Hire professional movers for your Johannesburg or Cape Town move.
Doing your own move with your friend’s Bakkie is a rite of passage for the young, best done during student years when you’re energetic, enthusiastic and furniture items are few. It’s a true test of friendship to see who among your friends put up their hand to assist with your move. Besides learning who your real friends are, you learn that attempting to do your own move is an absolute hassle.
Instead of trying to save money by doing the move yourself, recognise that the time-, energy- and stress- saving you get from hiring a professional moving company far exceeds what the moving company charges for its service.
Anyone who has done their own move can tell you that the cost of hiring a good moving company is money well spent. People who have moved many times in their lives will tell you to hire movers; your time and energy is better spent elsewhere. Movers work quickly to get you settled in your new home. What might take you and your friends the whole day to do could take a decent moving company an hour or two to complete.
How to find a good moving company:
Ask friends and family for recommendations
A caveat here is that it’s possible for one person to have a good experience with a moving company while another person might have had a bad experience with the same company. Each move is unique with its own set of challenges. So listen to your friends recommendations but also do your own research online.
Check out the moving company’s reviews
A company with a lot of high reviews is important. It shows that this company consistently delivers good service, move after move. This means that there is less chance for something to go wrong on your move if the reviews are consistently great. Look at the worst reviews to get a sense of what happened and whether there was any resolution to the issue. Take these bad reviews with a pinch of salt. Sometimes these reviewers are overreacting or being unfair to the moving company because they’re stressed, frustrated or disappointed. You’ll have to use some discernment to gauge how much of the reviewer’s criticism is valid.
Check out the moving company’s social media pages
Moving companies should have a social media presence. Social media pages show you how many other people like their service and you get a better sense of who you’re dealing with. Having a social media page makes hiding poor service very difficult. Unfortunately many moving companies don’t have a social media presence and when they do their posts are all generic stock images and not actual photos or their movers.
Have you seen their trucks around town?
If you’ve seen the moving company trucks around town take note of what condition they are in, where you see them, and how often you see them. Trucks you see often around town and in your neighbourhood that are in good condition and clean are all signs that the moving company is reputable.
Check out their terms and conditions
Inevitably something goes wrong on some moves and an item might get damaged. Before you book your move, understand what happens in the event that an item gets damaged. Most companies only have insurance on items that are damaged due to a road accident, fire or vehicle theft. Moving companies are not obligated to repair/replace items that they damage. Some moving companies offer optional insurance on goods at an additional fee, which can be very pricey. At Two Men and a Truck, insurance on your goods is included in the quote and if we damage something during the move, we will fix/replace it (see our T's&C’s).
Compare prices
The last thing to consider is the price. Often the lowest price movers have the worst reviews or no social media presence. But it might surprise you that the most expensive movers or the most well known also have poor reviews. Price isn’t always an indication of quality when it comes to moving companies. Consider price in combination of the other factors listed in this article when making your decision.
Professional movers who know what they’re doing turn a difficult, stressful time in your life into an amazing, exciting experience. Your move can actually be fun. Imagine that!