papers will have their yearly report on “bad movers” The reports are mostly welcome.They report  what I report all the time here. Some though, will focus on the scams and paint a picture of my industry as all bad.
We all know my company is unique, but I have to admit that most of the movers in my area are good also. We are mostly guys just trying to pay our bills. We all live in the towns we service, our kids go to the local schools. We do not want a confrontation at the WAWA or at school plays because we stole, damaged or did anything wrong. I want to walk these streets and have only friends where I go. I think most movers are the same.

Faith can move mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers (TM)

BTW- Want to know what movers do? You can follow me on twitter now (it’s everywhere, get used to it) at  http://twitter.com/njmovingguy

Rogue Movers, NJWMA and the BBB

http://www.youtube.com

The New Jersey Warehouse and Movers Association has just posted a few videos to Youtube. (it ain’t just kids anymore) I can not tell you how pleased I am that they are being so proactive about this issue. ———Disclaimer: I serve on the board of directors for the NJWMA
Our industry has a problem with unlicensed movers, (have I mentioned why you want a licensed mover? have you read my first 13 posts?) Other states such as Maryland have also developed videos to inform our consumers of the problem.  Bravo!

Speaking of the NJWMA, they also have program for “Circle of Excellence” movers. Although all of the member movers are great, these few companies have held themselves to even higher standards. I applaud all of them.

The BBB recently changed the way they grade companies. It now is a letter grade from F to A+ , based on pass customer service and few other factors.  This should make it easier for the consumer to compare movers to each other.

Happy Easter!

Faith can mountains, for everything else there is BD Movers!