How to choose a moving company, in the order that matters

To choose a moving company, build a short list of three local movers, give each one the same inventory and the same access details, and compare written estimates line by line. Then check each company's state or federal registration, read its recent reviews and its replies to complaints, and pick the one whose estimate you understand, not just the lowest number.

Where should you start looking for a mover?

Start local and start with people who have watched movers work. Your building manager, a realtor, a neighbor who moved last year and the reviews on a company's Google profile will all tell you more than an ad. A local company with its own trucks and a real address is easier to check and easier to reach if something goes wrong.

Be careful with websites that collect your details and promise several quotes. Many are lead services or brokers: they sell your request to whoever buys it, and the company that turns up may not be one you ever chose. If a site will not say whose truck will arrive, keep looking. Three companies you picked yourself is a better short list than ten that picked you.

How do you compare moving estimates fairly?

Give every company the same job. Most confusing comparisons happen because each mover was quoting something slightly different: one heard about the basement, one did not; one knew about the third-floor walk-up, one assumed an elevator. Write one list and send it to all three.

• Every room, including the basement, attic, garage and shed, and roughly what is in each.
• Large or unusual items: a piano, a safe, exercise equipment, a sectional that has to come apart.
• Access at both ends: floor, stairs and turns, elevator rules, and how far the truck can park from the door.
• What is already packed, and what you want the mover to pack.
• Your date, how flexible it is, and any building or closing deadline.

Then ask each company to see it, in person or on a video call. A mover that quotes a whole house from a phone call without asking about stairs or parking is guessing, and guesses tend to grow on the day. When the estimates come back in writing, compare what each one includes: packing materials, furniture disassembly, stair carries, and whether the number is an estimate that can change or a price that will not.

How do you check that a moving company is legitimate?

Check the registration, then check that it belongs to the company you are talking to. In New York, a company moving household goods within the state needs operating authority from the state Department of Transportation. A company that crosses state lines carries a USDOT number registered with the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Both are public and searchable.

The detail that matters is the match. The name on the registration should be the name on the estimate, the contract and the truck. A number on a website that belongs to a different company is an old trick, and it takes a minute to catch. Our own USDOT number is 3471168, and we would expect you to look it up.

What should you look for in moving company reviews?

Read the recent ones, and read the bad ones properly. A company with years of reviews will have a few complaints; what matters is what they are about and how the company answered. Damage handled fairly, a late truck explained honestly and a reply that addresses the actual problem are good signs. A reply that argues with the customer, or no reply at all, tells you how your own problem would be handled.

• Look for specifics: named crew members, the kind of move, what went right or wrong.
• Watch for final bills that were much higher than the estimate. That pattern is the one to take seriously.
• Be wary of a sudden burst of short five-star reviews in the same few weeks.
• Check that the business name, address and phone number match across the reviews, the website and the registration.

Should you pick the cheapest moving quote?

Only if you understand why it is the cheapest. A low estimate is sometimes a leaner company or a better date, and sometimes it is a smaller crew, a missing item or a number that will change on the day. Ask the low bidder what would make the final bill different from the estimate. If the answer is a short, specific list, the number is probably real. If it is vague, the number is not the price.

Compare the things that do not show up in the total, too: whether the crew is the company's own, what protection comes with the move and how a damage claim is handled, the deposit and cancellation terms, and how easy the company was to reach while you were deciding. How a mover treats you before you have paid is the best preview you will get of the day itself.

When should you book once you have chosen?

As soon as you have a date. In the Capital Region, the end of every month and the second half of August fill first, and a building that needs a certificate of insurance or a reserved elevator has its own lead time. Confirm the booking in writing, with the date, the arrival window, the estimate and what it includes, and keep that email somewhere you can find it on the morning of the move.

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