Tag: Reputable moving companies

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General

Certificate of Insurance for Moving (COI)

Certificate of Insurance for Moving (COI)

If you’re moving to a new apartment or condo, you might hear from your new building management that you need to provide a certificate of insurance before you can move-in. In fact, many luxury buildings require you to provide a certificate of insurance (COI) for moving, which means you’ll need to hire professional NJ movers. NJ Great Movers provides our COI directly to the management team, but we also send it to you so you can keep it in your files. Even though you don’t have to worry about the COI, it’s still a good idea to understand the form.

What is a COI and Why Do You Need It?

A certificate of insurance (COI) essentially is proof that the movers you are using have insurance and are able to cover issues should something go wrong. It will list out the insurance the movers have along with the liability and loss coverage. This way, if anything happens to the building, such as a damage or injury, the mover’s insurance covers the cost of repairs or accidents.

Most reputable moving companies, like NJ Great Movers, can easily procure and provide a COI to your building management company. Although there is no standard for what a certificate of insurance should look like, most businesses use the form created by the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD). A COI generally includes the following information:

  • Date of issue
  • Information about the certification of insurance
  • Insurance agent or broker that produced/issued the certificate
  • Name and address of the business covered by the policy
  • Liability insurance coverage (general, commercial auto, umbrella, and worker’s compensation)
  • List of insurers
  • Coverage in dollars each policy provides
  • Description of operations, locations, and vehicles
  • Expiration date of insurance
  • Signature of agent, broker, or authorized representatives

While not all buildings will require a COI, if you live somewhere with a doorman or hands-on super, chances are your move won’t happen if you don’t provide one. That means you’ll have to scramble for last-minute storage space for your belongings and reschedule your movers. That’s extra money you probably don’t have! Even if your building says they don’t need one, it’s still a good idea to provide a COI just in case. Why? Because a COI also protects you!

As an example, let’s say you move into a building that doesn’t require a COI. You then move your stuff in but damage the walls and maybe even the elevators! Maybe you even get a parking ticket during the move. You will be held liable for these damages and have to pay for any repairs and tickets out of pocket. This could cost you thousands of dollars! There’s also the matter of your belongings. If it gets damaged during your own DIY move, you will have to cover the entire cost of replacement or repair. This can get costly if you own a lot of high value items.

On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about any of that if you hire professional movers. They will shoulder the responsibility for any damages done to the building and, of course, take care of any parking tickets that were for their vehicles. Your items are also automatically protected by something called released value protection, which will cover up to $0.60 per pound per item for free. If you want, you can spring for the more expensive full value protection. If something gets damaged, the movers will either try to fix, replace, or eventually reimburse you for the damaged items. Ideally the professional NJ movers wouldn’t damage anything since they are highly experienced and know how to maneuver tight corners and narrow hallways.

Even if you don’t think your building needs a COI, call up your super or building management company and ask. They will probably appreciate the heads up and most prefer their tenants to use moving companies anyway as it reduces the chance of potential issues in the future.

There’s also another hidden benefit of asking for a COI. It shows whether the company you chose is reputable or not. All legitimate moving companies are required to carry a minimum amount of insurance. The best moving companies provide more than that. For example, NJ Great Movers has the following insurance:

  • $1 million limit for commercial general liability
  • $1 million limit for automobile liability
  • $5 million for umbrella liability
  • $1 million for workers compensation

Asking for a COI early on in the moving process is a good litmus test to see how trustworthy the movers are. If they aren’t able to provide one or they only provide the bare minimum when it comes to insurance coverage, you’ll have enough time to look for other movers.

When requesting a COI always ask for a copy. That way you can also check the information. While most movers are legitimate, there’s always the chance you could run into a scam company. So even if they do provide a COI, it could be fake or not up-to-date. When looking at the COI check to make sure the name and address matches what is listed on the company’s website. Also, check the expiration date of the insurance to make sure the company is still covered. You should also make sure the COI is filled out exactly like the sample. Otherwise, the building will reject it! While most buildings will find these errors immediately, you can save yourself a lot of back and forth and potential stress by catching these things early.

NJ Great Movers Simple COI Process and Steps

If you work with NJ Great Movers, we make the process of requesting a COI as seamless as possible. With that said, you’ll still need to do a little legwork. Naturally, your first step is confirming with both your buildings whether you need a COI to move in and/or out. While you’re on the phone, see if a COI is needed to reserve the freight elevator. If that’s the case, let us know so we can expedite the process. You’ll want to reserve a time as soon as possible to avoid conflicts with other people. After all, you don’t want to waste an hour or two waiting for the freight elevator! After that, get in touch with your property manager(s) and get a sample of the COI and then send it over to us.

We’ll take over from there. We’ll send the sample COI over to our insurance company so that they can fill the forms out properly. Our team will also check to make sure all of our insurance has expiration dates after your move date and provides the appropriate insurance and coverage amount. Once we’ve double-checked everything, we’ll send a copy to your management company and to you. That way, if they somehow miss the email, you will have a copy on file. We do ask that at least a week before your move date you confirm with the property managers that they received the COI and that everything is in working order. Just in case, we’ll also bring a hard copy of the COI with us on the move date as there have been a few occasions where the security guard and/or doorman on duty did not have the COI we had sent on file. This way, we can prevent any delays in your move!

Our goal as professional and trusted NJ movers is to make your move as smooth and easy as possible. That’s why we triple check everything to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Thanks to our decades of experience, we can cover even the most complex building management requirements. Just let us know as soon as possible so we can get the process started!

Conclusion

Getting a certificate of insurance might sound daunting at first, but if you work with trustworthy moving companies like NJ Great Movers, we make the process as easy as possible. You can rest assured knowing that we will take care of everything come moving day and that if anything should happen, you won’t have to worry about paying.

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Moving Tips

A Few Ways to Avoid a Bad Moving Experience

How to Avoid a Bad Moving Experience

Chances are you’ve heard some terrifying moving stories from friends, family, or from the news. Hearing these stories can make you think twice about hiring a professional moving service. After all, how do you know they won’t try to charge you more money after they already have your belongings in your possession? Or what if they end up losing or breaking a bunch of your valuables? There are so many risks involved with hiring movers that it might seem easier to just do it yourself. Of course, this comes with its own risks as you might get in an accident, you could injure yourself, or you could damage your old or new building and have to pay a repair fee! It seems like there’s no winning.

Luckily, your moving experience doesn’t have to be stressful and you can avoid a bad moving experience. With that said, this will require some time and planning on your part. However, it’s worth the effort and the headache that you’ll save yourself. Here are three simple ways you can avoid a bad moving experience.

Check the Information and Research It

In this day and age, there’s no reason why you can’t look up the information on the moving companies you’re interested in hiring. The first thing you should do is look up the company’s website. Check to make sure they list basic information such as address, phone number, hours of operation, and so on. See if they have a fleshed out FAQ that provides detailed answers. If there’s hardly any information on the site, it’s a good sign that they either aren’t professional or they are scammers.

You should also check to see if they have the appropriate licenses to operate as a moving company. Reputable moving companies will list their Department of Transportation license directly on their site so you can easily look them up to make sure they are in good standing. Some states require additional licenses. For example, in New Jersey, movers will need to be licensed by the State Division of Consumer Affairs.

Don’t stop at the website though! You should look up reviews and the online reputation of the company. Check Google and Yelp for user reviews to check the moving experience from actual customers. You should also take the time to look up information on the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints lodged against them. You should also check in with family and friends if they have used the same moving service to get their insight.

Once you narrow down your choices, ask all of the moving companies for personal references from recent customers. Moving companies NJ residents trust should have no issue providing this information. When talking to the customers on the phone, ask questions! Common ones include:

  • Was the moving crew on time?
  • Were they friendly and professional?
  • Was anything broken/damaged/lost during the move? How did the company react to these issues?
  • Did you have any add-on services and what was your experience?
  • Were there any surprise costs?
  • Would you move with them again?

Clear Your Queries

You might have heard the saying, ‘there are no stupid questions.’ This is especially true when you’re moving. If you’ve never used a professional mover before or this is your first time moving, you should ask as many questions as possible. Don’t worry about being annoying. If you find out reliable movers, they’ll be more than happy to answer you. Of course, you can always check out their  FAQ  on their site to get a general idea in terms of pricing, cancellation policy, etc. With that said, if you really want to ensure they are capable movers, you should ask the same questions on the FAQ to the customer service representative to make sure the answers line up. Some scammers will copy the FAQ from reputable companies to fly under the radar.

If you’re stumped on questions, ask the following:

  • Do you have storage capabilities?
  • Do you provide packing services?
  • What is your rescheduling/cancellation policy?
  • Can you provide a certificate of insurance for my building?
  • Do you provide an arrival window?
  • What other fees might be added to my final bill?
  • How long will my move take?
  • Can you provide references?
  • Are my items protected by insurance while in transit?
  • How will you protect my floors/walls when moving in and out of buildings?
  • Is the estimate you provide binding?

Top-rated movers (like NJ Movers) will be able to answer your questions without any issues. In fact, they’ll be more than happy to volunteer as much information as possible so that you can feel totally at ease with your move. If the company you call tries to duck your questions or gets angry with you, do yourself a favor and find another one.

Make Sure They Have Proper Insurance

In addition to having national and state licenses, you should also check if your moving company has insurance. One of the many benefits of hiring professional movers is that they are held liable if an accident happens instead of you. While they will all do their best to avoid problems, there’s always the chance that something could go wrong. If you do a DIY move,not hiring professional movers you will be the one to pay for any damages. In some cases, you might not be able to move into your building if you don’t use a professional because the building management company wants to protect their assets from being damaged. Many of these buildings won’t let you rent out the freight elevator without a certificate of insurance. That means if you show up without one, you won’t be let into the building and you’ll have wasted a day and money on a truck rental. To avoid these issues, it’s best to hire pro NJ movers from the start.

While you don’t have to get too into the weeds when it comes to learning all about their insurance coverage, you should check to make sure your movers have:

  • Cargo coverage
  • Automobile liability
  • General liability
  • Umbrella
  • Worker’s compensation

Most buildings will require the movers to have at least $1 million in coverage for general liability, automobile liability, and worker’s compensation. For umbrella liability many buildings ask for around $5 million in coverage. You can check the mover’s certificate of insurance (COI) for the types of coverage they have as well as the amount. In addition to looking at their insurance, you should also check to make sure their policy expiration date comes after your move and that the name of the insured matches the name of the moving company you are using. Some scammers will forge or copy another moving company’s COI to appear more legitimate. Speaking of insurance, trustworthy moving companies also provide general moving insurance for free. . While it won’t cover much (it’s $0.60/pound of damaged or lost item), it at least shows that they take their job and your belongings seriously.

If you have a lot of valuable items, your best bet is to pay extra for the full release value. Just let your movers know if you have items that are worth more than $5 per pound so they can note it in their files. This step is necessary as moving companies can deny a claim if they didn’t know the damaged item(s) were extremely valuable.

Additional Relevant Tips

The above steps can help you weed out obviously bad moving companies from the start. Still, many scammers have become more sophisticated and the red flags might not be so obvious. Some other signs that you’re not dealing with a reputable company include:

  • Slow responses to your questions
  • Incomplete, incomprehensible contract
  • Large deposit or upfront payment
  • Prices are significantly lower than other companies

Not all unsatisfied customers were scammed. In fact, there are also plenty of occasions where a customer might misunderstand certain charges. IFor example, some companies charge a long carry fee. This is an extra charge for when the movers have to walk over a certain distance from the front door of your house to their truck. The distance varies and not all companies charge this fee. Another example is a materials charge during a move. This might pop up if the movers had to pack some of your items like vases, lamps, etc. that you did not pack.

Conclusion

Moving doesn’t have to be a total pain. Sure, you’ll have to still pack, clean, and purge your apartment, but there’s no reason you need to stress if you hire professional movers. We here at NJ Great Movers strive to provide you with a seamless and stress-free experience so you can focus on enjoying your new apartment.