Moving in Montreal

I’m going to discuss the not so original topic of choosing your mover. I will concentrate on moving in Montreal, but I’m sure that the industry follows similar trends in all North American cities. A lot of the things I will name will seem like stating the obvious, but it is amazing how many people have to get in trouble first before starting to follow the obvious rules.

I will not be talking about the big players that everyone knows. By all means, I admire what the management of these companies has accomplished, but they are charging a high premium for their accomplishments and our goal as customers is to get the job done with the quality of the big guys, but without paying the premium and paying for their generous advertising budgets.

Start looking at a right time! If you are looking too early or too late, you will overpay. This industry works just like airlines in terms of prices jumping up and down depending on the date. Look for your company about 1.5 - 2 months before the scheduled date.

Word of mouth is always good but one cannot rely on it completely. People’s experience is very random and it is rather unwise to make a conclusion from 1 or 2 observations. Thus a quick research has to be made.

There is a set of minimum requirements that a company has to satisfy in order to be on my list and you can easily verify these. The enterprise needs to have a legal status, damage insurance and it has to adequately invest in their equipment and human resources.

Legal status can be checked via government agencies. For someone moving in Montreal, the place to go is Registre des enterprises du Quebec website. It now has an online database where anyone can look up a company by name and see a basic record that will help deciding. Needless to say that in cases of non existing or revoked registrations, one will pass. If the company is properly registered, you can be confident that it has liability insurance as this is something that both parties are interested in.

Next thing is: “Google” it. Anyone who stays in a shade has good reasons to do so. (i.e., easily change identity and get rid of bad reputation)

You should find a decent website, some classified ads and a couple of listings in local business directories. I would say that’s the minimum in order to be looked at as a legitimate business. Read the company reviews. You can only make conclusions if there are at least 25-30 reviews. Anything less will be too skewed as people who have had bad experience are more passionate and more likely to post then someone whose expectations have been met.

Get 3 quotes. Listen to how the customer service agent will handle your call. The salespeople (and that’s what they are after all) have to be sure of what they are selling and of their pricing. They have to be able to understand everything you say and speak in a way that you understand everything without making considerable efforts. Ask about the equipment they have: shrink wrap, hand trucks, straps, floor runners. I have personally seen movers who have never used straps and shrink wrap.

Getting back to the well equipped, the company should have computers and software whether they are on the road or in the office. If you hear papers flipping = bad sign. I’ve had one who was flipping sheets with rage and at the same time trying to convince me that they are a pretty busy company with a lot of trucks and also with that voice of someone who just woke up...

When you get your price, ask if they charge any additional fees besides the hourly rates.

Our economy is built on hidden costs and fine print so make sure you take your time and their time to get the answers to all your questions. If the clerk is reluctant to give you that time, that is a usually a bad sign.

When you have your quotes in front of you, do the evaluation. Do yourself a favour, do not take the cheapest out there. Keep in mind that those who have nothing else to attract you with will do it with low pricing. Choose something that is adequate and make sure before booking that you check the three things mentioned above: legal status, insurance and equipment details.

When decided, call and book. Try to get everything done within 1-2 days as pricing itself is highly elastic and can jump up and down really fast especially for suppliers with relatively low capacity.

Don’t be afraid of companies asking for deposit. The ones who ask commitment from you are usually ready to commit too and that works well for both parties especially during the season when it is literally impossible to find a last minute supplier. As long as all of the factors stated above were checked, you are safe.

Next time we’ll talk about getting ready for the big day.