When it comes to moving it is an industry within itself and interstate moving is big business. There is more to moving than collecting items onto a truck and transporting to the required location, it requires months of planning, professionals with the right equipment and experience who can provide you with the correct advice, a lot of organization and a bit of luck that everything will fall into place. Unfortunately, big business attracts those that are in it for the wrong reasons, so called fly by night operators, moving brokers and cheap removalist businesses who hire underpaid inexperienced staff do very little to promote a hard working industry.
Fortunately there is an Australian Furniture Removers Association that sets a standard for all members that get accredited, although this association is not compulsory, it does measure a level of standard that businesses must meet and is aimed to protect consumers. By comparing quotes from interstate removalists and also researching whether removalists are accredited can help separate the trusted professionals from the shonky movers.
Reviews have become harder and harder to obtain, business owners of any industry would understand this, you either have to go above and beyond the consumers expectation to gain a hard earnt star or slightly disappoint to give them an excuse to unleash a negative review. The removals industry is notorious for producing fake reviews and they want you to believe that these have been obtained organically. Emails are simple to register and reviews don’t need a face behind it, don’t always trust the reviews you read, instead ask friends and families that you trust for recommendations on choosing a removalist, this is still the most powerful form of referral.
Some movers may lead you to believe that cash is the only form of accepted payment on delivery of goods, this is far from the truth and a reputable business would have many options to cater for the consumer. A sign of a professional trusted company is a transparent payment system that provides ease for customer payments with low or no fees. Cash should be the last resort option, in most cases when paying for cash there is no record of payment. You may ask for a receipt for proof of payment and business owners are required to provide this, but nine times out of ten, they will delay and not provide it on the spot. Simply because it is not traceable, the job didn’t exist and it gives them protection.