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Moving Brokers Vs. Moving Companies: Which To Choose?

When you’re trying to coordinate a move, a simple Google search can pull up hundreds of options for moving companies in your area. You can easily fill out a form and have a quote within minutes. If this may seem too good to be true, it oftentimes is! While your search will pull up many professional moving companies, it can also pull up moving brokers and it can be hard to tell the difference between the two. If you’re in the process of searching for a mover, we’ve outlined a few key differences to look out for as well as explained why a professional moving company is always your best option.

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Moving companies employ their movers full-time, and often own their own fleet of trucks, like we do at American Movers of New Jersey.

Moving Companies

Moving companies are professional movers that have their own moving trucks, specialized team of moving professionals and equipment to get the job done properly. Here at American Movers of New Jersey, we employ all of our own movers and use all of our own trucks. We have decades’ worth of experience in the industry and have served thousands of customers in large scale and small scale commercial and residential relocations. You can be sure that a team of skilled professionals will arrive equipped with the most advanced moving tools to safely and efficiently transport your valuables.

Moving Brokers

Moving brokers act as a middleman between the customer and the moving company. They are not authorized nor licensed to transport household goods; instead they contact moving companies and sell your booking information to them so that they in turn can provide the actual transportation. This is why it is crucial to always ask if the company you are speaking with is an actual moving company or a moving broker. If you do decide to go with the moving broker route, be sure you know the risks associated with it.

Risks of Using a Moving Broker:

A moving broker will not claim responsibility if any problems arise. If your items are damaged or lost in transit, the moving broker will transfer the responsibility to the moving company. Since you didn’t sign a contract directly with the moving company, they will often say the responsibility is left on the moving broker. This then becomes a round circle of blame with no suitable outcome for you or your belongings.

Cost estimates when dealing with a moving broker are often much higher than if you were to get an estimate with a moving company. A moving company will send a specialist to your home to survey your move and give you an accurate estimate. A moving broker on the other hand, will most likely try to give you an estimate over the phone without seeing the size of your move. As a result, the estimate they give you ends up being much higher than the price you would pay with a moving company.  In addition, moving brokers will ask you for a pretty hefty deposit upon booking your move. This deposit is used for the broker’s fee and doesn’t go towards your actual move, which can be problematic if any issues arise.

As any consumer knows, reviews are your best friend when it comes to trying to book a service. When you use a moving broker, you won’t always know which moving company they will be booking. Not only will you not be able to do your research on the company itself and see if they are properly insured and experienced, but you will also have no way to contact them in case of changes. This also leaves you high and dry on your move-out date if the broker cannot find a moving company to do the service for you.

As you can see, there are quite a few risks associated with choosing a moving broker. If you want peace of mind that your move will go smoothly with a company you can trust, be sure to choose a licensed, professional moving company.