Understanding Insurance for your Move!

Hi Everyone!

So, you are confused about insurance for your move?

Here is a simple explanation of all the moving parts involved:

1.General Liability: This would include fire and water, broad form property damage, personal injury, complete operations, and independent contractors. Most moving companies have $1 million dollars in coverage in this category.

2.Business Auto Liability: This is just like your personal auto insurance, but covers the trucks and drivers.

3.Workers Compensation/Employer's Liability: Statutory limits set forth by the law of the State of California.

4.Cargo Insurance: Provided per the Public Utility Commission Law, .60 cents per pound per article. Excludes pressed wood furniture, items inside boxes you pack, any items you move in your own rental truck, any items once they are in storage or handled by another moving company, and any lose items.

5.Additional Personal Insurance: Recommended by all moving companies, and secured by the individual client for their own moving needs. You can get your own additional moving insurance by calling your renter's insurance, or homeowner's policy to see if it's already included in what you pay for each month. There are also third party companies like www.movinginsurance.com that you can check with to see if they offer the kind of coverage you'd like.

Does your Home Owner's Association or Office Associate require insurance from your mover before your move date?:

If so, no fret! Some HOAs and Office Complexs just require proof of insurance, so all you need to do is simply request it of your moving company, and it is free.

Some require something called a "Certificate Named Additional Insured" where the HOA or Complex needs to be listed as an additional party insured under your mover's insurance policy. Request this of your moving company, it is helpful if you email your sales representative with the exact wording provided to you by your HOA or Complex so that they can get the certificate prepared by their insurance agent. There is oftentimes a small fee associated with getting this paperwork in place (anywhere from $50-200 is typical).

We hope this information is helpful!

Remember too that the BEST insurance you can provide yourself for your move is being PREPARED! Do your homework on who you hire, read your contract, review the Public Utility Commission website for help too, and ask lots of questions. A good moving company will help you out with understanding the ins and outs of moving so you don't feel like you are in it alone!

Happy Moving!

Nancy

How to Choose a Moving Company

Hello friends!

With sooo many companies to choose from when moving, how DO you pick a moving company that's just right for you and your needs?

STEP 1: Search for a company to research in your area, these sites can be helpful:

*www.google.com
*www.yelp.com
*www.angieslist.com
*www.facebook.com

STEP 2: Check the Public Utility Commission Website to make sure the companies you are researching are on the up and up with license and insurance requirements

*Go to Google, type in "PUC Lookup", click on "List of Passenger Carriers", choose "Moving Company (MTR), and type in the name of the companies you're researching

STEP 3: Contact the companies for a quote, here's what you should be asking:

*Is the date you want available? Is there a difference in price for weekdays vs. weekends?
*Do they serve the cities you are moving from and to?
*What is their labor rate per hour? (if long distance, watch for a future blog posting)
*What is their labor minimum? (most companies have 3 hours minimum)
*How do they calculate travel time? (most use what's called "double drive time", the time it takes from point a to point b of move, times two, at the same per hour rate as labor)
*How do they determine if a gas surcharge also applies to the move?
*Do they include disassembly and reassembly of furniture as needed?
*Do they include covering furniture in blankets, shrink wrap and tape?
*What about breakable items like TVs, glass table tops, china cabinets? Is that extra?
*Do they include the use of wardrobe boxes for the hanging clothes in your closets?
*Do they take a deposit?
*What is their cancellation policy?
*What times of arrival do they offer?
*How flexible are they if you need to change your date for the move?

STEP 4: Book the one that makes the most sense! Here's what you should look for:

*It's not always the cheapest per hour rate you should be looking for. There is something to the old adage "you get what you pay for".
*How's their customer service? If you feel they are just selling you and aren't servicing you, decide if you are ok with that or not.
*Are their reviews generally good? If all of their reviews are perfect, that may not be good, as some may be fabricated, but if it's a good mix of the good, bad and ugly, they are probably a decent company to work with. You can't please all of the people all of the time!
*Did you get a referral from a past client, friend, family member?

Happy Moving!

Keep your eyes peeled for more postings to come with even more helpful tips and trends in moving!

Warmest Regards,

Nancy

Welcome to our Blog!

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Fairprice Movers blog!

My name is Nancy Jensen, Moving Specialist for Fairprice Movers.

I'll be posting on Fairprice Mover's blog often to share helpful tips and insights into the moving industry with you our friends, family, and clients.

Enjoy!

Nancy and Team