One of the early decisions you should make when choosing a moving company is whether to go with a large national firm or a local moving company. The advantages of using a local moving company are numerous.  Here are some things to consider:

• Local movers know the area roads and traffic patterns better.  They will be more familiar road restrictions or construction projects that may affect the road quality and distance traveled to complete your move.
• A local moving company will try harder to provide you with personalized service and do their best to maintain a good reputation in their hometown.  They know word of mouth travels quickly. You are likely to know of someone who has used their service and pleased customers provide great referrals. You will always have a better relationship with a company whose office you can visit, than one you can only reach via phone or email.
• When you work with a local moving company, a representative can visit your location in person to provide a much more thorough estimate of the job.  At that time the local mover can help identify any special packaging needs you may have so there are no surprises on moving day-either with packing supplies or final charges. Additionally, local moving companies tend to charge smaller deposits than large national companies do.
• Many national firms or out-of-area moving companies subcontract their work out to other companies.  You may think you’ve hired one company and another unrelated company that you haven’t had a chance to check out in advance shows up to do your job.
• Some moving companies are only brokers; they do not own any equipment or moving trucks.  They pass the jobs along to contracted movers who then adopt the contract and you are forced to deal with the new company if customer service issues arise.  If there are problems, the broker will tell you to contact the mover and the mover directs the customer back to the broker leaving you in the middle struggling to resolve your problems with whoever will answer their phone.

These are some of the many reasons why it is better to hire a local moving company rather than a national firm or broker.  The person you talk to on the phone may sound knowledgeable and friendly, but the reality is that there is no way they can provide customized service from a long distance that a local mover with local familiarity can provide.

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