Moving Household Goods: The Top 4 Roadblocks and How to Avoid Them

This year, Simple Moving Labor commissioned a survey to gain an objective look at how corporate relocation policies are used as a strategic organizational tool. One of the central aspects of this survey was to assess where relocation policies and services fall short.

The survey found that issues surrounding household goods were a common source of strife for HR leaders and relocation professionals. To ease the burden, we’ve created a roadmap of the most common household goods related pain points, and how your company can avoid them.

Availability of Suppliers

30.8% of survey respondents said that the lead time to move vs. the availability of suppliers was their greatest household goods related pain point. It doesn’t help that the time it takes to transfer can vary. It could be as short notice as a few days or as long as a couple of months.

When an employee is required to move on short notice, finding available moving suppliers is difficult. For this reason, when your company is organizing their relocation policy, it’s important to look for a moving company that explicitly specializes in short notice moves.

Delivery Spreads

A delivery spread describes the time it takes for household goods to be delivered to a new location. Delivery spreads can range from 1-14 days and depend on a number of factors such as the weight of the shipment and how far away the destination is. The stress from this uncertainty is one of the reasons 26.9% of survey respondents named this issue as their greatest household goods related pain point.

However, you can ease some of the anxiety and frustration that comes with a delivery spread by establishing a contract with a moving company. This allows you to determine not just the date an employee’s belongings arrive, but also a time range.

Damage Claims

Damage claims can be tricky because they require solid proof of the damage. There must be documentation that details the condition of an employee’s items before and after the move. With this information, it’s no surprise that 23.1% of survey respondents dubbed damage claims as their number one pain point.

Avoid this problem by enlisting The Household Goods Descriptive Inventory, a staple of every move. It’s a form that both the employee and the mover fill out that confirms the state and quantity of each item. There’s even a Household Goods Descriptive Inventory mobile app available so you don’t have to worry about misplacing the document.

Check out our blog to see the 8 Sites and Apps That Will Make Your Move Easier.

Final Invoice vs. Pre Move Quote

When the final invoice for a move is different than the pre-move quote, it can feel deceiving. 19.2% of survey respondents named this as their greatest pain point. This discrepancy can be caused by an inaccurate inventory list or additional fees for large items or stairs. To make sure you get the most accurate estimate possible, you should always ask the moving company to conduct an in-home walkthrough or inspection.

To further mitigate this problem, make sure you have full visibility into how your chosen moving company provides estimates. According to Consumer Affairs, there are different types of moving estimates. In the binding moving estimate, the mover is “required to honor the price they provide for you as long as nothing changes.” On the other hand, a non-binding estimate is “merely a document with the mover’s best guess of your moving cost.”

Bottom Line

Navigating the relocation landscape is challenging — everytime you clear one roadblock, you hit another. It’s important to have a relocation team that has the expertise to avoid these obstacles from the outset instead of reactively navigating around them. You need a moving company with a proven track record of success.

At Simple Moving Labor, we’re proud to have provided moving services to over 200,000 customers and maintain an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Contact us to find out how we can help your company seamlessly carry out employee relocation services.