My wife (Archita) and I worked real hard to organize things around our move and so we thought it was best if she wrote about some of the experiences herself. This post has been written by her.
We had been nurturing the dream of coming back to India for a few years and April 2007 saw the final realization of it. There are many Indians who share the same desire but they never return daunted by the challenges that come with the move. Based on my personal experience, this was by far the most difficult and challenging decision but if we had the right information and right contacts, our move could have been less painful. This blog is an effort to help people in similar situation so that coming back home can be smoother for eager returning Indians.
We spent days and days trying to find a reliable and cost effective moving company.
You have to be very careful while choosing the moving company. Whatever they say, there are always hidden charges. Initially it was very difficult for us to compare because all of them quoted similar service. The only thing we were looking at was the price. We had almost decided on one of the companies when my husband found them on the black listed company site. We finally decided to go with Air 7 Seas even though their quote was higher than the others as one of my friends was using them too and we found them to satisfy most of the things in the checklist below. But unfortunately, even with them our experience hasn’t been the best so far. My advice would be to clearly ask for detailed description of each item they quote. You have to be well aware that they play with words. When they say door to door service, they actually mean your doorstep. You have to keep the boxes outside the door (on your doorstep) and they will drop it back in India on your door (outside the house). You will have to pay for handling, lifting at the origin and at the destination. I haven’t received my shipment yet so will reserve further comments on them for future.
It generally takes 45+ days for things to get delivered from USA to India, so make sure you carry the must needed things with you.
Here is a checklist to ensure higher rate of success choosing the movers:
- Try and stick to the list of recommended moving companies (the list can be found at movingscam).
- Set up appointments for movers to come to your house and do an in-home estimate
- Do a thorough investigation on the moving company you choose. Make sure it’s not one of the black listed companies (you can get an archive of blacklisted companies here). Remember lot of these fraud companies change their business name time and again to avoid legal issues
- Do not go by the cheapest quote – if you compare the prices from 3-4 companies, you will get a rough idea of how much it would cost. Anyone quoting very low price must have some hidden charges
- Ask for detailed description. Keep a written record of whatever they explain and ask them to commit in writing to things they have said
- International moving companies generally have tie ups with local companies to pickup and deliver. Get the details on those companies and check on them by calling them and checking their records on the Internet
- Check for the volume they quote, whether it is with palletization(Warehousing and distribution of goods on pallets designed for easy transportation, a basic form of containerization) or without palletization (if palletization is done)
There is a very good article on How to Find a Reputable Moving Company which I think everybody should read before selecting a moving company.
That’s it from me for now. Good Luck with you search. If you need any further information, feel free to contact me archita.prasad@gmail.com
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