A closer look at moving franchises

Large moving franchises are a major competitor to privately owned moving companies. When you’re going through the process of choosing a moving company, it’s helpful to know the advantages and disadvantages of each. In this post we’ll cover the advantages and disadvantages of working with a moving franchise.

Moving Franchise Advantages:

• Major van lines are liable for the actions of their agents, which means that there is insurance in place for the long distance portion of your move. Please note that a franchise’s insurance does not cover your moving and storing shipments locally.
• Franchises have agents around the country that can help provide labor for delivery, which tends to increase job efficiency.
• Franchises have a strong incentive to make sure their drivers are well qualified in all aspects of safety, drug free and screened properly for interstate driving. Many smaller/private moving companies try to provide interstate moves, but they aren’t necessarily qualified.

Moving Franchise Disadvantages:

• Because they are large decentralized businesses, franchises often have very little control over their agents.
• The agent booking the job does not always perform the service of a major van line system. A different agent, the franchise itself or the booking agent may provide it. This can complicate a service that may require special service or specific loading and delivery dates.
• It is hard to differentiate a good agent for a van line from a less qualified agent.
• You usually do not get the opportunity to communicate directly with the franchise. A moving franchisee is no different than any other large corporation. Prepared to deal with automated attendants and series of customer service representatives before you get a satisfactory answer.
• Some franchise agents defer to an agent at the final destination to handle a problem. Sadly, the agent at the final destination has no relationship with a particular customer and is not compensated to provide such services. This can result in below-average service.

As we always stress in these posts, do your research before making a final decision on hiring a moving company. The work you put into research will save you time, stress and headaches when the time comes for your move.