If you’re planning a move, you’re probably deciding whether or not it’s worth it to hire a moving company. Luckily, you have several options, from hiring a full-service moving company to looking into labor-only movers or doing a DIY move. Here, we’ll cover four downsides of hiring a full-service moving company. With full-service movers, it’s especially hard to save money during your move. You might also face limited control, unmotivated movers, or movings scams. With this information in mind, we’ll go over some alternatives to full-service moving companies.
Table of Contents
About Full-Service Moving
Full-service moving companies provide comprehensive moving services, from packing your stuff to providing a moving truck. These movers will supply all the materials you need for the move. Their services also include assembling, disassembling, carrying, transporting, loading, and unloading your belongings.
Full-service moving companies are a good option if you don’t have access to large vehicles or trucks, don’t have people who can help you move, or are especially stressed about packing and lifting heavy boxes. However, full-service moving companies include some downsides that you should be aware of.
Downsides Of Full-Service Moving
1. Cost
Of course, with these services comes a high cost, which is the main downside of hiring a full-service moving company. Even if you’re moving locally, expect to pay between $400-800 for full-service movers with a studio apartment. For an average home, expect to pay closer to $800-2500.
If you’re moving longer distances, these costs go up considerably. You might pay $1500-4000 for a long-distance move with a studio apartment, and $3200-6000 for a long-distance move with an average home.
You may also find that several full-service movers do not provide customizable packages either which leads you to pay for services you don’t need or want.
Moving is expensive enough without spending so much money on movers. Even if you hire full-service movers who provide supplies and a truck, you still need to consider expenses such as storage units, cleaning supplies, hotel stays, insurance costs, and more. With all of these moving costs, including the extra price of a full-service moving company may not be worth it for you.
2. Limited Control
Hiring full-service movers can definitely save you stress. You have no need to worry about renting a moving truck or injuring yourself with heavy lifting.
However, it can cause stress as well. With full-service movers, you lose flexibility in your schedule. The movers might show up late, or they might deliver your belongings late. Thus, hiring full-service movers requires giving up some control in your moving process.
If you encounter problems like items being lost or damaged during your move, you can take steps to file claims with your movers or your insurance company. However, the prospect of dealing with this situation may deter you from hiring full-service movers.
3. Unmotivated Movers
Full-service moving companies, compared to other services, may have less motivation to keep your belongings safe. They often do not have local owners. As a result, their leadership may care less about customers, making it harder to get help when something goes wrong.
In addition, their staff may not be passionate about their jobs; moving is a full-time job for them. Even if you care about making your move run smoothly, it’s likely less important to them, which can lead to low-quality service.
While this may not be true of every full-service moving company and may even be true of other types of moving companies, it is often found to be a characteristic of these companies.
4. Scams
One last caveat of hiring a full-service moving company is that it includes trusting someone else with your possessions. Not only do you need to trust the movers to handle everything with care during loading and unloading, but you also need to trust them to safely deliver everything to your destination.
Unfortunately, many people fall prey to moving scams. These scams are more common among full-service moving companies than other types of movers, since full-service movers have such extensive involvement in your move.
Moving scams to look out for include stealing your items or refusing to return your items until you pay a fee. And even if a company isn’t trying to scam you, it’s also possible for it to provide subpar services.
If you hire full-service movers, vet them thoroughly. Make sure you check their reviews and their credibility. Ask key questions like whether they’re licensed, how much experience they have, whether they have any hidden costs, and what their cancellation policy is.
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Alternatives To Full-Service Moving
Now you’re aware of some of the downsides of hiring full-service movers. If you still want to go this route, that’s great! If not, you have some other options for your move.
Labor-Only Moving
A lesser-known type of moving service is a labor-only moving company like UniMovers. Labor-only movers handle select aspects of the move: they will not provide moving supplies or a truck, but they still provide a variety of services. They can help with assembly, disassembly, packing, loading, and more.
Hiring a labor-only moving company avoids several of the cons of full-service movers. First, labor-only moving companies are significantly more affordable than other moving services. They tend to save you about 30-50% of the cost of full-service movers.
Moreover, you can adjust how much you pay by choosing the services you want. For example, expect to pay around $240 for UniMovers to help load or unload a studio apartment. Plan to pay around $360-480 if they help with both steps of the process.
Another big upside of labor-only moving companies compared to full-service moving companies is that you have more control with labor-only moving. You have more input in your moving schedule, you decide on your own truck rental, and you pack your belongings the way you want to. Moreover, you’ll stay with your belongings throughout the duration of the move, which can provide you peace of mind.
Lastly, UniMovers is a local moving company that supports college students in our locations. Thus, unlike many full-service moving companies, we and our movers are committed to providing a top-tier moving experience and uplifting the community.
Overall, labor-only movers are a more cost-effective option that can help you out during your move!
DIY Moving
If think hiring movers isn’t right for you, another option is to do a DIY move.
With a DIY move, make sure you plan ahead. You’ll have a lot of work to get done yourself, including packing your possessions, loading them, and transporting them to your destination.
It’s possible to do a DIY move without a moving truck. If you go this route, find friends and family who can help you. Declutter in advance, and save as much space as possible when packing.
If you want to hire a moving truck, book it well in advance, and give yourself plenty of time for the move. Expect to pay anywhere from $20-100 for a moving truck per day, as well as additional fees depending on your mileage.
Despite some inevitable costs, if you’re willing to put in time and effort, a DIY move is probably your cheapest option. You might experience more stress with a DIY move—but you’ll also have the most control over your moving timeframe and your belongings.
Conclusion
Now you know some of the downsides of hiring full-service movers. You’ll face the hefty costs and limited control over your move. The companies may have less motivation to provide you a top-tier experience, and you need to trust them with your belongings and avoid scams. If a full-service moving company isn’t for you, you have some other options. Hiring labor-only movers can save you money, give you more control, and let you stay with your belongings throughout the process. Another option is a DIY move. A DIY move will save you money but requires a lot of work on your part.
Hiring a full-service moving company costs the most out of any option. In addition, you don’t have as much control over your timeframe or your belongings, and you risk encountering scams or low-quality services.
One great option for a less expensive move is labor-only moving. Labor-only movers help you with select aspects of the moving process, giving you more control over you possessions and over how much you spend. Another option is a DIY move, which saves even more money, but can cause the most stress.
Sophie Pollack-Milgate has a day job as a research assistant. In her free time, she likes to read 10% of the library books she checks out, complain about how either ice or heat are ruining her runs (depending on the season), and modify recipes beyond recognition.
