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Move For Hunger and Olympia Team Up

Olympia Moving and Storage has teamed up with Move For Hunger to support The Ark. Our movers offer to pick up the unwanted, non-perishable food items from those who are moving and deliver it to their local food banks. Move for Hunger is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works with relocation companies to collect non-perishable food items, and deliver it to food banks all across North America.

What They Do:

As you may be aware, many people throw out a good deal of “stuff” when they move. Unfortunately, a lot of this “stuff” is food that could be delivered to a family in need rather than thrown away. By teaming up with relocation companies across the country, Move For Hunger is creating one of the nation’s largest year-round service programs.

What We Do:

Olympia will collect all unwanted, non-perishable food items on your move day. All boxes of food that we collect will be donate to The Ark which is a local, Chicago-based, nonprofit organization that aims to help in more ways than one! On average, The Ark provides food to 550 families each month. For more information about Move For Hunger visit them at www.MoveForHunger.org

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Industry Facts Shopping Around

New Moving Season, New Moving Rates

Moving season is right around the corner and most movers are starting to prepare now. The industry generally sees a huge increase in moving demand mid-March, which usually stays active until November.  With that being said, most movers have two types of seasonal rates: winter (December-February) and summer (March-November). Winter rates are always going to be cheaper than their counterpart. Most movers (us being one) honor winter rates even when someone is moving in the spring/summer. This means that if you’re planning on moving, explore options now and try to schedule with a mover within the coming weeks!

Industry Facts Shopping Around

The Value of a Detailed Inventory List

A detailed home inventory list is not something that most homeowners have readily available. Keeping a current record that’s updated quarterly is a good idea, especially for high-value items. Maintaining tabs on your belongings is beneficial when it comes to insurance claims and relocating homes.
We recommend this Home Inventory Checklist created by StateFarm: https://static1.st8fm.com/en_US/content_pages/1/pdf/home_inventory_checklist.pdf

 

When contacting movers in preparation of moving, one of the most important pieces of information they’ll need to collect is the list of items being relocated. In addition to the list in itself, if you’re concerned about your delicate/expensive items, a moving company will request an approximate valuation in order to quote you for FVP (Full Value Protection) insurance for specific items or even lump sum insurance.

Industry Facts Shopping Around

When Local Movers Guarantee a Price

Beware! Movers operating legally and under licensure provided by the ICC (Illinois Commerce Commission) are not permitted to offer guaranteed and flat-prices for a local move. Every now and again we come across a client that mentions something to the effect of, “..But X Movers quoted me exactly $500.00! Why can’t you guarantee a price!?” So, if it’s illegal, why do some movers do it?

There are two possible reasons:

 

  • A “mover” isn’t legally licensed to help people relocate within Illinois. Instead they advertise themselves on online classified pages. These guys are simply looking for work. Chances are they’ll show up with a truck, van, or even a rented truck. Since they aren’t licensed, your goods aren’t protected and covered by a movers insurance. If something is damaged…you’re on your own.
  • Bait-and-switch! A licensed mover can assure a customer that they will charge them a flat-rate of, say, $300.00 to move their 2 bedroom apartment from River North, Chicago, IL to Evanston, IL. Then the movers show up, begin the move, load the customer’s goods onto their truck, and BAM! “Hi, this is Frank with Y Movers. My crew is telling me that you have more furniture than we expected and that the move is going to take longer. We can no longer honor our quote of $300.00. We’re going to have to charge $700.00.” Well, what choices does a customer really have in such a situation? Not very many. The movers verbally told you they are offering a flat-rate, but in reality, on paper, and filed with the ICC, they charge hourly. You have to pay up, especially since your items are already on their truck.

The takeaway should be to double-check a mover’s reputation online, verify that they are licensed through the ICC, and not believe promises that other movers can’t make.

 

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