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Writer's pictureJason & Liz Sautter

What Do Movers Do: What to Expect from a Full-service Moving Company



Moving can be annoying, right? Initially, you may be excited to see what life is like in a new environment. The problem is you don’t get to that point until the moving part of it is over.


When you think about how much stuff you have and all the heavy lifting you’ll probably need to do, why would you even torture yourself that way?


If you can relate to all this, you don’t need to do it on your own at all, considering that full-service movers are there to help you through.


A full moving service is exactly what it sounds like. You’re hiring a moving company that takes all the annoying and tedious elements of the moving process off of your plate.


Want to know what to expect when hiring movers like Valet Moving Services – Round Rock Movers for this kind of service? Check out the insights below!

What Can a Full-service Moving Company Do For You?

While not necessarily being the most cost-effective option for someone changing location, a professional moving service steps in to alleviate the stress of the most challenging elements of the moving process, whether it’s a business or residential move.


When the movers arrive, you can pretty much move out of the way, go do something else, and allow them to execute.


Even with the cost implication, consider the amount of convenience you’re giving up by going a DIY route such as using a U-haul.


Remember that value is just as much about the service as it is about the price. When you weigh the two, which is a better option for you?


At this point, you have a general idea of what moving companies do. How about a deeper dive to familiarize you with all the services you can expect full-service movers to provide?


What are Movers Services?

Many people often wonder what the experience with a full-service mover will be like. The use of the term “full-service” is meant to be reassuring, but could the value they provide be that much?

Surely, they’re not going to be doing more than getting your boxes into the moving truck and taking them to the new place, right?


You would be wrong, and you’re about to see the extent to which hiring movers means not doing much.


Supplying All Packing Materials and Supplies

Moving means securing the supplies you need to ensure that everything is packaged or at least aligned enough to make transporting it convenient.


People who choose to do it alone often find themselves running to the store quite a few times to get the common staples such as boxes, paper, bubble wrap, and tape.


However, professional movers take care of all of this by providing you with all the packing supplies you need.


This service even extends beyond the standard items you would buy. If additional padding and furniture blankets are needed, for example, expect full-service movers to have these items ready.

https://t.co/yeRORPjXlU — Valet Moving Services (@ValetMovingATX) September 13, 2022

You probably don’t dread any other element of moving the way you do packing. There always seems to be one more additional thing you forgot. It just takes so long that you’d rather be doing anything else.


Why can’t everything just be packed and ready to go without your having to get involved? Good question! It turns out that full-service moving companies do it all for you with the packing services offered.


You get professional packers at your disposal who not only relieve you of your packing responsibility, but they also complete the process more optimally than you could.


If you find yourself wondering if they use magic to fit everything so neatly and conveniently, you wouldn’t be the first. Additionally, professional movers pack items incredibly quickly!

Who doesn’t like to save time?


Furniture Disassembly and Reassembly

While it would be nice to transport all your furniture as is, that’s not always possible. No matter how many movers try, some things are just too large to fit through traditional door frames.

This is especially true for things that probably had to be assembled in the house in the same place for the same reason.


Apart from that, moving companies often have to deal with furniture that’s very heavy or unwieldy. In these cases, you’ll find that a partial or full disassembly is the way to go,


If you’ve never seen this in action, it may come as a shock to you, but it’s quite common in the industry of moving services.


Have no fear though, as they can and will put everything back together once they’ve arrived at the destination.


Loading and Unloading

Heavy lifting anyone? Next to packing, getting your stuff in and out of the moving truck is the next area of annoyance. It can take quite a little while to get everything out of the house, especially for those who have a lot of stuff.


The worst part is having to repeat the whole process in reverse when you get to the destination.


Again, why do any of this when full-service movers take care of this kind of thing for you? Given their expertise, they also load everything in much more safely than you would.


Once you get to your new place, guess who’s unloading the truck? Not you!


Transportation of Your Belongings

Given everything that has been said about moving companies so far, this one is to be expected. After all, it’s the whole purpose of loading everything into the truck, to begin with.


Whether interstate or intrastate move, moving services handle it all. You get the opportunity to prepare effectively too since you’re usually told when to expect your stuff.


Ensure you’re available to collect when the time comes!


Disconnect and Reconnect Appliances

This task is a bit of a touchy one in the moving industry, especially if it’s a commercial move. What do you assume would happen if one of these professionals were moving equipment and damaged something electrical while disconnecting it?


It would be the same kind of situation as damaging fragile items in the absence of some kind of disclaimer.


To avoid liability, complex appliances aren’t disconnected or reconnected by full-service movers. Instead, they partner with special companies that do that kind of thing.


Disposal of Packing Materials

When your move is complete, all the packing materials that were used don’t evaporate into thin air. Some people end up with a lot of cardboard boxes, plastic wraps, etc. Disposing of it properly, especially where recycling is appropriate can be a concern.


For one thing, unless you’re a stickler for the environment, you’re probably not going to take care of any of the materials the way they should be handled.


It’s a good thing that moving companies can ensure everything is disposed of as it should be.


As you probably understand by now, if there’s a task that falls under the moving process, full-service movers will likely take care of it for you. It only stands to reason that the cost is more than that of hiring standard moving companies that may only handle the loading, moving, and unloading.


Many full-service movers have a cost calculator on their web pages that you can fill in and get an estimate based on the data you enter. It’s usually a better idea to get a proper assessment done by calling in.


Here are a few factors that go into what full-suite moving companies will charge you:

  1. How many items you need moved

  2. The number of movers required for the task

  3. The extent of packing materials needed for the move

  4. The day(s) slated for the move (holiday, season, etc.)

  5. What tasks must be completed as a part of the move

On average, you’ll be paying roughly $25-50 more hourly for full-service movers than you would standard moving companies.


Even if there’s a company that has a track record of being the best movers in the world, don’t ever put your eggs in one basket. Allow about three different movers to give you estimates.

Remember that even if you go with a full-service company, you are typically allowed to decide which services you need. Perhaps you could handle a couple of the tasks yourself such as material disposal or unpacking if you want savings.


How Long Will a Full-Service Move Take?

Technically speaking, movers can have the whole process done over a couple of days and only one is often needed for the actual move.

Estimate

First, there’s the estimate. As indicated before, though you can use one of the embedded cost calculators to try to see what the move may cost, the closest estimate you can get is the one that the company completes.

Typically this process sees movers send a representative who will gather the required information such as the size of the house, the movement path, an inventory of everything to be moved, etc. This is more of a walkthrough and it should be over in roughly an hour.

Next, there are the processes that take place on the actual moving day.

Packing

First, there’s the packing process. Depending on the furniture you have, this may or may not be combined with the partial or full disassembly of any furniture that cannot be transported as is.

Don’t expect this to run more than three hours, which is very impressive considering packing may have taken you days otherwise.

Loading

Getting everything on the truck shouldn’t take much time at all. Efficient movers can get this done within a half hour to an hour.

Transportation

There isn’t an estimate of how much time this will take for obvious reasons. If you’re moving across the street, then what transit time is there? Conversely, if you’re doing a long-distance move, this part of the process could take hours or even days.

Unloading

The story here isn’t any different from the loading process. Expect a half hour to an hour.

Unpacking

The same roughly three hours it takes to pack should apply here too.

How to Find Reputable Full-Service Movers

Since you’re inviting strangers into your house and taking your stuff away, you need to be more than a little careful to ensure that you’ve chosen a trustworthy moving company for the job.

Typically, prominent enough ones have reviews. Remember that reviews do not necessarily translate to the experience you will have. However, they often help people to set reasonable expectations.


You want to find a company that offers what you want at a decent price with good enough reviews. Pay attention to the amount of effort put into planning and estimating costs before confirming you want to use the service.


Remember to seek at least three different quotes so you can make an informed decision.


Frequently Asked Questions

When is the most favorable time of the year to move?

Mid-September to April is a very good timeframe to go for. Moving company prices often fluctuate based on the demand for their services. This period tends to have the lowest demand, meaning the prices are likely the best.

There may even be discounts to enjoy!

On the flip side, the peak moving season tends to run from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Therefore, try to avoid that timeframe if you can.

When to start collecting free moving quotes?

Start collecting moving quotes as soon as possible. If you know you plan to move in a month or so, that’s a pretty good time to start looking around. You get to keep your options open that way and planning is a lot easier when you have more time at your disposal.

Is buying moving insurance worth it?

The answer here is the same for just about any kind of insurance. Do you want protection in case of damage or loss? If so, then it’s very much worth it. Remember accidents happen.

How much should I tip movers?

There isn’t a consensus on this. However, an acceptable tip tends to be in the range of $4 to $5 per mover per hour.


Final Thoughts on Full-service Moving Companies

Full-service movers make the process of moving a lot easier than it would be if you were to handle everything yourself. From packing, to loading and unloading, to disposal of the packing materials, why get your hands dirty?

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