How to Choose An International Mover/选择合适的搬家公司

Get Personal Recommendations: Start by reaching out to friends, family, or colleagues who have moved internationally and ask for their suggestions.

• Check Online Reviews: Browse review platforms to see what other customers have said about their experiences.

• Verify Industry Associations: Look for companies that are members of respected industry groups like FIDI Global Alliance (www.fidi.org). Membership often signals a commitment to high-quality service and financial reliability.

• Confirm Certifications: Ensure the company has the necessary business licenses and certifications, such as ISO or similar, to guarantee their professionalism and credibility.

All-Risk Insurance: 

Make sure the company offers comprehensive insurance coverage for your belongings. International moves come with various risks, so having thorough coverage is crucial.

• Check the Details: Verify how you’ll need to declare your items, and confirm the rates for door-to-door insurance and storage insurance.

• Ask About Additional Coverage: Find out if you can purchase extra insurance such as Mold and Mildew, Pairs and Sets and Electric and Mechanical Derangement insurance which are practical and ask for the rates, some of which might not be free of charge.

• Understand the Claims Process: Don’t assume that filing a claim will be straightforward. In reality, it’s often more complicated, so understanding the process ahead of time will help you be better prepared if you need to make a claim under unfortunate event. And based on this, you can decide whether this insurance is the one you like.
  

Third party Liability Insurance: 

Many customers overlook checking for this insurance, not realizing that it can significantly protect both the moving family and the movers from legal liability if any damage occurs to third-party property and/ or if someone is injured during the move.

Quotes Benchmark: Reach out to a few different companies—ideally two or three—to get quotes. This will give you a good sense of the pricing and services offered.

In-Home or Virtual Survey: Reliable movers should offer to do a thorough in-home or virtual survey of your belongings. This isn’t just a quick glance; they should provide a detailed report that breaks down everything, including volume estimates, items needing special crating, any tricky handling requirements, photos from the survey, and any important moving notes, which would connect dots to the quote provided.

Know What’s Included: Make sure each quote clearly outlines all the services covered, like packing, unpacking, customs handling, insurance, and any extra fees. Be cautious of estimates that seem too low—they might leave out crucial services that you’ll end up paying for later.

Ask About Extra Charges: Don’t hesitate to ask about potential additional charges—how often they might come up, why they might be necessary, and what the price range could they be. It’s wise to get this information in writing, like in an email, to avoid conflicts. Because a moving contract might be formatted in general, special added comments such as an email can overwrite terms and conditions that only favor movers.

Responsiveness: Pay attention to how quickly and helpfully the company responds in the early stages. Good customer service at the start usually means they’ll handle your move well, too.

Personalized Service: Check if the company provides a dedicated move coordinator who can guide you through the entire process, answer your questions, and address any concerns you have.

Tracking Portal: Check whether a unique portal is provided to track your shipment

Who: An international mover might not have a presence everywhere in the world. It’s important to ask about their partners in the destination country, especially if you have preferences based on experiences—whether it’s a company you’d like to work with or one you’d prefer to avoid.

How and What: Find out how the mover selects their partners on the other side. What standards do they use to ensure quality service?

One Important Question to Ask: Does the designated partner offer credit to the mover you’re contracting with? Imagine this scenario: you’ve paid for the entire service upfront, but the partner handling your delivery claims they need full payment from your mover before they can proceed. This could lead to unexpected delays, so it’s crucial to clarify this upfront.

Ask About Lead Time: Get a clear estimate of how long the entire move will take, from packing and shipping to customs clearance and delivery to your new home.

Ask About Potential Delays: An “estimate” often means there could be delays. By asking what might cause these delays, you can better prepare and avoid surprises.

Payment Schedule: Understand the payment schedule, including any deposits required upfront, progress payments, and the final payment due upon delivery. 

Corporate, private, and long term contract clients might have different payment term.

Payment Methods: Check which payment methods are accepted and whether there are any extra fees for specific payment types (e.g., credit card fees). In China, using a credit card for a moving invoice is often challenging due to the nature of the business and the high transaction amounts. Additionally, the extra charges for credit card payments are typically quite steep.

Currency Considerations: For international payments, ask about the currency they accept and whether exchange rates or fees might affect the total cost, most international movers are capable to accommodate USD payment in addition to local currency payment.

Payment in foreign currency can bring you convenience in certain situations.

As technology continues to reshape industries, more companies are embracing it to boost efficiency and enhance customer experience, and moving companies are no exception.

Here are some key aspects to evaluate a mover's tech capabilities:

AI Supported Survey: Verify if virtual, especially AI supported survey (than a conventional survey)  is possible. Currently, some technology can help build content inventory with linked image or video automatically, it is more efficient, editable and transparent.

Estimate Application: See if you have a tablet equipped mover consultant who can offer instant volume estimate and related information during a conventional survey.

Digital Packing List: Verify if your mover can provide digital packing list, which is more efficient, organized, accessible, editable, and eco-friendly, rather of handwriting list.

Tracking Portal: Verify if your mover can provide with it where customer can upload /maintain moving related information and view tracking status of shipment. 

Initial Impressions: Pay attention to how you feel after your first interaction with the company. Were they professional, friendly, and responsive? If something feels off, trust that feeling.

Communication: Notice how well they communicate. Do they answer your questions clearly and promptly? Good communication is a sign of reliability.

Transparency: Trust your instincts if the company is upfront about their pricing, policies, and services. If they seem evasive or overly pushy, it could be a red flag.

Personal Comfort: Ultimately, choose the company and or that makes you feel comfortable and confident. If you feel at ease and confident in their ability to handle your move, that’s a strong sign you’re making the right choice.

获取个人推荐：首先联系已移居的朋友、家人或同事，并征求他们的建议。

查看在线评论：浏览评论平台，看看其他客户对他们的体验有何评价。

核实行业资质：寻找加入受人尊敬的行业组织（如 FIDI 全球联盟 (www.fidi.org)）的公司。会员资格通常表明公司致力于提供高质量的服务和财务可靠性。

确认公司认证：确保公司拥有必要的营业执照和认证，例如 ISO 或类似认证，以保证其专业性和可信度。

搬运全险：确保公司为您的物品提供全面的保险。国际搬家伴随着各种风险，因此拥有全面的保险至关重要。

• 检查详细信息：核实您需要如何申报您的物品，并确认门到门保险和仓储保险的费率。

• 询问附加保险：了解您是否可以购买额外的保险，例如霉菌和霉变保险、成对和成套保险以及电气和机械故障保险，这些保险很实用，并询问费率，其中一些可能不是免费提供的。

• 了解索赔流程：不要以为提出索赔会很简单。实际上，它通常更复杂，因此提前了解流程将有助于您在需要根据保险事件提出索赔时做好更好的准备，并且基于此判断此您可以判断此保险是否为您钟意的保险条款。

第三方责任保险：

• 许多客户忽视了检查这种保险是否存在，没有意识到如果第三方财产发生任何损坏和/或有人在搬家过程中受伤，它可以很大程度上保护搬家家庭和搬家公司免于承担法律责任。

对比报价：联系几家不同的公司（最好是两三家）以获取报价。这样您就可以很好地了解比较所提供的价格和服务。

上门或视频搬家评估：可靠的搬家公司应该提供对您的物品进行全面的的上门或虚拟搬前勘测。这不仅仅是快速浏览一下；他们应该提供一份详细的报告，详细列出所有内容，包括体积估算明细、需要特殊包装的物品、任何棘手的处理要求、全部或者部分重要的搬运照片以及任何重要的搬家说明，这些将与提供的报价联系起来。

了解包含的内容：确保每个报价都清楚地列出了所有涵盖的服务，例如包装、拆包、海关处理、保险和任何额外费用。小心那些看起来太低的估价——他们可能会遗漏您最终需要支付的关键服务。

询问额外费用：不要犹豫询问潜在的额外费用——它们可能出现的频率、它们可能需要的原因以及它们的价格范围。最好以书面形式（例如电子邮件）获取这些信息，以避免冲突。由于搬家合同可能采用一般格式，因此电子邮件等特殊添加的评论可以覆盖仅对搬家公司有利的条款和条件。

搬运全险：确保公司为您的物品提供全面的保险。国际搬家伴随着各种风险，因此拥有全面的保险至关重要。

• 检查详细信息：核实您需要如何申报您的物品，并确认门到门保险和仓储保险的费率。

• 询问附加保险：了解您是否可以购买额外的保险，例如霉菌和霉变保险、成对和成套物品保险以及电气和机械故障保险，这些保险很实用，并询问费率，其中一些公司可能不免费提供此类保险。

• 了解索赔流程：不要以为提出索赔会很简单。实际上，它通常更复杂，因此提前了解流程将有助于您在需要根据保险事件提出索赔时做好更好的准备,并且基于此判断此保险是否为您钟意的保险条款。

第三方责任保险：

• 许多客户忽视了检查这种保险是否存在，没有意识到如果第三方财产发生任何损坏和/或有人在搬家过程中受伤，它可以很大程度上保护搬家家庭和搬家公司免于承担法律责任。

合作伙伴是谁：你选择的国际搬家公司可能并非遍布世界各地。询问他们在目的地国家的合作伙伴非常重要，特别是你是偏好的公司还是想避免使用的公司。

选择标准：了解搬家公司如何选择另一方的合作伙伴。他们使用什么标准来确保优质服务？

一个重要的问题：指定的合作伙伴是否为您签约的搬家公司提供信用后付款？想象一下这种情况：您已经预先支付了全部服务费用，但负责您送货的合作伙伴声称他们需要您的签约的搬家公司全额付款才能继续服务。这可能会导致服务痛点比如：意外延误，因此提前澄清这一点至关重要。

询问交货时间：明确估计整个搬家过程需要多长时间，从包装和运输到清关再到送货到新家。

询问可能的延误：“估计”通常意味着可以有理由有延误。通过询问可能导致这些延误的原因，您可以更好地做好准备并避免意外"惊喜”。

付款时间表：了解付款时间表，包括任何预付定金、进度付款和交货时应付的尾款。公司、个人和长期合同客户的付款期限可能有所不同。

付款方式：检查接受哪些付款方式，以及特定付款类型是否有任何额外费用（例如信用卡费用）。在中国，由于业务性质和高交易金额，使用信用卡支付搬家发票通常很困难。此外，信用卡支付的额外费用通常相当高。

币种注意事项：对于国际支付，询问他们接受的货币以及汇率或费用是否会影响总成本，大多数国际搬家公司除了接受当地货币支付外，还能够接受美元支付。外币支付某些情况可以给您带来便利。

随着科技不断重塑各个行业，越来越多的公司开始利用技术来提高效率和提升客户体验，搬家公司也不例外。

可以考察以下相关方面：

AI支持的调查： 确认是否可以进行虚拟调查，尤其是AI支持的调查（相较于传统调查）。目前，有些技术可以自动创建带有图片或视频链接的物品清单，这样更加高效、可编辑且透明。

评估估算应用程序： 看看搬家公司是否有配备平板电脑的顾问，可以在传统调查期间提供即时的体积估算和相关信息。

数字打包清单： 确认搬家公司是否可以提供数字打包清单，这比手写清单更高效、组织有序、易于访问、可编辑且环保。

追踪平台： 确认搬家公司是否提供追踪平台，客户可以在上面上传/维护搬家相关信息并查看货物的追踪状态。

初次印象：注意您与公司第一次互动后的感受。他们是否专业、友好、反应迅速？如果感觉不对劲，请相信这种感觉。

沟通效率：他们是否清楚、及时地回答您的问题？良好的沟通是可靠的标志。

透明度：如果公司对其定价、政策和服务直言不讳，请相信您的直觉。如果他们似乎含糊其辞或过于咄咄逼人，这可能是一个危险信号。

个人舒适度：最终，选择让您感到舒适和自信的公司。如果您对他们处理搬家的能力感到安心和自信，这是一个强有力的信号，表明您做出了正确的选择。