Why You Shouldn’t Use Craigslist Movers
Moving can be so stressful you might consider hiring Craigslist movers. While you might get lucky with a good mover, that usually isn’t a great idea. Too many things can go wrong, and nobody is held accountable without a contract. A professional moving company, however, is the way to go. The perks of hiring professional movers include:
- Safe and efficient moves
- Experienced workers that know precisely how to make your move
- Avoiding doing any heavy lifting (great for your knees and back)
- Access to the best moving equipment
People seem to panic when they look up legitimate companies and find out the prices. A good company will run you in the thousands depending on the type of service you need. If you really don’t want to or genuinely can’t move alone, it might be tempting to head over to your local listings and find a Craigslist mover with a truck who’s willing to do it for a fraction of the price.
The problem is that hiring people off Craigslist might not be as great an idea as you think. It can end up costing you the same as a professional moving company, if not more in damages.
Before you decide to book a stranger on the internet, check out our reasons on why it might be better to make a professional moving company work into your budget.
- Trust. If you’ve ever purchased anything off anyone on the internet, you know about that initial gut instinct that begs you to cancel. Every time you meet up with a stranger, you run the risk of running into a scary scenario. It’s one thing to run that risk with an old pair of shoes, but it’s an entirely different thing to gamble your entire life’s possessions. Do you want to have that fearful feeling the whole time your movers have your possessions?
- Accountability. When you hire a professional moving company, you know what you’re getting. You have website reviews, Yelp reviews, contracts, guarantees, a physical address, and even access to liability coverage. However, if you hire someone off craigslist or similar websites, you have no real way of holding them accountable if anything goes wrong.
- Expertise. When you hire moving professionals from a reputable company, you can breathe easier knowing that they are not just looking to make some quick cash. There is training involved, and most of the time, the movers have gone through the moving process dozens of times. This means that they have perfected techniques in which they figured out exactly how to get furniture safely and efficiently in and out of a house. Hiring people that are not experienced like Craigslist movers might mean more than a few scratches on your furniture and even a lack of care.
- Helpful. One of the most significant differences between moving professionals and Craigslist movers is the ability to help. Craigslist movers are there to be told what to do and get paid. If something goes wrong, it can be easy to turn the blame on you. Professional movers offer a sense of safety and guidance. They’ve done this many times, and they can help guide you through the process and ease your mind on moving day.
- Properly Equipped. If you’ve ever had to move a heavy item, you might know a bit about the labor pains involved in a big move. You must have the right equipment to get you through the day safely on moving day. While a Craigslist mover might be able to provide a basic dolly if you’re lucky, a professional moving company has all the right equipment to help make the move a smooth transition. The last thing you want is to have an injured back to accompany your damaged furniture.
- Time. Moving day is usually just that—one full day of moving everything from point A to point B. Hiring professionals will basically guarantee that everything is moved quickly and efficiently. Hiring a stranger might set you back and even delay your move. Depending on how pressed for time you are to get out of your old address, you might be better off hiring a professional moving company.
- Protected Assets. This goes beyond accountability. When you hire moving professionals, you have an option to have insurance of sorts on your assets. This means that if anything goes wrong, you have something tangible to guarantee the company will refund you for anything lost or severely damaged. Unfortunately, if anything goes wrong with the stranger you hired off Craigslist, you might never see that person (or your things) again.
- Save Money. This one might not make sense initially, but if you have a long move ahead, you might have to stop and do some math. What numbers are you looking at if you have to make multiple trips with the Craigslist movers? Can you afford to have your things damaged? If they do, how much would you have to pay to replace your items? If your move is a while away, it might not be too late to save up for it and include it in your moving budget.
If you still feel like it makes the most sense for you to hire a Craigslist mover, come up with a plan to work together to make the move as efficient as possible. Don’t forget to ask for references and experience. You can even give them a short interview where you bring up realistic moving scenarios and ask them how they would handle it. If you are particularly nervous about anything, you can always work with the mover to handle it as safely as possible and never pay the full amount upfront.
