Tips to compare cross country moving companies in Illinois

There are a lot of moving companies out there. It is easy to become confused amidst all the “exclusive offers”, “amazing prices”, and “extra services” that some of these movers offer. What you need to do is a way to compare them all and go with one of the cross country movers Illinois has, that matches your requirements the closest. To compare cross country moving companies in Illinois, you will need to compare rates, estimates, services, reviews, as well as the professionalism and reliability of your movers. How to do that? That is what we are going to explain in this article.

The best ways to compare cross country moving companies in Illinois

Since choosing a moving company at random is not really a good idea, you will need ways to figure out which mover is best for your situation. Here’s how you do it:

• Compare the estimates and rates
• Compare the services that are on offer
• Read customer reviews and use them for comparison
• Compare professionalism and reliability

Additionally, you will want to prioritize movers that are operating within the city you will be moving out from, or into. For example, if you are planning to relocate from Chicago, you will search for interstate movers Chicago has to offer, simple as that. But even if you localize your search, you will still need to compare the movers, as there can be dozens of them in the area of your choice.

Comparing free estimates and moving rates

To start to compare cross country moving companies in Illinois, you will want to take a look at their prices. The first thing you will want to do is to obtain a free moving estimate from each mover. That is the starting point. While you can resort to estimates over the phone or via e-mail, you should always go for a home inspection wherever possible. That is the only way that you will get an accurate moving estimate.

The fact of the matter is that many companies may choose to “lowball” the estimates over the phone, but visiting your home usually produces a binding estimate, which is exactly what you want. Ideally, you will be comparing binding estimates only. If you need to get matched with the companies that will offer you such estimates, you can get in touch with Best Cross Country Movers and we will connect you to them. As a professional moving matchmaker, we work with some of the best moving companies in Illinois.

But that is just the first step. You will also want to figure out how your movers formulate the price. This can be even more important than the overall cost that is listed. What you want to take a look at is how your movers calculate the costs for distance, weight, as well as any additional services that your relocation might need. There are numerous factors that influence the price, and you would do well to take a look at them all.

Comparing the services

First, take a look at the services that are included in the offer. The estimate will have a list of them and should include every service that your relocation requires. This usually includes packing, disassembly/reassembly, temporary storage, long-carry services, hoisting large items, etc. To find the best moving rates, you will want to take note of each individual service costs. Also, check with your movers if there are any additional services that they can provide, and at which price.

The more services the company is able to offer, the better. You never know if your circumstances will change and if you may have a need for those additional services. It is always better to have them and not need them than it is to need them and not have them available.

How to make customer reviews work for you

This is the “tricky” part of comparing movers in Illinois. Customer reviews might be the most powerful tool at your disposal, but they can also be misleading and, in some cases, blatantly false. What you will want to do is not rely on the reviews that are posted on the company’s website only.

Instead, look at the reviews that are posted on trustworthy places such as Yelp and Better Business Bureau. The basics of examining reviews are to always search for a place that has as many reviews as possible. If there is a company with just a couple of reviews, all of them positive, you might want to look at another place as well. 

Another thing that you need to understand is that there is rarely a “middling review”. People tend to be either fully satisfied or not satisfied at all. It is not uncommon at all to have completely opposite reviews for the same mover. One family might have a splendid time and they rated with 5 stars, while another may have a completely opposite experience. Therefore, you should use these reviews as a reference point and not as an absolute.

Compare cross country moving companies in Illinois based on reliability and professionalism

All of the above comparisons will help you find the ideal mover for your relocation. But there is one last step that you will want to take. To avoid moving scams that are so prevalent in the industry, you will also want to compare Illinois movers based on their reliability, as well as professionalism. There are numerous tools that you have at your disposal to make this easier.

First, you should check the licensing information of each company. By law, every mover needs to be licensed by the Government for their operations. In particular, with the U.S. Department of Transportation. They all need to have a USDOT number, which serves as their unique identifier. Make sure that your movers have this number.

We’ve mentioned the BBB before as a place where you can find reviews. This is also a great place to verify whether your movers are “on the up and up”. To compare cross country moving companies in Illinois, you will want to check whether all of them are BBB-accredited.