Answers
22 questions people ask before booking a mover
Short answers, in five groups: working out who you are actually hiring, what a quote means, insurance and liability, the move itself, and what to do when it goes wrong. No prices, because moving cost varies by an order of magnitude with distance, volume, season and access.
MoverCompass publishes 22 short answers to common moving questions for the United States and Canada, grouped as Working out who you are hiring, Quotes and what they mean, Insurance and liability, The move itself, When it goes wrong. Each page gives a direct answer in one or two sentences, then the practical detail. Interstate household-goods moving within the United States is federally regulated through FMCSA; local, intrastate and Canadian moving is regulated by each state or province, so the pages name which regime applies rather than stating one rule for the whole continent.
Working out who you are hiring
- How do I check a moving company's USDOT number?Interstate household-goods movers in the US must be registered with FMCSA. How to look up the number, and the four things to match against it.
- Is my moving company a broker or a carrier?A broker arranges the move and a carrier performs it. Why that difference decides who turns up, who holds your goods, and who you claim against.
- What should I ask a moving company before booking?Twelve questions whose answers you can check against the contract. Most of them are about identity and liability rather than price.
- What are the warning signs of a moving scam?The pattern is consistent enough to recognise: a low phone quote, a large deposit, and a price that changes once the truck is loaded.
- How do I read a moving company's reviews?The average compresses very different experiences into one number. What the distribution and the recurring complaints tell you instead.
Quotes and what they mean
- What is the difference between a binding and a non-binding estimate?Three estimate types with three different risk profiles. Which one you have decides whether the price can change.
- Do I need an in-home survey for a moving quote?A quote given without one is a guess, and the guess is where price increases come from. What a good survey covers.
- What makes a moving quote go up?The legitimate reasons a final bill differs from an estimate, and how to remove most of them before the day.
- Why is one moving quote so much cheaper than the others?Usually a different inventory, a different estimate type, or a different company doing the work. How to find out which.
- How much deposit should a moving company ask for?A deposit is normal and a large one is a warning. What matters more than the amount is the method and the refund terms.
Insurance and liability
- What is released value protection, and is it enough?The default liability on an interstate US move pays by weight, not by what the item was worth. What that means in practice.
- How do I move jewellery, documents and other valuables?The short answer is that you carry them. What belongs in the car with you, and what to declare if it cannot be.
- What will movers not transport?Hazardous materials, perishables and, in some places, plants. The categories that get left on the driveway, and how to plan for them.
The move itself
- When is the cheapest time to move?Demand concentrates in predictable windows. Moving outside them is the single easiest saving available, if your dates flex at all.
- Should I pack myself or pay the movers to do it?Packing yourself saves money and changes your liability position. The trade-off that most people do not know they are making.
- What should I do before moving day?A sequence rather than a list. What has to happen weeks out, what has to happen the week before, and what has to happen the night before.
- Why is my delivery date a window and not a date?Long-distance shipments usually share a truck, and a shared truck has a route. What the spread means and how to plan around it.
- What happens if my dates do not line up?Storage in transit bridges a gap between moving out and moving in. What it costs you beyond the fee.
- What can go wrong on moving day, and what do I do?The crew is late, the truck is too small, the price changes, the elevator is booked by someone else. What to do in the moment.
When it goes wrong
- How do I file a claim for damaged or missing items?Note it on the delivery paperwork, file in writing within the deadline, and document everything. The steps in order.
- Where do I complain about a moving company?Which authority depends on whether the move crossed a state or provincial line. The routes, in order.
- What is different about moving between the US and Canada?A cross-border move is a customs process with a moving company attached. What that changes about paperwork and timing.
The longer guides
Ten long-form guides cover choosing a mover, estimates, brokers and carriers, valuation, claims and moving in Canada in depth.
Read the guides →