What's a 'moving consultant' and what are 'brokers'?

 

 

Depending on how long you've been preparing for your residential cross country move, or if you've moved before, there are a lot of different terms thrown around regarding movers in the household goods and residential moving industry. The problem is that a lot of these terms are misused by sales reps in "boiler room" style telemarketing offices, typically in a derogatory manner, and not to the effect that the terms or names actually mean by definition. This is done out of ignorance by the sales representatives and is the fault of the people whom they work for, who do not provide actual training in truck sizes, space, laws regulating the industry, nor in proper terminology.

 

This is deliberate so that they can have a "Quality Assurance Manager" follow up with you to 'fix the estimate' from the beginning, and then double, or sometimes even triple your reservation deposit for "helping you" and make you feel OK about what just happened. A boiler room has ONE goal: Make as many calls as possible, secure as many deals as possible, and have the knowledgeable manager/muscle follow up to get more money later, after you can no longer receive a refund and just a few days before your move is scheduled to occur. Keep in mind that your move could have easily been set up the correct way from the beginning, but a boiler room is not interested in the industry in which they work, they are interested only in the money machine they create.

 

Having said that - The above two paragraphs are what the industry calls "Brokers" in a derogatory manner, vaguely legal bait and switch operations that operate in large boiler rooms - Sometimes with more than one company in the same office all working together to defraud customers and even drivers with poorly paying jobs and craigslist labor.

 

The reality is that all moving brokers are licensed and regulated by the DOT and FMCSA, and are all real moving companies and legally operate as such, some are carriers with trucks too, they just don't operate as forwarding warehouses as well - where trucks come and go with shipments for different areas. Instead moving brokerages fill the void for teams of drivers and dispatchers, by helping with customer service, coordination of nationwide dispatching, claims and insurance services, as well as direct support to the family or person moving long distance with packing advice, inventory adjustments, etc.

 

So in essence a real moving brokerage is really more like an Insurance Agency for residential long distance moves - We have our team of consultants/agents, our nationwide driving partners, our local driving partners, and have contractual agreements on file with all drivers and carriers we work with after they pass our vetting process.

 

We here at Express Moving Consultants are family owned and operated, and take time with our clients individually from the day the move is reserved to delivery to ensure satisfaction. Your Moving Consultant will be able to work with you to change your inventory or any details of your family move as needed, and will be your direct contact during the ENTIRE process so you don't need to call an 800 number to get help. This allows for a personalized approach and keeps away the "surprises" everyone dreads during residential long distance moves - We are transparent, and love to work with our clients to make the move go well! Moving should be exciting - Not stressful!

 

As Moving Consultants, we are professionally educated and have extensive experience of the intricacies related to residential long distance moving. We have AI technology that helps us estimate your move size with more precision, eliminating surprise charges and giving you peace of mind. We are well-versed in the household goods or residential moving industry and are here to advocate for you and your family during this time that is a new page in your life!

 

While we don't do the actual driving either, we have personal relationships and contracts with all of our drivers. We will personally match you up with one (all of which are fully licensed, bonded and insured and professionally vetted) to get the job done for you the way that is best suited for your expectations as well as financial needs and any other special needs such as free short term storage.

 

We handle everything on the back-end so you don't have to – customer service, dispatching of jobs and scheduling. We are also here if there is anything that you ever feel uncomfortable with throughout this whole process – we will step in and make sure it is corrected and you as the customer are satisfied with your experience!

 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US:

As Moving Consultants we take pride in our work because we know our level of transparency and thoroughness is miles ahead of the competition! We have vast knowledge of the moving industry and are here to point you in the right direction in order to make your move as stress-free and easy as possible!
 

Pricing:

We provide a thorough and honest Binding Estimate that is not to exceed in cost based upon your inventory, which can be changed with your consultant anytime up to 2 days before the move. We take time with each of our clients to ensure that the consultation is thorough and can continue to add or remove items up to 48 hours before your pick up - without "upcharges" or "surprises" that you hear about - Heck we can even help you downsize and de-clutter to help you SAVE MONEY on your move! We understand that surprises are good on your birthday, NOT your moving day! And we keep it that way.
 

Flexibility:

We can provide flexibility with your pick-up dates. As long as you keep us in the loop as to any changes that are made to your schedule we can accommodate you and get you moved!

Professionalism:

As consultants we are thoroughly trained and knowledgeable about the service that we provide. We only use the proper tools and materials to make sure your move goes exactly how you imagined.
 

Confidence:

Having worked in the moving industry in all aspects, we are confident that we know how to provide you as a company with an excellent quality experience, because we have seen how things can go wrong. We want to stand out from the competition based solely on our knowledge, customer service and integrity.