There are exceptions to the rule. Please consider this...

[BillAdams]

I've been a contributor since 2007 and a huge supporter of everything this site does for consumers.
I'd like to open up a discussion on the advice given in the article "How to Find a Reputable Mover" that eliminates all movers from consideration because they cannot send an estimator to the customer's home for an on-site survey.
In the end I'm hoping the article can be edited to include some exceptions.
Here's what it says:

Set up appointments for three moving companies to come to your house and do an in-home estimate in the order of your least favorite to your most favorite company. If they won’t come to your house to do an in-home estimate, move on and find another company. Find out up front if the company will be doing the move themselves, or if they will be sub-contracting the job to another company. If they won’t be moving you then you should move on to another company.

As a long-time rep for a licensed 48-state independent mover who self-hauls everything (a must, as referenced in the article), I get many requests for estimates where we are quite capable of doing the move, but not physically close enough to go see the customer.
I have done many of these off-site estimates by using two methods. 1) By looking at photos or videos sent by the customer for each room of the residence, 2) We now use a service that uses artificial intelligence that uses mobile devices to record encrypted videos (per room) that actually calculates cf, weight, and packing for us. I also go Online to see the house from the street view, and inside photos if the house has been listed for sale by a realtor. Lastly, I like to have a phone conversation to best understand the clients' needs, concerns, and expectations.
I have had no issues with estimating accuracy using these methods, and I always suggest that the customer get at least one or two other estimates to compare before selecting a mover that's right for them.
Let's face it, finding a trustworthy mover using the Internet is hard enough, and so eliminating a potentially good mover because of their inability to ring a doorbell is not entirely good advice any more.
Thanks for reading.

[BigLeeCalif]

Hey Bill..

How are you? I don't get on much since I have retired in 2015.

You bring up some good points, especially with the new technology that was not available 10 years or so ago.

I like where you say you could use AI to do calculations. A friend of mine who said he couldn't get to every survey uses the information provided by the shipper via skype or facetime, or video chat. The shipper walks the sales person through the house, and the sales person can [if he is on his computer] record the video and use it to calculate weight. I don't know which service he uses but Whatsapp is a very secure platform for that type of sharing.

Peace
Big Lee

[NYCMover]

Hey guys,

I agree with Bill and Big Lee. Times and technology have changed and tools are available now that make it possible to do an accurate quote remotely. I get a mix of in-house and video surveys to do and I find that for the biggest homes and/or more complicated moves - the in-home visit is still preferable if it can be arranged. This is especially true when the customer has expensive and extremely fragile items where a lot of crating and 3rd Party Work is going to be required. But for the average 1 BR or Studio apt? Well, I said it about 3 years ago, but the COD Estimator profession is eventually going to go the way of the Chimney Sweep. I just hope I'm retired before that happens. The handwriting is on the wall and you might not like it, but there is no stopping the future. People have appointments with their Doctors now by remote access; they certainly can interface with a moving estimator by the same method.

Yes, the parts in the advice article that tell customers to look for someone else if an in-home can't be arranged should be qualified - it's not such a simple black-and-white matter anymore.

NYCMover

[BigLeeCalif]

Hey there NYC Mover...

How are you?

I do agree that if an estimator cannot do an in-home survey, and he/she and the shipper can do a remote video survey, there should be no reason that it wouldn't work. Items that need special attention can be viewed by the estimator and shared with the third-party service for the purpose of estimating cost of said third party service.

In addition, a video survey may prove to be added protection for the customer where the old you had more items than on the estimate comes into play. The shipper is protected if there are no additions, but the estimator is also protected if items that the shipper did not show him pop up and increase weight/cost. I still think I would have the shipper fill out a fillable cube sheet, and compare it with the items on the visual tour..

I'm getting bored and was thinking of setting myself up as a freelance moving advisor.

[BillAdams]

Hey guys,
Thanks for your input.
Congrats on retirement Lee. If you get bored, try pickleball
Good point on going to see those homes that are large and with high-end furnishings.
Also good point regarding what the client wants moved during the estimate vs. what they want moved on load day. The video can be referenced in the case of discrepancy.
To be honest, I think about 100% of my customers make changes between estimate day and move day. Fortunately most of them ship less than initially inventoried. Once they understand that they will pay for weight, they start pitching things that aren't worth shipping in order to keep the bill low.
Here's a few more benefits to the virtual survey:
1. Customers can do videos at any time of day, on their own schedule.
2. The family dog doesn't lose it's mind when the doorbell rings, and I don't get bit.
3. I save time, gas, tolls, parking, and stress (seeing a NYC apt. costs me $50-$80 and 6 hours of time).
After driving for 30 years, 4-6 hours a day, I currently do zero in-home appointments.
For the past 14 months, all of the estimates I've done have been over the phone or using videos, and accuracy hasn't been an issue.

[chptrkrules2]

Same here in Portland. I do those moves over the phone with pictures or we have a cheap service that will do it over Skype for us for $50.

I have one loading in a little AZ town this week that didn't have an orig agent within 125 miles.

Good to hear from you Bill

[jonathankroberts]

Great points on that Bill!

That's one of the best and more reliable modern methods for requesting estimates for the move. It saves time and effort, by just sending pictures and photos of each room in the house, they can calculate the actual cf, weight, and packing.

When it comes to safety and trust, clients would like to have this kind of method rather than having someone come to their home to do the estimates. Your idea of set-up for client and mover is more comfortable.

[twalker]

Hey guys,

I haven't been able to spend as much time on the message boards as I should, but I caught this conversation and I think you're right about the "How to find a reputable moving company" article needing some changes.

I've updated the article to let people know that it's not necessary for all estimates to be in-home estimates. I still recommend that people get at least two local movers to do in-home estimates so they can spot a low-ball estimate.

Does that sound reasonable?

Tim Walker
MovingScam.com

[BigLeeCalif]

Hi Tim.

How are you? I think of you often, and I can never forget the kindness that you showed to me almost 20 years ago when my computer crashed.

I have enjoyed the 16 years of working with movingscam.com. Like yourself, I have not spent as much time as I would have liked, since I was ushered out of the business in 2015 because the industry thought my usefulness was no longer an asset as soon as I reached the age of 70.

But, I still stop by here occasionally, and comment or offer suggestions on things that still fall within my range of knowledge.

Big Lee

[twalker]

I'm doing good Lee, thanks for asking!

The constant stories of scammers took a toll on me, and my attitude was showing it, so the break from movingscam was much needed. I'm back now, but I have a lot of catching up to do. I started a website design/hosting business in 2013 that keeps me busy, but I enjoy the work.

Tim