How Do I Choose A Moving Company?

The moving company you choose to conduct your relocation can either make your transition into your new house a breeze or a complete nightmare. Of course, there’s the choice of trying to pull off moving by yourself or with the help of your family and friends, but hiring professional movers is and will always be the best choice. 

With so many removal companies in both Kenya and East Africa, it’s easy to fall prey to scams and shoddy movers. However, it’s easy to spot an inexperienced and unprofessional mover from a mile away. If this is your first time hiring a moving company, here are a few tips you can use in selecting the best one:

Check online reviews

Before selecting a moving company, do an online search about the company and check what people say about them. 

Google reviews, especially, will tell you a lot about a moving company’s credibility. If a moving company has a lot of bad reviews, that is a huge red flag and you should, therefore, stay away from them.

Curious to know what people say about Nellions? Check out some reviews that our past and continuing clients have left on Google HERE. 

Ask family and friends for referrals

Sometimes, the answer to choosing the right moving company that suits your exact needs lies in referrals from your family and friends. 

You can, therefore, start by asking any of your friends or family about moving companies they have worked with in the past and what their experience was. 

Do they have a brick & mortar Office

What would happen if you had a claim to lodge against the moving company that you selected and they had no physical office.? Do you try to look for the truck on the streets? This  is a common industry problem where people contract companies purely based on low price only to find later, after some issues have gone south, that the company purely operates from a street corner. In Kenya, a company that has a physical office is more likely to be reliable than the one that doesn’t. 

Membership Associations

In a country like Kenya where the moving industry is not regulated by any written law, you will get comfort when you engage a removal company that belongs to trade associations or is a member of a reputable internationally recognized industry association. This means the company has met certain basic (and sometimes tough) criteria for admission to such an association . Belonging to such associations like International Association of Movers (IAM)  or British Association of Removers (BAR) means that Nellions is vetted by international peers using certain set parameters, submits some crucial information and also pays annual membership fees to remain a member. 

Does the Company have a storage facility

It is not mandatory but imperative that a good moving company should have some storage space even if storage is not it’s core business. This is because storage needs arise sometimes unexpectedly during a move. For example, a client might find his items goods not fitting into the new house and suddenly some have to go into short term  storage or a client on long distance move might need a few days to get a new house at his destination before he is ready to receive the goods yet he has to vacate his old house. 

A company that has invested in a storage facility has thought beyond the basic aspect of transporting goods from one point to another and is more likely to have even thought of other solutions that are invisible yet invaluable to it’s clients.

Make sure they’re licensed and insured

A good moving company will have all the required licenses they need to be in operation. It also needs to be adequately  insured to cover issues including the statutory  insurance on employees, vehicles, etc

Nellions is not only licensed to operate here in Kenya but also in other East African countries such as Uganda. Moreover, we have different kinds of insurance covers such as public liability, all risk, fidelity, just to mention a few.

Get estimates

Before settling on a moving company, it’s in your best interest to get written estimates from a couple of them and then from there, choose one that works for you.

At Nellions, when clients approach us for moving services, we first conduct a FREE pre-move survey and then draw up a quote. So, if a moving company just sends you a quote without first doing a pre-move survey, that’s a huge red flag.

Ask about hidden costs

Make sure to ask all about the nitty-gritty details in the estimates. Does the total cost of the move include the fuel, packing services, unpacking, etc? 

You don’t want to choose a moving company based on a quote and then on moving day get slapped with unexpected costs.  

Find a balance between quality and price

Price and quality go hand in hand when selecting the best moving company. An extremely cheap moving company should raise eyebrows while an extremely expensive one doesn’t guarantee the best services. 

Nonetheless, good movers aren’t cheap! For many good movers, their prices match their services, experience, and professionalism. 

Find the experts

Different moving companies are known for different kinds of moves. Some are best known for apartment moves, some for office removals, others for international moving, etc. Therefore, when choosing a moving company go for one that has a good reputation in your specific move. 

At Nellions, for example, we are best known for residential moves within Kneya, International relocations to all parts of the world and office removals

Selecting a moving company might seem like a hard task but it shouldn’t be. At Nellions, we tick almost all the boxes that make a moving company the best. Get in touch with us today by calling +254 700 000 002 and get a FREE quote from us for your next move.