I propose today the business card of a professional mover. It is Gaultier Verbinnen from Roadfast who kindly agreed to answer my questions.
1) What’s the thing you should absolutely think of before your mover arrives to avoid any inconvenience?
Without any doubt, you should book the location for the moving truck in front of the home you are leaving and of course in front of your new home. This area must be free. Check on d-day before the mover’s arrival that there is no vehicle at this location.
Be careful, each municipality has its own rules and price. So, check with your municipal administration in advance. Some towns require a supplement if you use a lift. Rates may also vary from one city to another.
If you ask a mover for a quote online (with an elevator for example), provide as much information as possible about your home and its surroundings. Is there a garden or lawn in front of the building or trees that could prevent the installation of a lift? Are there objects that will have to go through a roof window? etc …
Also know that assembly and disassembly of furniture is time consuming. That’s what breaks the rhythm in a move. If you decide to disassemble your furniture yourself, consider these two tips:
- Remove the wooden heads, it is easier (and less risky for your furniture) to stack smooth boards.
- Sort planks, from the largest to the smallest. The ideal is to place them like a pyramid during transport.
Did you know ? To load the truck, it’s better to start with the boxes, then come the big pieces that are stacked to prevent the boxes from falling. Then the appliance and planks. And finally accessories, bikes, plants etc…
2) How to reduce costs?
Roadfast considers itself as a moving support company. This allows us to adapt ourselves to our customers and their budget. If the day of your move, you plan to get a few people to help you, we will need fewer men. It will be cheaper.
However, we always take care of placing your goods in the truck. And yes, it’s an art! We also guide and organize your move in order to save time and to respect your budget.
Thus, there is way to control your budget when calling a mover! There are things you can do on your own but don’t hesitate to ask for advice to be as effective as possible.
With regard to long-distance moves, there is a way to reduce costs by choosing for example a group transport (ex: 5 moves on a truck). If it will be cheaper, don’t expect express premium service. For example, you will not have the choice of the date. At the most, you will be able to choose the month.
3) What’s the difference between a good mover of a scammer?
You will find on a couple of websites, ads offering cheap removal services. Some people will probably be worth it, but be careful if you call on people who are not professionals, no VAT, no insurance, etc … You may have difficulties to be compensated, if an accident happened during transport for example.
4) What is the object that is essential to pack for your move?
Without hesitation: your mattress!
This is the object to protect at all costs. Imagine your mattress in the dirt, on an elevator, in a truck.
If you do not have mattress covers, put a fitted sheet over and under. And that’s it!
5) Any advice about boxes ?
- Whether it’s you or your mover who’s going carry the boxes, be careful not to fill them with books. Check the weight every once in a while. If it is impossible for you to lift a box, your mover won’t do miracles! The maximum weight of a box should be around 25kg.
- Avoid using weakened moving boxes. The life of a box for a move is up to two times. If you use them more, boxes may collapse when you stack them.
- Whenever possible, use special boxes for dishes. If you don’t have one, fill the empty space with linen or paper so it won’t break!
- When you arrive in your new home, put all the moving boxes in the same place, in the garage or in the office. You won’t have to live during the first days / weeks in the middle of boxes in every room. You can open the boxes at your own pace.
- It sounds obvious but make sure the place where you store your boxes is dry.
- Keep the packing box of your TV 🙂
A last one for the road ?
Please, remove the oil from the fryer before your move!
Name of your company : Roadfast
Contact : Gaultier Verbinnen
N° TEL : 0499/27.44.78.
Website : www.roadfast.be