Downsides of friends relocating you

Having friends that are willing to help you move is a wonderful thing. Moving is a stressful, costly, prolonged affair that takes a lot of work and help is therefore always appreciated. If you are moving away for good or for some considerable time, it is also a chance to say goodbye to your friends, as you leave them behind and move on to meet new ones. But, despite all of this, there are some downsides of friends relocating you.

What are those, and how do they measure compare to pros of having friends move you? Let’s find out!

Cons and pros

So, before addressing the downsides of friends relocating you, let’s look at upsides, the positive. It mainly goes like this:

Free – safe from a nice housewarming party and/or some refreshments.

Yes, this is pretty much it. Yes, there are benefits of spending time together, but that one is not necessarily connected to moving. You can do that anytime (before you move if your move is not local of course). We have to admit that friends, while they are good for many things in many ways, here mainly take up the role of free moving service.

When we look at their help in that context we see what they lack when compared to professional moving companies. Let us list them out:

  • Not professional enoughdefinitely a first among the downsides of friends relocating you
  • Don’t have equipment  – trucks, additional third party services, etc.
  • Don provides insurance – aka the thing that lets you sleep peacefully, knowing your valuables are safe and protected.
  • Time-table – they have all the time you are willing to pay them for.

This means that when you hire moving companies you can count on many things you simply cannot with friends. Now we will explain them in more detail.

Professionalism

First and foremost, friends and family willing to help will lack professionalism. Men and women working in moving services have made it their job to move people and their things. They have licenses, FAQ, helpful staff, positive reviews, etc. Be it moving services Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx… you will find professional moving companies ready to provide you with their services.

1st downsides of friends relocating you
Professionalism is something worth paying for.

Friends will try their best but will lack the skill and practice of professional movers. They will also lack the ability to make written agreements.

Also, let’s not forget that moving is not the disruptive process only for you. Your neighbors, old and new, will most likely be at least slightly inconvenienced by your choice to move. Professional movers can make sure they disrupt the neighborhood as little as possible by doing everything silently and quickly. However, friends can rarely be this efficient or caring. You might inadvertently start on a wrong footing with your new neighbors and lave a bad taste in the mouths of your previous ones.

Think about it, moving is stressful as it is. Do you truly want it to be filled with yet more anxiety and insecurity? You would be saving money but risking a lot. Let us see what else is among downsides of friends relocating you.

Equipment and know-how

Being paid professionals, movers will also have the necessary skills and equipment for the job. Most of all, movers are well acquainted with the management of logistics. Logistics are a necessary part of any move. They are a secondary activity performed both by your company and by the third parties hired by the company. Having trucks and moving them to your new location, finding parking space, moving heavy objects, moving things up and down the building staircases and fitting big furniture into tiny spaces.

Logistics
A lot of logistical considerations and equipment goes into a move.

All of these issues are among that mover regularly face and have tools and knowledge to deal with. This goes more than just moving boxes in NYC, moving boxes Staten Island, Bronx, wherever. We are talking about special items, like pianos, heavy wardrobes, french beds. You can severely damage these stuff with improper care. Do you truly want to risk it? Friends may be willing to help but they are not adept to carry possessions which require special care.

Insurance

This is what will let you sleep soundly knowing your items will be reimbursed as agreed in case of any misfortunate events on the road. If your friends are moving you, it is a fair guess that none of them have an appropriate transporting vehicle such as a truck. There is more of you, for sure. And split among few cars you can get the same tonnage, but your friends are not professional drivers, right?

Downsides of friends relocating you - a calculator and a paper
Insurance is very, very important.

Movers know how to transport your goods with the utmost care, both on the road and off it. However, unlike with affordable storage Staten Island, free services mean that the accidents are more likely to acquire. And, maybe even more importantly, should the accidents occur, you might lose everything!

Now, read the agreement carefully. Not all movers offer the same rate of reimbursement for the damages that occur on the road. Some offering up to 60% of the value and more, while others pay a flat fee based on the weight of the damaged good. Be sure to check this carefully. However, whatever they may offer, it is among downsides of friends relocating you that they, the friends, offer nothing.

Time

Finally, you have a matter of time. Volunteer work is naturally limited to the free time somebody has to give to your job. Your friends are not bound to the time you actually need, and this means that sometimes they may not have enough free time to finish your job.

clocks on the wall
Time is money, even if friendly help is for free.

If this occurs, you can easily find that, with all the delays, it would be easier if you just hired professional and done it in a day. It might even turn out to be cheaper! 

With professionals, you know that, even if it takes a long time, you will have services such as storage facilities Staten Island to help you out. They will plan everything on your behalf.

To revisit, what are the downsides of friends relocating you?

They will not grant you security and efficiency you need to complete this very important process with ease. Friends are good motivational help, but hire professionals when you are in need off heavy lifting.

Get Your Estimate

I can't say enough wonderful things about our experience with this company! The 3 men that moves us were so careful, neat ,fast, polite, caring. Not one nick on my walls! I was so impressed and highly recommend this company. Amazing people to deal with!

Elizabeth Majoris