All Reasons Moving & Storage

Would you hire your Mechanic to build a house?
Would you hire your Hair Dresser to fix your car?
Would you hire your Landscaper to do your taxes?

The answer to these should be NO.
So why ask your floor guy or contractor to move furniture?

If you want things done right hire an expert. Moving Companies have special equipment to move things like pianos and appliances. They bring dollies and have other equipment to move furniture safely and efficiently. Professional movers are trained to know exactly how to move every piece in your home so there is no damage to the floor, the piece or their self.

Whether you are preparing your taxes or moving, hire an expert.

For more information or to schedule an in home estimate contact:
All Reasons Moving & Storage
Posted By:
Kim Tucker
All Reasons Moving

Tags: Better Business Bureau, Choosing a Mover, consumer protection, moving, Moving Tips, Organizing

Make sure the company is a legitimate company with a physical address.

We received a phone call from a Law Enforcement Agency in Las Vegas telling us a Moving Company was operating illegally and using our License Number. They gave us the company’s name and web address so we looked it up only to find that not only were they using our License number but they had copied our entire web site including pictures of our employees and put their name on the top.  This particular company came to the attention of Law Enforcement Agencies because they are ripping people off. Do not allow yourself to become a victim of one of these companies.

When choosing a Moving Company take the following precautions:
-    Make sure the company has a physical address NOT a P.O. Box and
NO ADDRESS at all should mean NO Business!
-    Their license number should be listed their site. Verify the number is valid and the name on the license matches the name on the web site. In California it looks like CalT-XXXXXX. Log on to the PUC web site to verify the number. (ICC number is an interstate number that can also be verified).
-    Request a certificate of insurance. The certificate will have a company name and policy number. Call the insurance company and verify the policy is valid. Companies have been known to forge these certificates.
-    Google the company name, what comes up? Check out sites such as Yelp, Merchant Circle and BBB. If they are a legitimate company that has been around for a while they should pop up in a search.

The company that stole our web site and License Number was Coaches On The Go.
Their web site has been shut down and the authorities are still on the lookout for them in California, Texas and Florida.  I’m sure they have changed their name and moved on to their next con.

Do not allow become to be a victim of one of these fly by night rogue or bandit moving companies. Take the time to check things out. The internet can be a great resource use it.

For more information check out CMSA’s article “Avoid Bandit Movers” bandit movers
Posted By:
Kim Tucker
All Reasons Moving

Tags: BBB, Better Business Bureau, California Moving & Storage Association, Choosing a Mover, consumer protection, cpuc, moving, Moving Tips, PUC, unlicensed moving companies

The PUC (Public Utilities Commission) classifies a Local Move as anything under 100 miles. If you are moving locally you will be charged by the hour. Rates are based on how many men are needed for your move and time is calculated in the following way for residential moves (commercial/office moves are calculated differently).
- how long it takes to load
- driving time is doubled so if it takes 15 minutes to drive from the old to the new place  it’s counted as 30 minutes
- how long it takes to unload

Beware of companies offering a “flat rate”. There is always a loophole. The only way to get an accurate “binding” estimate is to have the company come take a look at exactly what you have. The estimate is a not to exceed price but it could always be less because it’s based on time.
NEVER book through a booking agent on-line. Always use a company which has it’s own personal web site and physical address.

Remember to use the BBB web site, PUC web and and CMSA sites to check out any company you are considering. Yelp and Angieslist, Likelist, and  Merchant Circle are  good resources and places to read reviews.  But don’t just rely on those sites, check out the ones listed above, make sure their license is active and if there have been any consumer complaints filed against the company.

Tags: BBB, Better Business Bureau, California Moving & Storage Association, Choosing a Mover, CMSA, consumer protection, cpuc, moving, Moving Tips, Public Utilities Commission, PUC, unlicensed moving companies

All Reasons is now all moved into our new location at 600 E. Trimble Road in San Jose.   The move itself went very smooth thanks to everyone involved.

As a business we would be dead without our phones and computers. My advice is to make sure you hire reputable companies to install and test everything ahead of time. The people we used were absolutely great and it was plug in play on the day of the move.

All Reasons would very much like to thank those involved in helping with our move: Paul Fales at PSS Communications, Jeff Jonah at Absolute Electrical and Ken Easterby at SysteMacs.

We’d also like to thank Kathy Sturr of Inside-Out Designs for her help with paint selections and floor plan.

Tags: Choosing a Mover, moving, Moving Tips, technology

Do a Countdown
A good way to do this is to mark on the calendar the big day and X out each day till Moving Day.

Tell a Story
Books are a good way to start a conversation with your kids. Pick a book to read to your kids and then talk about it. There are several books for kids about Moving.
Here are a few that can be easily purchased on Amazon;
We’re Moving by Heather Maisner
The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Moving House (Usborne First Experiences) by Anne Civardi.

Personalize Boxes
Have your kids make labels for their own boxes and “stuff”. This can be a fun project and will help them to identify what is theirs when you get to the new house.

Being upfront with your kids about the move. Involving them as much as possible will make the transition easier and fun for them.
Posted By:
Kim Tucker
All Reasons Moving

Tags: Choosing a Mover, Kids, moving, Moving Tips, Moving with Kids, packing

There are many sites where consumers post reviews about companies.
Yelp, Google, Yahoo, AngiesList, AlikeList, YellowPages, Merchant Circle etc.
These reviews can be a helpful tool when picking a vendor.   BUT…   Beware!

Companies can easily have friends write reviews to increase their ranking.
Likewise, companies have been known to write bad reviews about their competition.

Both of these are unethical but unfortunately it is something that has been done.  These sites need to do more to verify information.  Business Owners have been complaining for years and many articles have been written about this trend. Yelp even had a class action Lawsuit filed against them. Check out yelplawsuit.com for more information.

The Better Business Bureau is the oldest review site around. Established in 1912, long before computers they were taking consumer complaints. With almost 100 years experience the BBB has established a system to ensure people are not making false allegations against a legitimate company. When a complaint is received the BBB verifies the information and contacts the company directly.

When you are selecting a vendor do your due diligence. Search the web, type in the company name and see what pops up. Read the reviews keeping in mind it is possible they could be skewed one way or the other. Don’t stop there, take another step. Check licensing, insurance and always check with the  BBB.

The following are some links you may find helpful when shopping for a Moving Company.

Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
California Moving & Storage Association (CMSA)Posted By:
Kim Tucker
All Reasons Moving

Tags: AngiesList, BBB, Better Business Bureau, California Moving & Storage Association, Choosing a Mover, CMSA, consumer protection, cpuc, Google, Merchant Circle, moving, Moving Tips, Public Utilities Commission, PUC, Yelp Lawsuit

All Reasons received a referral from a Real Estate agent to a client moving to Florida. We went out and gave a quote for packing & moving. Our quote was $3,000 higher than another company. The customer went with the cheaper mover. We received an email today from the Real Estate Agent reporting back that the “cheaper” company hadn’t included the $3,000 for the actual delivery in Florida and hadn’t included the charge for shipping their car.

The “cheaper” company is now higher than our original estimate.
Be careful when scheduling a job for a Long Distance Move (anything over 100 miles)

Facts about  Distance Moves:
- The way distance moving is charged is strictly by weight & mileage. Once the shipment is picked up the company weighs the truck to get the actual weight. That weight will determine your charges.  If an estimator under estimated the weight you will be charged more.
- Make sure to read everything.  If you requested packing. Are the charges for packing labor and materials listed? This should be listed separately on your estimate.
- Make sure it includes unloading into the home and setting all the beds back up etc.
- If you are shipping a car make sure that is listed separately with the appropriate charges.
- Always take out additional protection for loss or damage. Do not stick with the standard coverage.

Bottom Line!
- Never assume anything, get everything is writing. What you are told verbally is not binding
- If the estimate is way less than others you’ve received BEWARE.
- Always, use a reputable company. Check them out with agencies such as BBB and PUC. A simple thing to do is Google the company name, just to see what pops up.

Everything you own, everything you’ve accumulated in your lifetime is being loaded and shipped across the highways, you want to make sure it gets there safely.  A little due diligence in the beginning will keep you from being sorry at the end.
Posted By:
Kim Tucker
All Reasons Moving

Tags: BBB, California Moving & Storage Association, Choosing a Mover, CMSA, consumer protection, cpuc, moving, Moving Tips, Public Utilities Commission, PUC

In these economic times there is yet another bill that is going to kill more businesses and cost consumers billions.

AB32 is a California Legislative bill that is being implemented right now. Economic experts project this bill will kill more businesses in our state and cost over a MILLION MORE JOBS and substantially add to the cost of goods and services that we all need and consume. There is only short period of time to have a chance of suspending this bill. To do so will take a strong “grass roots” effort from the citizens of this state.

The California Chamber of Commerce study projects the following:
California families will be facing increased annual costs of $3,857 and consumers will be forced to cut discretionary spending by 26.2 percent in order to cope with the increased costs generated by the scoping plan.

The average annual loss in gross state output from small businesses alone would be $182.6 billion, approximately a 10 percent loss in total gross state output. This will translate into nearly 1.1 million lost jobs in California. Lost labor income is estimated to be $76.8 billion, with nearly $5.8 billion lost in indirect taxes. The decline in revenues will have a severe impact on future state budgets, the authors said.

Without going into all of the aspects of this “Climate Change Bill”, the effect on all industry will be extremely difficult with trucking suffering the most negative impact.

For complete study go to: California Chamber of Commerce AB32

Please sign Petition’s being circulated to suspend this bill. Completed petitions need to be turned in to the address listed on the document by April 15th.
Posted By:
Kim Tucker
All Reasons Moving

Tags: AB32, California Chamber of Commerce, California Moving & Storage Association

We received a phone call from a potential client wanting an estimate. During the course of the conversation she said  “My husband is a Real Estate Agent and he has a moving company he refers to his clients but this OUR stuff moving and I want someone better!”

I would think as an Agent he would want to refer only the best to his clients.  Hopefully, we can win him over and get his clients future business too!

When referring a company to  clients or friends you should have integrity. Think about this the next time you start to pass along someone’s name. Are they reputable? Are they licensed and insured? Do they have a good name in the community? WOULD YOU USE THEM?

It’s always a good idea to check out companies on the internet before hiring them. Just Google their name you never know what’s going to come up.  The Better Business Bureau is a good resource.

Tags: BBB, Better Business Bureau, California Moving & Storage Association, consumer protection, moving, Moving Tips, Real Estate, unlicensed moving companies

Doing a project on your home and need to remove the furniture?

A lot of people look to companies that deliver storage containers to your home. These companies advertise that the containers can be left on-site during the project.

Beware! This is not safe! If there is a container in a driveway a thief knows it’s full of  “stuff”.  We are hearing more and more reports of containers getting broken into and everything of value being removed. This type of crime is on the rise and we expect to see more of these containers getting broke into over the Holiday Season.

Our advice is to either keep your items in the house by moving furniture to rooms not being touched during the remodel OR remove everything completely to an off-site storage.

The service All Reasons Moving provides is: we come to your home disassemble the furniture, blanket wrap everything, load and bring it back to our climate controlled secured storage facility. After your project is done you make one phone call and everything is returned.

You’ve worked hard for your “stuff”.  Keep it safe!

Posted By:
Kim Tucker
All Reasons Moving

Tags: Choosing a Mover, consumer protection, moving, Moving Tips, Organizing, storage