It is estimated that the average American family will move approximately once every five years. According to the US Census Bureau, another way to look at the issues is that the typical person will have to utilize the services of movers about 11.4 times in their life.
For people in cities, that average may be a bit low. Urban and suburban families tend to move more often than those in small towns or rural areas. The moves may be just down the block, across the city, throughout the state or even nationally, but they are potentially stressful moves.
Most people don’t spend a lot of time researching and learning about Chicago movers. Instead, they tend to look at price alone, or simply use a referral by a friend, coworker or family member to select their moving company.
The Risks
While a referral from a trusted source such as a friend, family member or someone from work or in the neighborhood is a very good option, internet searches for Chicago movers are less of a good option.
This is because a company can easily create a website and post it online to give the impression of a highly professional, large scale company when it is a person with a rental truck and a couple of part-time employees.
The Research Required
The internet is great for getting ideas for movers if you don’t have any reference. Look for moving services that have been in business for several years and that have a well-developed reputation with past customers.
While you can use the moving company website to learn specifics, consider that the company is going to monitor the testimonials and feedback on their site. With independent websites and reviews, and there are a lot out there, you can look at the pattern of feedback.
Remember, only those that are very upset or very happy tend to post feedback. The negatives should not exceed the positives, and be careful to watch for similar complaints on the negative posts.
Insurance and Licensing
It is very reasonable to make contact with Chicago movers and ask for information on their insurance and licensing. Additional affiliations and memberships such as the company being a designated ProMover or a positive rating with the Better Business Bureau are always good extra considerations.
No professional Chicago movers will hesitate to provide information to customers on their insurance and to license. Most will provide this on their website, allowing their customers to verify they are approved to do business in the city and provide interstate or international moving services.