Moving Broker

Moving brokers are middlemen between the person who is moving and moving companies. The brokers are not the actual movers and typically do not own trucks or moving equipment or have a professional moving staff. Moving brokers are sales teams that book your move and sell it to an actual moving company. They provide you the convenience of finding the appropriate moving company or moving professionals for you.

Moving Companies or Professionals

A moving company (or mover), offers transportation services for household goods. They operate with their own crews and trucks and manage the moving and delivery process from beginning to end. Moving companies are the firms that do the actual move. They own trucks and moving equipment and have a professional moving staff. Moving companies will come to the mover’s house and give an estimate for performing the move, which will most likely be more accurate than the estimate from a moving broker is. The price will normally depend on the weight and amount of the items and the distance of the move.

Risks of Using a Moving Broker

• No party will take the claim in case of problematic situations - In case of problems with the move such as household items being damaged or lost, the moving broker might blame the moving company, and the moving company might return the favor by laying the blame on the broker. The usual outcome is that the customer, that is you, will be left in the middle of a relocation mess for which nobody wants to take responsibility, while there is no actual solution for your lost or damaged goods.
• Wrong cost estimates - The move consultants that are sent to the customer’s home are quite accurate in the estimates they give about the total cost of the move taking into consideration every detail. But in case of moving brokers, the cost estimates given to the customers often ends up being way lower than that of the actual moving company’s and that becomes a big problem later on.
• Large deposit amounts - The major issue with paying a large deposit to a broker is that your money will not always go toward the move itself. Sometimes, the sum you pay upfront will be the moving broker’s fee for arranging the household move between you, as a customer, and the moving company as a household goods carrier. Reputed movers, though, usually ask for smaller deposits than the movers who provide you with not so top-rated moving companies.

Risks of Using Professional Movers

• Limited range of service routes - A professional moving company usually has a restricted range of routes that it services, which may limit your relocation options. If your move route is a little bit off track or falls into the height of the moving season, then you may find it hard to find a reputable mover to accept your home moving job. Also, in case of emergency moves you might not be able to find a moving company that will handle your job. A good moving broker will make sure to provide you a flexible moving company which will handle your job according to your movement requirements and expectations.
• Potentially fewer customized solutions - The best full-service moving companies do offer a wide range of moving services to match the distinctive requirements of their clients. However, smaller moving companies may not be able to offer you all the services you need, in which case you will lose additional time to look for a different mover that can assist you. For example, if you need to have your car transported quickly and safely to another part of the country, you will need to invest extra time to find and research an auto transportation company for that extra service alone.

Conclusion

Knowing the difference between a Broker and a Mover is an important part of the moving process. This guide may have helped you to know the difference between the brokers and the movers and what the dangers of hiring them both are. Since moving to another place is a big job, you must be careful with whom you hire in order to move successfully.