Moving is quite a complicated process especially when you are moving to a new home for the first time. You need to be careful when selecting the appropriate movers to guarantee you a pleasant and stress-free experience when relocating.
The good news is there are a lot of professional movers in the market today that you can hire for your moving job. However, you need to do intensive research on them to verify their legitimacy and efficiency based on your moving requirements.
The two available moving options are moving carriers and moving brokers. Often time, people find it hard to differentiate between the two but in reality, there is a significant difference between the roles of moving carriers and moving brokers.
Are you having trouble choosing the right option? Well, in this article we have outlined some of the key differences to help you during the selection process.
What is a moving carrier?
Moving carriers are professional movers who have the right tools/material, workforce, and skills to carry out the actual household move. They own trucks and comprises of highly-skilled moving professionals to get the job done.
They utilize advanced moving skills to handle heavy, delicate and fragile items thus providing an efficient and hassle-free relocation experience.
What is a moving broker?
A moving broker works as a middleman between you and the actual moving company. They usually “sell” your move to a wide range of moving carriers/companies, compare their competitive moving quotes and suggest to you the one that will suit your requirements best. They are not licensed or authorized to move household goods. Most of them are however well-trained salespersons who will bargain the moving rates on your behalf and sell your booking to a moving carrier that will carry out the actual transportation. However, most people do not fancy this kind of transportation because, even though there are brokers who run legitimate businesses, this field is mostly flooded with less reputable brokers who aim at scamming customers.
Advantages of moving carriers
1. Accountability
The main advantage of hiring the services of a reputable moving carrier is that you can hold them accountable for any household items damaged during transit or in case anything else goes wrong. Unlike moving brokers, they have a reputation to uphold and therefore value the satisfaction of their customers.
Again, there is a lot of physical labor associated with moving items. When working with a professional moving carrier, you are not liable for any injuries incurred during the relocation process. They own up their mistakes and may even compensate you for the inconveniences.
2. Accurate estimate
Unlike moving brokers who at times estimate the cost of transporting your items without seeing the actual size of your move, moving carriers will always send a specialist to survey your move before giving the estimate. These specialists identify the real physical labor involved with the relocation which is essential when making the accurate estimate of the move. This helps to save you from additional costs during transit.
3. Quicker and more efficient
Moving carriers utilize highly trained moving professionals who have specialized in relocating residences and businesses efficiently. They use advanced tools to simplify the entire relocation process. Additionally, most moving carrier professional are experienced with every aspect of moving items. They use various techniques to protect the floor from moving debris or staircases from damage to save you from unnecessary repair costs.
Disadvantages of moving carriers
1. Fewer customized services
Some moving carriers, especially smaller moving carriers, cannot provide all the facilities you may require. This means you will spend more time looking for an alternate company to offer additional services or be expected to compromise some of your requirements.
2. You need to schedule it
The process of selecting the right moving carrier is quite time-consuming. You need to do thorough research to help you verify their viability and legitimacy. This proves to be a major challenge, especially for the employed that prefer hiring a broker to research on their behalf and help them pick the right mover.
Benefits of moving brokers
1. Offers a variety of competitive moving quotes
Moving brokers collaborate with many reliable moving carriers. They are aware of the services provided and charges relating to each moving company. They can secure you some of the most affordable rates that you would normally miss out on if you were to choose the right moving company on your own.
2. Greater efficiency
The truth is, not all moving carriers can offer all the services required by customers during relocation. You may find one that only provides transportation for household items thus requiring you to find a different mover to ship your car or pets. This is not only tiring but also time-consuming.
However, a reliable and licensed moving broker can connect you with a reputable moving carrier that offers a wide range of services to suit all your requirements.
3. Saves you time and energy
You will find that people spend a lot of time searching for the right moving carrier when they can easily outsource the hassle involved to a trustworthy moving broker. They have a reputation to maintain; thus they are more likely to recommend you the best movers in town.
Regardless of the time and efforts involved, they can make calls to various movers to offer you greater flexibility to better suit your moving expectations.
Disadvantages of moving brokers
1. Liability issues
Unlike reputable moving carriers who take responsibility for the goods damaged or lost during transit, brokers often refer you to the moving company involved. Also, both the company and the broker may end up blaming each other for the losses. This will lengthen the resolution timeline, or even worse you end up not being compensated.
2. Risk of being overcharged
Not all moving brokers are experienced in moving item. This means that their cost estimates are not always accurate. Such inaccurate estimates subject you to additional expenses during transit. Others are out to make unreasonably huge profits thus raising the quoted fee intentionally.
Also, most brokers will ask for a deposit before the move. Often, this amount does not go towards the move and you, therefore, end up paying more than you normally should.
3. Lack of transparency
When working with brokers, you may not be aware of the moving company that will transport your goods until you encounter them on the actual moving day. This prevents you from making any necessary changes or selecting a better moving company that will satisfy your moving requirements.
Which option is safer?
For those who have limited time to do comprehensive research to allow them selecting the most appropriate mover for the job, we would suggest working with a trustworthy and licensed broker rather than choosing a carrier that will not offer professional-level performance.
However, if you are looking for the safest option, then you should consider a moving carrier. Most of these companies, unlike some brokers, value the satisfaction of their clients. They claim responsibility for any damaged goods during transit and additionally offer customer care services in case of any concerns.
Furthermore, when working with brokers, there is a high risk that you are dealing with a scammer and you might end up losing your money. Take care to work with a reputable company before signing any contracts.