Is an On-Site Survey Needed For An International Move?

Most reputable moving companies realize that moving can be extremely stressful and an international move even more so. Professional and very experienced international movers are dedicated to easing your concerns and answering your questions. One of the most frequently asked questions is why some moving companies do not send an agent to your home to do a survey to estimate the cost of moving your goods. This question is less likely to be asked by anyone who has moved before and observed on-site estimators at work!

Some moving companies send a representative or agent to the customer’s home and armed with a checklist and calculator they go from room to room, while you follow them around, marking down the furniture you think you might be taking, estimating the number of boxes that may be needed and they work out an estimated volume of the goods to be shipped. When dealing with someone it is easy to forget items in the basement, attic or off site storage facility because the agent will set the pace of the assessment; your role is reactive. Also realize that the agent will NOT come to your home multiple times as you change the list of things to be shipped. This is a one shot deal.

The agent will do some more calculations assuming you have forgotten things and will present you with a quote which they expect you to sign on the spot. After all, they have taken the time to come to your home, the company has paid their salary and they are expected to return with your sale! You are paying for this service. Despite the fact that international movers will advertise free quotations the money to pay these agents has to come from somewhere and this is reflected in the overall charges levied by some firms.

Why not deal with a moving company that trusts you to do your own survey? You, as the owner of the goods, are more qualified to do the assessment yourself. It is not necessary to employ someone to estimate boxes, list furniture and do simple calculations. You, the customer, are quite capable of working out your own requirements and with the help of online guides and assistance from the international moving company’s consultants you can eliminate the need for an on site survey. You can utilize easy to follow, on-line forms to estimate the volume of your shipment at your own pace, at any time. Take the form in hand completing it as you move around your home slowly and give yourself time to consider exactly what you want to ship.

There is no need to rush your choices or make an ‘on the spot’ decision. There is no need to allocate a day for a representative to call. There is no need to pay, indirectly through high moving fees, for an unnecessary service that simply puts more pressure on you.

Internet based companies use the World Wide Web to advertise and communicate with the customer. This enables them to keep overhead costs down and offer an excellent service.

This system of allowing the customer to estimate the volume of their shipment for a quotation is only one of the reasons why dealing with Internet based companies has become so popular. At first, this ‘self survey’ system was a cost saving exercise but now it is often regarded as another ‘stress reliever’.

Cost and stress are the two greatest issues that customers face. A good, customer service based international mover should be dedicated to relieving both. Allowing you, the customer to carry out your own site survey was initially a reflection of being an Internet business but it is now seen as one of the many innovative steps introduced to help change the process of international moving for the better. Over the years moving companies have listened to customers’ feedback and changed or altered procedures accordingly. They have added user-friendly tools to their websites to make the process of estimating quick and easy. Use the Internet; try an online, no obligation, and truly free quotation service.