Cities
Table of Contents
- Step 1: Confirm the Business Actually Exists
- Step 2: Insist on a Pre-Move Survey
- Step 3: Get Everything in Writing
- Step 4: Check Who Actually Does the Work
- Step 5: Confirm the Paperwork That Should Exist on Moving Day
- Step 6: Read Reviews for Specifics, Not Just Stars
- Step 7: Ask About Insurance Before You Need It
Choosing a mover is one of the few times in daily life you hand a stranger the keys to nearly everything you own. That deserves more diligence than a five-minute search — but it doesn't need to take more than about twenty minutes if you check the right things in the right order.
Step 1: Confirm the Business Actually Exists
Check for a GST registration, a permanent office address you could visit, and a business name that's been consistent for a while rather than newly registered right before you searched. Be cautious of names that are one word away from a well-known brand — lookalike names are a common pattern in this industry.
Step 2: Insist on a Pre-Move Survey
A legitimate mover wants to see your home — in person or by video call — before quoting a fixed price, because that's the only accurate way to estimate volume. A company willing to give a firm number for a 3 BHK sight-unseen is either guessing or planning to "revise" it later.
Step 3: Get Everything in Writing
An itemised quotation on company letterhead, listing labour, materials, transport, insurance and taxes separately, plus your agreed pickup and delivery dates. A token advance is normal; a demand for most of the payment upfront, before any work is done, is not.
Step 4: Check Who Actually Does the Work
Many websites that look like moving companies are lead-generation brokers — they sell your enquiry to whichever local operator bids for it, and the crew that shows up has no real relationship with the brand you searched for. Ask directly: are the crew and vehicle your own, or a partner's? The answer tells you who's accountable if something goes wrong.
Step 5: Confirm the Paperwork That Should Exist on Moving Day
A genuine transport operation issues a Lorry Receipt (LR/bilty) when goods are loaded — the legal document of carriage — and a signed inventory list checked again at delivery. If a company can't describe this process clearly when asked, that's worth noting.
Step 6: Read Reviews for Specifics, Not Just Stars
Genuine reviews mention dates, routes, and how a specific problem was handled. A wall of generic five-star praise with no detail — or ratings that can't be traced to an external platform like Google — is marketing, not evidence.
Step 7: Ask About Insurance Before You Need It
Confirm whether transit insurance is included or optional, what exactly it covers, and how a claim would be filed. A company that's vague on claims handling is telling you something important before you've even booked.