Website Upgrade!

We've just completed a major overhaul to our company website. We're really proud of how it turned out. Here are just some of the changes:

- More information about moving van permits and how they work
- An expanded link section with links to businesses we work with and organizations we belong to
- Information about how and what we recycle
- A section about how we participate in our community
- An expanded section on our rates, including rush rates, extra charges, insurance, and disposal

Go take a look and tell us what you think! We'd love to hear from you about ease of use, comprehensiveness of information, etc. We think we've now got best site for a moving company in the Boston area!

Moving Company Website Red Flags

image courtesy of thebookdesigner.com

There are a lot of ways to find a moving company. The best way is through a personal referral, but sometimes that's not possible. There's also review sites, but some of those must be taken with a grain of salt. Trade organizations (AMSA, MMA) are also good resources.

Then, there's a good old fashioned internet search. So, you type in your search terms and a whole host of websites pop up in the results. If you go to any of these websites here are some important pieces of information you should be on the look out for .

- Rates
Does the moving company make its rates available on their website? If not, beware. All Massachusetts moving companies need to have a tariff with all of their rates on file with the Department of Public Utilities. If this tariff doesn't appear on the moving company's website you can always check with the DPU, but if they don't bother to post the information themselves, there's a good bet they're not on file or the tariff is out of date.

- Photos
Are there photos of the actual movers and the company's trucks? Or are there stock photos of trucks and warehouses with maybe a Photoshopped logo? A lot of moving companies just starting out can't afford to own their own trucks and that's doesn't mean they are disreputable or unlicensed. However, the company should not set out to deceive you with photos either.

- Licenses, Tariffs, etc.
Check the website to see if the company lists its license number. If the company is Massachusetts based this number will be called a MDTE number. If the company offers interstate moving those license numbers will be called DOT and MC numbers. Both of those numbers can be researched through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (specifically here). It is federally required that all interstate moving companies listed their DOT number on all written/printed material, so this is a very important piece of information

- Trade Organizations
Almost without fail, reputable moving companies belong to their trade organizations. Locally, that's the Massachusetts Movers Association. Nationwide it is the American Moving and Storage Association. There are also more general business organizations like the local Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. Just because a moving company does not belong to one or even all of these or similar organizations does not make them bad or disreputable, but it should inspire further research.

- Address
Look up the address the company lists as their place of business. Is it shared by many other moving companies? That could be a sign that the entity operates under several business names or d/b/a's, which could have an effect of the way the business(es) are run. If the listed address is just a residential location, that raises other questions.

- Insurance
Is information about the company's insurance listed somewhere on their website? If not, and you're considering hiring them, double check with the company. A good moving company will have insurance on their trucks and for cargo. Workers compensation insurance is not required, but its always a good idea and is often either provided for the workers by the company or the movers provide their own.

- Name
This is more for craiglists postings. If there's an ad with a phone number but no other identifying information (company name, e-mail address, website, etc.) beware. That almost definitely means an unlicensed, uninsured mover.

Certificates of Insurance

Some buildings requires certificates of insurance (COI) for outside vendors (handymen, painters, movers, etc) to come into the building. A COI from a vendor is proof of insurance from the insurance company that says we have the proper liability to cover the work that we'll be doing.

If your building requires this from us please provide us with their contact info so we can get in touch with them about it. Usually, we need to talk to a building manager, property manager or super to get the information we need. Even if you're not sure whether or not your building requires insurance please provide us with a contact phone number or e-mail address so we can get in touch with them about it. A good rule of thumb on this is that newer buildings and elevator buildings usually requires COIs while smaller, older buildings do not. This is not always the case, but its a good starting point.

If you have any questions about COIs just let us know!