Deposits

We do not take deposits for most moves. The only time we take a deposit is for an interstate move that originates outside of Massachusetts. For instance, if you live in New York City and are moving to Cambridge, we would require a deposit for your move. Otherwise, we do not take money from a customer before the move has happened.

We operate this way for a couple of reasons. One, we like to show faith in our customers. Probably 95% of the time is faith is well placed and so we continue to go about payments in the same way. There have only been a few times that we've booked a job then had the customer back out at the last minute, leaving us in a lurch. Intelligent Labor and Moving operates on the honor system. No deposit means we ask that if you have to change the date of your move or cancel it all together you give us as much notice as you are able. We don't want to punish customers for something they might not have control over. Two, it simplifies the process. No deposit means more streamlined bookkeeping, less time spent tracking deposits, sending people out to pick them up or waiting for them to show up in the mail, etc. Getting the entire amount at the end of the job also makes it easier on our crew chiefs. No deposits allows both office staff and movers to focus on other, more important tasks, like the actual picking up and putting down of your furniture or responding to e-mails and phone calls in a timely manner.

One time we followed up on a move with a customer to see how she felt it had all gone. She was very pleased with the move but wished we had required a deposit because she would have felt more secure in her booking that way. That's the only time we've ever heard that from a customer, but she can't be the only whose felt that way. We strive to make you, the customer, feel secure in your choice and booking with us. One way we do that is to send an e-mail when you book stating the date and time you are in our calendar. Then, usually two days in advance of your move we send out another confirmation with all of the details - date, time, addresses, inventory, phone numbers - so you can go over the information we have for you and make any necessary changes. We like this system better than deposits for letting a customer know we are thinking about and preparing for their move.

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