First Come, First Served

We operate as a first come, first served basis. This means that whoever has received an estimate from us and gets back to us first gets to book the slot. We believe this is the fairest way to go about things. Below are the steps that it takes to book a move within Massachusetts with us:

- If we have a crew available for a move on the customer's requested day we will tell them so.
- We go over the details of the customer's move either over the phone or by e-mail. If we send a customer a questionnaire by e-mail that e-mail states that receiving the questionnaire DOES NOT mean the customer is booked.
- Once we have the information we need, we will send the customer as estimate.
- After a customer has received his estimate he MUST tell us he would like to book. We NEVER assume that a customer is happy with the estimate he has received.
- If a customer is happy with the estimate they get in touch with us to book.
- If we still have the customer's preferred day available then we will book them for that day.
- If another customer who has received an estimate for that same day has booked the last slot then we will tell the customer it is no longer available. We will give that customer alternative dates that we are available. If those days don't work we can always recommend other moving companies.
- We never cancel on a customer that is already booked to make room for another customer, whether that second customer has received an estimate or not. 

First come, first served allows us to treat all customers fairly and it also allows us to run our business instead of going out of business. If we assumed every customer who received an estimate wanted to book there would be many days where our movers didn't work.

We ask that our customer take the time to read the whole questionnaire and the whole estimate. There's a lot of important information in there. Of course, we are always happy to answer any questions you may have about the questionnaire, booking, the estimate, anything really. So, call us at 617.864.0620 or e-mail us at help@intelligentlabor.com. We'd love to hear from you!

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.

Image courtesy of apartmentwiz.com

Graduation Schedule 2012

image courtesy of librarydoriot.wordpress.com

Its that time of year again. Below is a list of the graduation dates for some of the schools in the Boston area. This list is by no means comprehensive. If you are planning on moving in or around Boston on any of these dates be aware of traffic and possible parking issues. Congratulations to all of the 2012 graduates!

- May
Emerson College                              May 14th
Lesley University                             May 19th
Suffolk University                            May 20th
Boston University                             May 20th
Tufts University                                May 20th
Boston College                                 May 21st
Harvard University                           May 24th

- June
MIT                                                   June 8th
                  

Parking Permits - Changes to Boston and Somerville

Both the City of Boston and the City of Somerville have recently made changes to their procedures for moving van permits.

Boston used to have two offices for moving van permits, one for the signs and one for the paperwork. Now, they have consolidated the process into one office. Getting a permit should now be more streamlined and it only requires one check instead of two. Everything else about the process remains the same.

Somerville previously put up the moving van permit signs for you. Now, however, it is the responsibility of the person or company requesting the permit. They signs must go up 48 hours in advance of the requested date(s).

If you're moving to or from Boston or Somerville keep these changes in mind when its time to request your moving vans. And, of course, if you have any questions about getting through us if you're using Intelligent Labor and Moving for your move, just let us know!

Also, as a random side note, I just found a picture of our truck on this blog. Nice shot!

Navigating Belmont in a Truck

Here's another helpful truck driving post from our owner Ezekiel. 

image courtesy of leftbankofthecharles.com

There's a bridge in Belmont Center, it's an old railroad bridge and it's pretty low. The clearance posting on it is 10'9" I believe. This bridge causes a lot of problems for a lot of truck drivers. On one hand, you can get a 12'6" straight truck through the very center of it, but even if you fit, it's still illegal to pass through it in an inappropriately marked truck. The problem is that getting from Fresh Pond to the other side of that bridge in a truck legally is a pain. It may look like you can take Blanchard St. to Brighton St. and then cut back to Belmont Center, but that involves no truck routes (they're rather loosely enforced, however). The only official way is to take Rte. 16 (Fresh Pond Parkway) to Rte. 2 to Rte. 60 and then go into Belmont. Belmont is bisected by those train tracks and getting from one side of them to the other requires going around, especially in a truck due to that low-clearance bridge. Options for turning a rig around if you head down Concord to that bridge are slim at best as well.

So, if you're planning to move yourself in or out of Belmont be very careful not only of the no truck routes but also that low bridge in Belmont Center. If you're hiring movers keep this information in mind as well. We may quote you a travel time that seems inappropriate to you, but remember that the way you drive in your car is not the same way we would go about things in a truck, so it may take longer. 

The Busy Season Approaches

image is our own!

Moving in the Boston-area (and perhaps everywhere else) is a very seasonal business. Winters are slow and summers its hard to keep up with demand. Part of this has to do with the leasing/university schedule in Boston and part of it is just that its not that pleasant to move when its very cold and possibly snowy out.

Every year, sometime in April, is when we start to get busy. We have hit that point this year. The phones are ringing more, the inbox has a lot more e-mails and we're filling up the calendar.

If you are looking to use a moving company sometime this summer or to move yourself with a rental truck we have some recommendations:

1. When you know you are going to move start planning. Call truck rental places to book a truck if that is your plan. If you're using a moving company call around to get estimates as soon as you know you're moving.
2. Think about moving van permits. On very busy days during the summer moving van permits can become unavailable due to someone else requesting a permit for the same address.
3. Know what days are busiest and if you have any flexibility with your move date. Traditionally, the first and last days of the month are the busiest. The 15th is also usually fairly busy. Weekends are also very popular. If you have a specific day in mind and you know that the landlord's or your schedule doesn't allow for any wiggle room about that make sure you call to make reservations as soon as you are able.
3. The above applies particularly for September 1st. Everyone in the greater Boston-area knows that is the hardest day of the year to try and move, whether you're doing it yourself or using a moving company. That day books up FAST, so keep that in mind when planning.
4. Last minute moves are hard to pull off in the summer, at least for us and most likely for any truck rental places. While during the winter we can often schedule you within a day or two, during the summer we tend to book up at least a week or two in advance, sometimes more. It never hurts to try, though, so if you do have a last minute move or change of plans definitely give us a call or shoot us an e-mail.

Being prepared is the key to any low-stress, happy moving experience of any kind and even more so in the summer. If you have any questions about moving this summer please give us a call (617.864.0620) or e-mail us (help@intelligentlabor.com). You can also check out our excellent, revamped website for tips and information. We'd love to help you move!

Navigating Cambridge and Somerville in a Truck

Here's another helpful post from our owner, Ezekiel. If you're planning on renting your own truck for a move in Cambridge or Somerville this information will be a huge help!

image courtesy of dreamstime.com

Getting from North Cambridge to Somerville in a truck can be tricky. Almost all the roads that go from Massachusetts Ave. towards Somerville west of Porter Square are one-ways or no truck routes. This even applies once you get into Arlington all the way to the intersection of Massachusetts Ave. and Rt. 60. The best route to know is Davenport St. in Porter Square. It's a short street that runs from Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge behind the Porter Square shopping plaza back to Elm St. Somerville. Located on that street are the loading docks and commercial parking for the shopping plaza so it can also be a handy place to turn around if you've missed a turn.