Organizing a move can be tough. It is, after all, one of the most impactful moments in a person’s life. You will be gathering up all your belongings and moving them to a new place to call home. This can be done in your own organization, either by yourself or with the help of some friends, or by a professional moving service. Precisely because moving is so complex a lot of people choose to hire moving companies. However, even in that, there are two approaches. You can look up and find a moving company yourself or you can opt for hiring moving broker. Because the latter option is relatively rare, we decided to compile this guide, to help you understand all the pros and cons of hiring a moving broker. So, let’s jump right into it.
What do moving brokers do?
Moving brokers are middle-men. They serve to connect people needing someone to move them and moving companies that can accommodate that need. A good moving broker will be able to connect you to a moving company you can rely on. However, when hiring a moving broker, it is important to note that moving brokers are not the actual movers. They will not have the equipment for a move, nor the crew. They will not be authorized to transport your items and therefore will not be assuming responsibility for your move at all. Therefore, they are only there to find you a moving company that will take up your move. That is what they get paid for and that is where there work ends. You probably can already tell that this can cause a few issues. However, there are pros to hiring moving brokers as well. So, let’s talk about these.
The pros of hiring a moving broker
There are many pros to hiring a moving broker. After all, these pros are what is keeping the profession alive. Here is a short rundown of the pros of hiring a moving broker.
Ease of finding reliable moving companies
First of all, a good moving broker will know what are the professional, reliable moving companies that you could hire. This could potentially save you from a lot of hassle. Hiring unprofessional or even fraudulent movers can only lead to complications after the move. These can range from minor issues like scuffed items to really serious problems like lawsuits. Obviously, in a stressful time such as a move, you would want to avoid that.
A chance of getting a better deal
Another pro to hiring a moving broker is that they might be able to get you a better price on your move. Having daily contacts with many moving companies will mean they have connections in the moving world. These connections, in turn, may result in lower prices from moving companies than those you might get yourself. This will all serve to boost your relocation budget.
After all, it is in a moving company’s interest to maintain good relations with a good moving broker. Considering the fact most people move only once or just a few times during their lives, moving companies are not likely to do business with the same customer repeatedly. They will however repeatedly work with the moving brokers and offering them better deals, just might keep landing them more jobs than the competition.
Handling specialized moves
Finally, an important pro of hiring a moving broker is that they can find you a moving company to cater to your specific needs. For example, if you need to have a piano moved, you might want to hire piano movers NYC. Just like that, you might have other specific items in your move that will require a specialized mover’s attention. Moving brokers will be able to assess what specific items you have that require extra care and find a reliable moving company that could handle them all.
Cons of hiring a moving broker
Of course, not everything is perfect when it comes to hiring a moving broker. There are cons that might affect your decision to hire a moving broker. To get a complete picture, we need to talk about these too.
The broker’s fee
The first con of hiring a moving broker is the thing that keeps moving brokers in business. It is the broker’s fee. This is the amount of money you will pay to the broker for his services and won’t be deducted from your moving costs. Even worse, fraudulent moving brokers have in the past mislead their clients into believing that the large fees they charged were a part of the moving costs. They were later shocked to find out that none of the fee money actually went to the moving company. This is why you must always check that your moving broker is registered and follows the rules of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Reduced number of companies to work with
Another con to hiring a moving broker is the reduced number of companies you might be dealing with. As NoHo movers might tell you, there brokers that work with just some moving companies. While this could mean that they will exclude any they don’t feel are professional enough, it also might mean you will be facing a reduced choice and may have to settle for a more expensive deal than that you could find on your own.
A chance you may not get a moving company
Finally, one of the dangers of hiring a moving broker is that they might not find a moving company for you at all. Depending on the size of the job and how high the demand is at that point a moving broker may decide to focus on a more lucrative move and leave you hanging. While you may not have to pay the fee in that case, you will still end up with no moving company and less time to find one than what you started with.
Hiring a moving broker – yes or pass?
When it comes to hiring a moving broker, there is definitely no definitive answer on should you go for it or not. It really depends on the conditions of your move. Some people might feel more at ease finding a company themselves. Others might feel like they could relegate that to a professional. Whatever your choice is, just do your research and be careful. That will ensure that your move goes smoothly.