Back To School: College Students Moving In!
August 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving News
Many college kids are now moving back to school, and if they are a sophomore, junior or senior then they already know the ropes about moving in. But the freshman are a whole other story.
The stories abound in the newspapers like the Washington Times about just stupid moving in blunders, like: a student at an unnamed college bring a semi full of possession to put into his dorm room…How in the hell did this kid get accepted to into college!? I hope that Geometry is not his major.
Anyway I thought that I would share on of the news article with you so as to help you move in your college students…and you may always call or email me for any moving advice you may need.
Here is that story:
Overdoing the dorm move-in
This is the week when thousands of college students move into the dorms. Most of them show up with a moderate car full (or two) of stuff. But then there are the epic mover-inners — college students who bring stuff that surprises residence hall directors and staffers who think they have already seen it all.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune had a story this weekend about a frosh who showed up to his Minnesota college (that went unnamed) with a semi. This was the same student whose parents asked if they could send an interior designer to take measurements of the room and do a complete makeover — without asking for the roommate’s opinion.
It’s not the only odd move-in.
At Albright College in Pennsylvania, a student once hauled his dorm stuff in the family Winnebago. (Photo courtesy of Dave Johnson of Albright College.)
At Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, a student tried moving a full-size refrigerator into his 14-foot-by-14-foot dorm room.
“I couldn’t help but ask him what he could possibly need it for, given the fact that the hall had only one small kitchenette with only a microwave and sink,” said Erica Stephenson, associate director of residence life. “I mean, he wasn’t going to be able to bake or anything, so what was he going to fill that refrigerator with? Oh, wait, I think I know.”
At the University of Iowa, massive flat-screen televisions have become the norm, according to the Associated Press.
At Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, housing staffers have fielded lots of odd requests to alter on-campus apartments: One mother wanted to install sliding shower doors. Some have asked if they can re-upholster the dorm furniture. One parent wanted to remove the carpet and install hardwood floors. Lots of parents have hired maids.
Mansfield University in Pennsylvania has seen lots of students trying to sneak pets (ferrets, tarantulas, boa constrictors, you name it) into the halls. And highway signs are a popular dorm decoration.
At Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee, one student asked for permission to bring his own personal compact clothing dryer.
These examples are extreme, but there is a move-in crime that most students are guilty of: Bringing way too much stuff.
What not to pack:
Do not bring childhood mementos, like that first-grade trophy, advises the Oklahoma Daily.
Avoid bringing any more furniture, even an extra chair, because chances are it won’t fit, suggests the Sun Sentinel.
Don’t bring anything that might be forbidden — “pets, firearms, unsanctioned microwaves and hot plates, unsafe loft building materials, explosives, halogen lamps, illegal drugs, proof of extraterrestrial life, etc.,” says Jayce Scott of North Carolina State University.
Leave your book collection at home because you really won’t have much time to read during the semester, and “no one will care that you read Ayn Rand in high school,” advises Andy Boyle of the St. Petersburg Times.
Skip anything that you don’t use all of the time, the Star Tribune suggests. “Most dorms barely have enough storage space for oft-needed items. Skis, golf clubs and the sousaphone are best left at home. … If you have to choose between an ironing board or an Xbox, go with the latter.”
Have you seen anything ridiculous hauled into a dorm? Any tips for what not to bring to campus? Let me know in the comments.
Campus Overload is a daily must-read for all college students. Make sure to bookmark http://washingtonpost.com/campus-overload. You can also follow me on Twitter and fan Campus Overload on Facebook.
By Jenna Johnson | August 16, 2010; 2:48 PM ET
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Reviewing Your Moving Company
February 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews, Moving Tips and Advice
How to review your moving company
Have you ever wanted to comment on the service you had with your movers, good or bad?
Unfortunately most moving companies do not have a website where you can leave comments about your service. And in fact I advise you not to use any mover that doesn’t have a website. (websites can be made for free these days so there is no excuse not to have one.) But even the moving companies that do have a website, most often than not, there is no place to leave comments about your service. And this is unfortunate.
Testimonials are powerful. Many of you will decide to use a moving company just because of the good reviews that you find of them online. Testimonials and reviews help build trust for moving companies; and any moving company not actively campaigning to get as many as they can and publish them far and wide are shooting themselves in the foot.
After every move that I do I ask if the customer was happy, and if they were (which is usually the case 98% of the time) I have them write a few words about there experience. Lately I have been getting videos of them saying on camera what they experienced. You can see all my testimonials on this website. Just go to the “testimonials” category and you can see hundreds of them. Or just click the videos off to the right and see and hear what a few of my recent customers have to say.
But in lieu of mover not asking for the testimonial or review where can you go to leave a review? Where will it make the most impact? This is the question.
Yelp
Yelp is a website designed just to leave reviews of businesses. All you have to is sign up and start reviewing.
There are people on Yelp that have made careers going into businesses and using their services just so they can review the business. It sounds like a horrible career choice but it does happen. Thing about Yelp is that it ranks very high on the search engines. So if you write a review of XYZ MOVERS that review will show up very early in the search engines for others to see.
Yellowpages
The Yellowpages as we know it: the big, bulky book is outmoded and going the way of the Dodo bird. Everyone is using the search engines to find businesses. Yahoo is partnered with Yellowpages so you can find those companies with internet listings ranking quite high with Yahoo. The thing about the internet listing for Yellowpages (and Yellowbook, Superpages, etc.) is that they have a place where you can leave reviews the moving company that you used. You can leave up to 5 stars for the movers that you chose.
I love Google. As a business person Google makes it so easy for me to have everything I need to create, run and manage a business. They provide all the tools I will ever need. One feature which I am sure that you are familiar with is Google Maps.
Type in the keyword you are looking for like: “professional movers” or “reliable moving” or “movers in (your city)” and a bunch of listing s come up right next to a map. By clicking on those listings you will find a profile page provided by that business of choice. What you may have not known is that that listing page gives you the option to not only read reviews but to leave them as well.
In my opinion, this is one of the best places to leave a review of the moving company that you used.
Yahoo and Bing
Yahoo and Bing also have map listings of businesses. However it is not as easy for business to get a listing on these sites as it is for Google. But like Google; Yahoo and Bing offer a place where you can leave reviews of your chosen moving company.
Ripoff Report
If you go to ripoffreport.com you will find hundreds of reviews left by people like yourself that have used various businesses. However, unlike all of the places mentioned above, you will only find bad reports here. So if you have had a bad review then this may be the place to leave your review; and trust me you will get action if you leave a review here. These show up very high on the search engines and make quite an impact.
But be warned, these reports NEVER disappear. They will always be available to everyone later on down the road.
Of course there are dozens of other consumer review sites out there but none as accessible as ripoffreport.com.
BBB
The Better Business Bureau or more commonly known as the BBB is also another place where you can leave a review. However more often than not and reviews of businesses that are left are usually negative. But you can leave positive reviews for business there as well.
I personally don’t like the BBB because they can be so easily bribed and manipulated by businesses. I know because I have done it.
Despite popular belief the BBB is NOT government operated. Its a ruse. It is a franchise like McDonald’s or Burger King. It is owned by someone to make money, and they make their money by charging businesses that are signed up with them fees for their “services”. If you have a bad BBB report all you have to do to fix it is pay out money to have it fixed. Its really that simple. So I can’t trust the BBB reports at all.
Does your mover have a FaceBook page? It does!? Cool. Do they have a tab where you can leave reviews? If so then leave a review.
You can leave a review of up to 5 stars. What I love and hate about this is: as a consumer I can leave a review knowing that it can never be deleted. So if I leave a bad review then it will be seen forever. As a business person, I hate this. I like to control what is being said about me. Personally I am not afraid of bad reviews and I welcome them as it helps me improve for the next time, but I also know my competitors can leave fake reviews for which I cannot delete. So it is a double edge sword for the business person.
Your moving company doesn’t have a FaceBook page? Doesn’t matter because you can still leave a review on your own Facebook page.
Angie’s List
Many people use Angie’s List to review moving companies and other businesses. The problem with Angie’s List as compared to Yelp is that you have to pay a monthly membership fee for it.
I know that I am not going to dole out hundreds of dollars a year just so I can read a review of a company or two, especially when I can do that for free with Yelp, Google or the other places mentioned here.
The plus point however, is that it is far more reliable than the free places. So if you find a good review of your chosen moving company then it is probably a good chance that it is a good company.
So there you go. Several places that you can go to leave comments and reviews of your experience with your moving company. So whether you are leaving a good comment or a bad one you have choices to be heard and have your count (unlike the presidential elections.)
But I caution you: If you leave a bad comment for any moving business make sure you do it when you have cooled down, and only report the facts. If you leave and angered filled terse review it will be looked upon as if you are the crazy person. Angry people never tell the truth.
Reviewing your moving company and the experience is easy. It only takes a little of your effort and time to do it. If you have something nice to say then please say it. It means so much to the people that work so hard. Of course if you have had a bad experience then you also are obligated to make sure that is know as well.
So no matter what your experience is or was it is always best to leave a few words for the next down the pike to hear what you have to say.
Lastly, you are always free to leave any reviews of your experiences with your moving company with me on this website. I welcome them all. the bad, the ugly and the Great. I will published them unedited for the world to see if that is what you want. Of course you can tell that you don’t want it published and I will honor that as well.
Thank you and good luck with your move.
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Damage Control For Moving
February 11, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice
This video gives some great advice to preventing a bad move or being scammed.
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How to Read a BBB Report
Knowing and understanding the importance of correctly reading a BBB report
The Better Business Bureau, or better known as the BBB, is a non-profit organization that operates as third party overseer of businesses. Many of you reading this have a high regard for the BBB and this is warranted. The BBB has done quite a lot to protect you, the consumer, from frauds and scams.
However, the BBB is far from perfect. There are flaws in the system; and if you know about these flaws you can better arm yourself against the fraudulent companies out there. And knowing how to read a BBB report is your first tool.
While you should definitely look at the BBB as a source of great information about a company it should not be regarded as the be-all end-all of any decision.
One of the best tools that the BBB gives us, is the BBB report. It is full of a lot of useful information and if one really utilized this report to its maximum there would be a greater chance of success with the company.
So lets take at look at the BBB report.
What report grade really means:
This the first thing that you see when you look at the BBB report, and like I said this is where many of you end.
Normally, you just take a look at the rating and call it good, only to find out that the company was not good at all, and this is why you need to know how to read the report.
What the rating means is that the company has fulfilled its obligations to the BBBs specifications. As you will see later on, that does not mean that the company is a good one.
What is the difference between accredited and non-accredited businesses:
One of qualifications is whether a company is accredited or non-accredited. An accredited company means that the company has a paid membership with the BBB. A non-accredited company means that it does not have a paid membership with the BBB.
The BBB is completely voluntary. One can elect to be a member or not. No company can be forced by the BBB to follow its standards or guidelines. So a non-accredited company chooses not to be a member, but it still may follow its standards and guidelines if it so chooses.
But, to get the better grade with the BBB you must be a member.
Different types of complaints and which ones you should be concerned with:
There are many kinds of complaints that one can file with the BBB about a company. They can range from a company not fulfilling is warranties to being rude; from breaking things to out-theft and fraud.
Here are a few complaints that one moving company has gotten with in the last 12 months (an yes they have an “A-” rating…you be the judge.)
- Billing and Collection Issues
- Customer Service Issues
- Delivery Issues
- Guarantee and Warranty Issues
- Selling Practices
- Service Issues
Between the “Customer Service” and “Service Issues” this particular moving company has had 6 complaints filed against them in the last 12 months.
What this means is that 6 people have objected to the way they had been treated by this company to the point where they felt it was necessary to complain to the BBB.
That is significant. You should be aware of this. It does not look like this company treats its customers very well.
They only had 1 incident with “Selling Practices”. That could mean that this company sold this particular customer a little too hard, or it could mean that they fraudulently misrepresented themselves. The BBB does not tell us this, but based on the above complaints it would not be hard to deduce the latter.
You have to look at all the complaints together and then make a decision on whether this company is a good company or not.
What a complaint resolution really means:
Resolution of a complaint does not mean that the complaint was resolved at all. It only means that the company that received the complaint made an effort, no matter how slight, to resolve the complaint.
Let me explain. Lets use the example from above. The company received several service issues complaints. So a customer said that they were rude. For this to be resolved with the BBB, the company only has to acknowledge the complaint with the BBB and agree to work something out.
Now, if this customer does not respond back after a certain amount of time the BBB automatically “resolves” this complaint. The customer may not even be happy…doesn’t matter. In the eyes of the BBB the complaint is resolved.
Or the customer doesn’t agree with the resolution the company proposed, then after a certain amount of time, it too, is resolved in the eyes of the BBB.
In both cases the customer may not feel that the case was resolved in any manner or form and still be ticked off. Doesn’t matter with the BBB; it is resolved.
Here is the actual definitions that one BBB uses:
COMPLAINT CLOSURE TYPE DEFINITIONS
RESOLVED
Response from company addresses disputed issues. Consumer has verified (either orally or in writing) that the complaint has been settled to his/her satisfaction or consumer has not verified that the complaint has been settled, but has not contacted BBB again to indicate dissatisfaction or to request further assistance.
UNRESOLVED
Consumer indicates (either verbally or in writing) that the company’s response to the complaint does not settle the matter and the BBB believes that the company’s response does not adequately address all the issues or make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute.
ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED
The BBB determined the company made a good faith and reasonable effort to resolve the issues, although the complainant was not always satisfied with the outcome.
NO RESPONSE
Company failed to respond to BBB after receiving the complaint.”
Look at the second half on the “resolved” definition and the definition of “administratively closed” to see further clarification on what I had said above.
So just because the company has “resolved” all of its complaints does not necessarily mean that it made the customer happy.
Averaging out the complaints with the size of the company:
In my example above of a real and factual moving company I pointed out that this company had 11 complaints filed against them within the last 12 months. That is a lot complaints.
But this company is a large company that has a large volume of business. So you have to look at the number of complaints that a company gets against the size of the company.
For example, a used car dealership that sells 5 cars a month and gets 10 complaints a year versus a used car dealership that sells a 100 cars a month and gets 10 complaints a year. Which would you rather use. Me, personally, I would take the large used car dealership.
Every company is going to get a complaint at one time or another. It is inevitable. So look at the size of the business versus the amount of complaints and that will give you a better determination of the company that you are dealing with.
In the case of the moving company above; yes they are a larger moving business but the number of complaints against them is still above industry norms. Something else to consider.
Using the BBB to validate the companies address:
To be an accredited company with the BBB you must provide your company’s information like the owner, its address, phone numbers, and the time that you have been in business. This is all very important stuff when looking at the company you may use. Of course a non-accredited business still may give this information to the BBB as well.
The info that is given to the BBB is usually verified by the BBB as to be accurate.
So in the case of a moving business for example; if you find a company on the internet, and they give a different one than what is listed with the BBB you may be dealing with a scam.
This is also useful information to have as then you can drive by the company you may wish to use and see how their premises look and the neighborhood that they are in.
You may find that the company is in a bad part of town and you would not feel safe going there. Or you drive by and see that the building is in disrepair. Having that address prior to using the company is very useful.
Most BBBs also have the address linked to both Google and Yahoo maps.
I believe in the BBB in general. I think it is a great organization. But I don’t believe everything they have to say. There are flaws with their system, and it is open to corruption and manipulation. However, with that being said, it has a lot of useful information like the BBB report, which by having the information I have given you here, you are now able to read between the lines and to get the full grasp of a company. Of course you can always call the BBB to get more information, and I have found them to he very helpful.
Use the BBB and its reports, but avoid making any decision about any company without thoroughly reading their BBB report and consulting others information sources.
Like G.I. Joe would say, “Know before you go. Because knowing is half the battle.”
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Because Moving Should Be Quick And Easy
March 30, 2009 by jburnham
Filed under Moving News
How To Make Your Moving Experience Quick And Easy!
Discover all the Tricks and Traps from a Moving Company Insider as he Exposes how to Spot and Avoid Moving Company Scams, Shows you how to Find and Hire Professional and Reliable Moving Labor and Help, Reviews Moving Companies so that you don’t Have to, and so much more…
Do you want to know how to avoid moving scams and choose reliable, professional moving companies?
Want a place that is free where you can research your potential moving company and see how they stack up?
Need a review done of your potential moving company so that you know for sure they are on the up and up?
Want money saving tips so your move doesn’t cost so much?
Want to avoid costly and frustrating moving scams?
If you said yes to any of the above…then this is the website for you! I have spent a lot of hours researching and writing about the moving industry so that you can come to one place and learn what you need to know so that you can have a stress free moving experience.
Hello; MY name is Jae Burnham.
I started in the moving business with nothing. I mean it. I had no money,job or a place to live. I placed one classified ad and in ten minutes I had my first moving job. From that point I built a company that became the fastest growing company in Michigan.
I went from nothing to having my own moving trucks, several employees, my own office and shop, being licensed and insured, and doing moves all around the country. In that time I learned a lot about my industry and how it operates…I am now going to sharing that with you.
I invite you to look around. Spend some time here. Bookmark this website so that you can come back over and over as I update it. Sign up with my RSS feed.
Feel free to drop me a line or give me a call for all your moving needs. All our information can be found on our Contact Us page. Thank you.
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Moving Scams: Avoiding the $40/hr Moving Scams
January 23, 2009 by jburnham
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice
Most moves are done correctly and with out incident. However, there are those times that one is taken by a moving scams.
Moving scams come in various degrees. This website is designed to give the most information possible so that you are not a victim of a moving scam.
Here is a video I thought you may like:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/nDmAJ7o4aRU&hl=en&fs=1]
Quick and Easy Moving is a full service moving company. We’ll move you around the corner or out of state. With years of experience we know how to protect and move your belongings right and without damage.
Give us a call for your next move.
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I Strongly Recommend EZ Pro Movers
January 23, 2009 by jburnham
Filed under Testimonials
Excellent.. EZ Pro Movers is on time.. very friendly and completed the work in half the anticipated time. I strongly recommend using EZ Pro Movers.
ESWAR K AVIDI
s_hid@hotmail.com
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Is Hiring A Moving Company Worth It?
January 3, 2009 by jburnham
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice
Many people wonder if hiring a moving company is worth it? As the owner of Professional Moving I think that it is worth it. But you must realize that I am biased in my opinion. But it is a good question: Is hiring a moving company worth it? So I set off to find a really good answer.
In my search I came across this very question on a polling website called Hundreds of Heads. Cool name, huh? They had a poll regarding if moving companies were worth it. here are the results:
- Yes 56.3%
- No 25%
- No Difference 18.8%
So more than half believe hiring a moving company is worth it.
Without a doubt there have been many people that have been scammed or have had a horrible moving experience. So I read a good 50 or so of those reports and I surveyed them to set if they used a moving company again…Guess what? My little informal survey said yes they did use moving compnies again. Close to 75% used moving companies again. So even though they had a bad experience they still thought hiring a moving company was worth it.
So what makes hiring a moving company worth it?
Very good question, and I for one, think it is about time that that question was answered:
- Moving companies save you time.
- They save you money.
- They ease the stress of moving.
- They save you from injury.
- They prevent damage to your home and belongings.
- They haul your household goods so you don’t have to.
- They are professionals with years of experience.
- They are stronger and physically fit.
These are just some of the reasons that make hiring a moving company worth it. Now I could go through each and every one of those points and write an entire article on why those points are true, but I am not going to now…maybe later.
Moving companies provide a service and 95% of the time that service would be a good investment. Of course there will be that rarity where you may have a bad experience, unfortunately that happens, but if you research the companies first and follow the advice here in this blog you won’t have a bad experience and you’ll be saying that hiring a moving company was worth it.
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Moving and the Golden Rule
December 28, 2008 by jburnham
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice
I think that everyone is looking for a problem free move, am I right? I know if I were to move — and I moved around a lot — I am looking for a stress free; a problem free move.
I have written many articles here on this blog and elsewhere about protecting yourself from moving company scams. The truth is they do exist but for a very small percentage. Problem free moves on the other hand…well they are in abundance.
Lets face it: we know when we move that something is going to break or get lost. It is inevitable. Of course we can blame the movers, as is the case 99% of the time. They are easy to blame. They are afterall “a bunch of dope smoking, welfare collecting, high school dropout meat-heads” right?
I am going to let you on a little secret. Come a little closer, we don’t want everyone to know this. Closer still. Closer. Great, that is close enough. Here it is: 90% of the time, problem moves are your fault, not the movers.
WHAT! How could you say that?
Now, now, just calm down a little, let me explain.
I CAN’T BELEIVE YOU! How dare you say it is my fault. Is it my fault that that lunk-head mover dropped my lamp?
Uh..Yea! It is actually. First off, noticed how you referred to that mover…”Lunk-head.” Do you like being called names? I thought not. Do you think that mover, or any mover, if he knows you are looking down on him, is going to give you or your belongings any respect?
Well…That’s his job!
True…Do you respect the cop that pulls you over for speeding? It is his job.
But that is different!
No its not. It is the very same thing. Treat your movers with respect and they will treat you and your belongings with respect. It is the Golden Rule after all.
So you want a problem free move? Well then, treat your movers with respect, and if they do a good job: tip them.
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10 Surefire Signs of a Professional Moving Company
December 22, 2008 by jburnham
Filed under Moving Estimate Advice, Moving Tips and Advice
It is important you know how to spot a moving scam company; and my article Craigslist Mover Scams details that out perfectly; it is also important to know how to spot a professional moving company. By hiring a moving company and having a horrible experience can be almost the same as if you hired a scam moving company. So don’t fall into that trap. Know and understand the 10 surefire signs of a professional moving company and you should have a stress free and pleasant experience moving.
I have written quite a bit on how to avoid moving company scams, and from the stats you have really enjoyed those articles, as they are the most popular thus far on my blog. While a moving company maybe a horrible company to hire they may not necessarily be a moving scam company.
So what are the 10 surefire signs of a professional moving company? Glad you asked. They are:
- Do they have testimonials? How many? Are the new or old?
- How long have they been in business?
- Do they belong to any moving associations? Other reputable organizations?
- Do they have any press releases about them?
- Do they advertise elsewhere besides the internet?
- Do they have actual pictures of themselves that you can see, not just clip art?
- Are their employees unifromed or not?
- Do they own or lease their own vehicles?
- Do they have a professional website? Is there a lot of info there? Is it just a one page sales letter?
- Can you google them and have a lot results? Or is it just Craigslist ads for results?
By using the above checklist and doing the research you will know if your company is actually a professional moving company or not. This is the actual checklist that I use when I am doing my moving company reviews. Most of the companies that only advertise on Craigslist don’t cut it after going through this checklist; many legitimate moving businesses can’t cut it either. Only those that have all or a majority of the checklist in order can call themselves “Professional”.
There are many legitimate moving companies out there. So before you hire them, run them through this checklist and see if they are truly Professional.
