Start Stop Go Hints Mail Links 604-724-0-723 Zero-Gravity-Movers Vancouver-BC
[ Five star rated in positive customer reviews on independent website for small movers. ]
Hints on how to get best results from our moving services. You do not have to follow them all, but you will get the best results if you follow as many as you can.
One person representing customer.
Make one person 'project manager' for the move. Have only that person contact the movers. Sometimes we get calls from several persons about the same move with conflicting requirements. If we get confused we are not likely to take that job.
One direct phone number, cell phone if possible.
Give us one BEST phone number that is the best way to contact you before and on moving day. It is OK to have other contact persons and numbers in case the primary contact could not be reached.

If you are reachable by cell phone most of the time, please select cell phone as the BEST number. If you first contact us by phone, call us from that BEST number. We often answer the phone when we do not have time to talk or think and have to say that we will call you back shortly. It is much easier for us to call you back if we have the number in our cell phone memory. We may not be able to write down another number. If we see 'No Caller ID' on the screen we may not answer if we are busy. We can only return missed calls if you call us from a DIRECT line without Caller ID blocking.

Call 604-724-0723 for moving TODAY or TOMORROW, from your BEST cell phone number if you can.
Call any time, no voicemail, always answered, may ring a long time until I can put down a heavy sofa.
If you hear a phone company recording 'Customer not available' we did not get your call and phone number.
We may be underground or in an elevator. Try again later.
Follow up by email.
Email is also good for first contact if your situation is not urgent. If you choose to contact us by phone first, it is good to also email with phone number and any other important details. Often we could not hear your name clearly enough to repeat it, let alone spell it. On a busy day the call log may get too long and we may erase it before dealing with all calls.
Answer our questions.
First time you send us email try to answer the list of questions we have prepared, see email page. Even if you are in the early stages of the preparation for the move, try to answer those questions that you can at that time. If we have more information about your move we can better respond to the questions you have for us.
Tell us about your timing options or lack of options.
If you are flexible with the moving date or time of day list all available options in order of preference. We are more likely to accept a move with some time flexibility. If you have strict timing requirements describe them along with the reasons for them. We will not accept a move if we could not meet timing requirements. If we accept the move, we will arrive on time.
Reserve the elevators and tell us times.
Make sure you reserve the elevator with the proper person. Rental manager giving you the keys may not be talking to the building manager who reserves the elevators.
Tell us where we may park.
Find out if there is a loading dock or a special place to park moving trucks. Building manager may be able to tell you if the loading dock can fit a 5 ton truck. If we have to use street parking, try to reserve it by parking some cars there.
Do NOT protect carpets with plastic.
We will take off our shoes instead.
Check if large items can pass through obstacle course.
Large sofas and other large items may not fit somewhere along the way: in the elevator, on the stairs, through a door, through a winding hall, under low ceiling.
Mark items by destination.
Mark items we should not move. Mark items going to different locations. Mark items by destination room. Mark rooms. That way we do not have to ask where to put each item an you do not have to be on hand to answer our questions.
Disassemble what must be disassembled ...
... or tell us what you expect us to disassemble and reassemble, especially if it will take considerable time and require tools that you do not provide. If you are not sure that something needs to be disassembled and it is not difficult to do, you may wait and ask us if we can handle it without disassembling. Drawers with clothes you can leave in the dressers and we will decide if we need to take them out. If you know that a door must be removed to get out a large item you may want to remove the door before we come, otherwise we will do it.
Point out large mirrors, flat glass, and pictures.
Do this at the start of the move so we can take them early and place them in the truck safely. If you are not sure how to safely pack such items it may be better to leave them free-standing. We can handle those items safer when we can see them than when they are hidden but not adequately protected.
Pack in boxes not plastic bags.
If you have to pack in plastic bags, use large heavy-duty contactor-grade garbage bags, 4 Mil thickness, you can buy them in building supply stores, usually 12 per box. Movers using smaller vehicles like vans may recommend using plastic bags to pack clothes instead of using large wardrobe boxes as they take too much of the limited space. We have no problem with wardrobe boxes.
Close boxes.
Keep the top of the box flat, do not over-fill. Tape the bottom and top of boxes.
Pack boxes so that you can lift them.
You may have to lift them before we arrive and after we leave. Use small boxes for books and other heavy items: 13" H x 16" W x 13" D or similar. Heavy boxes may collapse under their own weight.
Limit the variety of boxes.
You probably already have boxes of odd shapes and sizes in storage. For items that you are packing from scratch try to limit the number of box shapes and sizes. They will stack better in the truck, storage, or room.
Bundle small light boxes. Bundle long skinny items.
Pack small light boxes into larger boxes or bind them together by rope, tape, or shrink-wrap.
Hints on how to avoid problems with moving and storage companies.
Questions for moving companies.
Do not respond by email to any ad without a phone number.
Google the phone number to find:
- other businesses advertised with the same number,
- comments left by customers.
Ask if the truck has a covered box and what is the length of the box.
Ask how often the truck is used, may not be reliable if not used daily.
Ask if they do garbage removal. If they do, they likely do it with the same truck.
If time is critical for your move, explain what will happen
if the move does not start or end on time.
Hope that unreliable movers would have the decency to avoid time-critical moves.
Questions for storage and mobile storage companies.
If I need to get just one small item out of storage, can I do it and do I have to pay for that?
What is the location of your warehouse?
What are the hours when I can access the storage unit?
Do I have to pay each time I access the storage unit?
What is the monthly storage rate? Forget about first month special rate.
Are there any extra charges when moving out?
In what geographic area can you deliver your mobile storage container?
If I am moving to a location accessible only by ferry, can you still deliver your mobile storage container?
How does location affect the price of delivering storage container.
If I have to move long distance, can I unload storage container at your warehouse?
Can I use movers of my choice or only movers affiliated with the storage company?
If only movers affiliated with the storage company, what are the hourly rates for moving out.
Moving out rates may be a lot higher than the moving in rates.
When comparing sizes of storage units, get all 3 dimensions of the storage unit.
Some companies may give you the size in square feet, that is meaningless.
Even knowing the size in cubic feet does not tell you if some of your large items can fit in.
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