• Office Moving Task List [PDF]
• 12-Step Hassle-Free Office Move
• Mover Screening Tool
• Vic's Hiring & Training
• The Whole Move: Avoiding Hidden Dangers That Wreck Business Relocations
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Ask about our Green Technology for your next move.
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| With a long tradition of dramatic records relocations, it's no wonder Chicago Title chose Vic's, and before you could say ShaaZam, the lateral file cabinets were in their new location, the contents just as before, nothing lost or mixed up. |
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Assignment: Protect these glass entry doors from damage during the move.
Solution: Vic's installs temporary protective device called The Mat-A-Door®. Move goes off without a hitch. Client and building manager happy.
Case closed.
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"Boxless" move saves pizza giant plenty of dough
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Vic's uses a Spider Crane® to move your lateral files safely with the contents still inside.
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Why hire a certified mover?
1. On Time for the Price Quoted - One of the biggest complaints about movers is they often badly underestimate move costs and then don't finish on time. Vic's clients benefit from our proprietary formula to accurately estimate move costs. By calculating the number of trucks and movers for how long, Vic's can base estimates on man-hours, volume, and logistics, and not weight, which household movers typically use when quoting an office move. As a result, the chances of your move completing on time for the price quoted is greatly improved with Vic's.
2. Minimize Risk of Damage - Through our certification training, Vic's learned the latest techniques to minimize risk of damage to furniture and computers, and is trained in extensive building protection to minimize risk of damage to carpet, walls, doors, and door jambs.
3. Minimize Downtime - There is a better way! Vic's understands that you can't afford to shut down operations during a move, and is trained in techniques to keep your employees working.
4. "Boxless" Moves - Only Vic's can offer the "boxless" move; we move your contents in the furniture not and the furniture. Remember, you may only coordinate one office move in your entire career and you'll either be a hero or a goat, depending on how it turns out. The physical move is but one of the many, many demanding tasks involved and Vic's clients have learned to rely on Kansas City's only Certified Mover to ease the stress with a professional, on budget, and “boxless” relocation. Call us today at 816-224-4678 to schedule yours.
Vic’s Moving earned its Certified Mover designation from the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI) in July of 2004 and is the only Certified Mover serving the Kansas City area.
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Vic's Hiring & Training:
It Takes a Special Person
Our greatest strength is our employees. It is almost impossible to get a job at Vic's and it really separates us from all the other movers in Kansas City.
Richard Bitterman
President, Vic's Moving
Hiring
Vic's hires no temporary workers. We are special in the market because of our no-temp policy.
Full drug screen prior to first day of employment. If you use drugs do not bother to apply.
Full background check of all prior employers.
Must past our mutiple choice personality test.
Only about 5% of those who apply are good enough to be considered for employment at Vic's.
Training
Complete orientation prior to first day.
Intensive new-hire training class covering "the Vic's way."
Each employee is mentored by a crew leader until proficient enough to be a second man.
"Training Tuesday" classes for all employees, old and new, cover important topics such as customer service, role playing difficult situations, how to minimize furniture and real property damage, and safety.
Weekly crew leader meetings make sure a consistent message of our expectations reach all employees.
Ongoing training by outside experts.
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"Make mine boxless."
"What on earth is a Boxless Move?"
A boxless move means no boxes to pack and unpack. Think about it this way; never again will you have to move the contents and the furniture, think contents in the furniture.
Vic's uses the Spider Crane® to lift and move fully loaded lateral file cabinets. Moving lateral cabinets fully loaded means you don't have to remove the contents from the drawers! No more unloading drawers and dumping the stuff into boxes. Get it? It's Boxless! And since you don't have to take everything out of the cabinets to begin with, there's no reloading cabinet drawers once you arrive at your new location. Files are neat and orderly just as you left them. No lost or jumbled files to fret over.
And when there's no packing or unpacking required, employees keep working practically up to the minute cabinets are rolled out the door so there's no downtime! Now isn't that a better idea?
The Spider Crane® lifts fully loaded lateral file cabinets high enough with suction to roll a specially designed steel dolly underneath. Cabinets lifted straight up suffer no torque damage and since cabinets aren't dragged or walked, torn carpeting is no longer a concern.
"But what about our desks?"
Space Gobblers™ to the rescue! Space Gobblers™ are inflatable PVC air bags. Vic's uses them to immobilize loose items inside desk drawers, blue print files, flat files. No packing, get it? It's boxless.
"But I need to move thousands of square feet of warehouse space full of small parts bins."
Space Gobblers™ to the rescue again! Placing Space Gobblers™ on top of small parts bin contents allows the entire shelving bin to be fork-lifted and rolled into the moving van. Small parts move to their new location undisturbed and accessible to immediately resume work.
A boxless move is simply the safest way -- and the only approved method -- of moving desks, flat files, and lateral file cabinets with the contents still inside, and only Vic's has it.
No packing. No unpacking. No disruption. No downtime. No damage.
No whining. No joke.
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12 Steps To A Hassle-Free Office Move
Introduction
1. What type of moving cartons will you provide?
2. How will you handle our computers and other electronic equipment?
3. How will you handle our lateral file cabinets?
4. How will you handle our desks?
5. How will you handle our library?
6. How will you protect the office building from damage?
7. How will you load the furniture onto the moving van?
8. What provisions do you have for contingencies such as a truck breakdown, an elevator failure, or the need for additional men or equipment?
9. What type of insurance coverage do you have?
10. Will we be permitted to audit your invoices?
11. Will you furnish a list of your last five office moves?
12. Last but not least, "mass walk-throughs" do not save time.
Introduction
The office is moving and it's your responsibility to choose the right mover. "Simple," you say. "I'll just get the phone book and let my fingers do the walking." Wrong. Unfortunately, you can't judge a mover's quality of service by the size or content of their ad in the yellow pages.
Did you know the forte of most moving companies is their long distance household division while their weakest area is commercial moving?
An experienced office mover knows that the difference between a residential and a commercial move is as great as the difference between night and day. Yes, many will get you to your new location, but will it be on time, within the budget, and without mishap? Unfortunately, probably not.
Your goal is to accomplish this move as a hero, not end up the scapegoat. So instead of playing "Russian roulette" with the phone book (and maybe your career), ask the building managers at both your present and new locations to recommend two or three moving companies. Property management people have extensive first-hand experience with movers and are as anxious as you to have the move be a success. Therefore, they are a great place to start your selection process.
Another avenue is to visit your new office building and ask some of the tenants if they would recommend their last mover. Perhaps your attorney, accountant, insurance agent, or other supplier may be in a position to suggest an office mover. Since they don't want to jeopardize their relationship with you, they will be careful whom they recommend.
After you have selected and pre-qualified potential bidders, take the time to meet individually with each mover's representative for an analysis of the move. Be certain you fully understand what will be done and how the move will be carried out. Get at least three estimates. However, if it's a large move, you may want to solicit five bids.
Have someone of authority (not just an information gatherer) from your company meet with each mover during the inventory process. Inform the mover about your needs and ask how he proposes to meet them. The same representative from your company should meet with all of the movers. During the initial walk-through or inventory process, determine whether you or the mover will be responsible for handling the movement of fragile items such as lamps, paintings, and plants. Identify any additional services such as the packing of common areas like the supply room or library, the balancing and bolting of lateral file cabinets, and the disassembly of modular furniture.
After the salesman completes his inventory process, set a time for him to return and make his formal presentation. At that time he should bring a list of the last five companies whose offices his company moved with contact names and phone numbers. Tell him not to furnish you with a list of references (which he naturally would pick and choose to create a favorable impression). If your move is very large, request that he provide you with a list of comparable size moves he has done in the last 12 months. Ask him to also present at that time his Certificate of Insurance, as well as actual pictures of the type of moving equipment he will be using on your move. Some movers have been known to simply copy pictures and drawings of equipment they find in other moving company brochures and represent it as their own.
The next step will be to interview your mover. Allow enough time for your mover to make his formal presentation and to answer the following questions:
1. What type of moving cartons will you provide? The best moving carton is between 1.5 and 2.0 cubic feet in volume. Anything larger could weigh more than 70 pounds when it is packed and be too heavy for your employees to move around safely during the packing stage. Beware--according to the National Safety Council, 75% of all workers comp claims nationwide are from back injuries caused by lifting. Return to Top
2. How will you handle our computers and other electronic equipment? The preferred manner is to first wrap each computer component with bubble wrap and then place the protected equipment onto a steel or wooden cart for safe transport. A new technique, using a device called a Comp-U-Wrap™, has all of the advantages of bubble wrap but none of the disadvantages. It’s faster, easier to use and more efficient than bubble wrap. Since it’s reusable, it doesn’t fill landfills. Another method that is very popular is to transport them in a large open box usually made out of cardboard. This is not as safe because they can crush when the load shifts on the moving van. Also, since the boxes are open on top, their contents are susceptible to water damage if it rains. Regardless of which method your mover chooses, do not allow him to “blanket-wrap” your computers with furniture pads. According to an article written in PC World magazine in September, 1996, Chuck Miller warns about harmful dust particles entering your drive and causing it to crash. Movers’ furniture pads are full of dust, dirt and fibers and, therefore, should not be wrapped around the CPU. Return to Top
3. How will you handle our lateral file cabinets? Moving companies that have a Spider Crane® can relocate file cabinets safely without disturbing the contents. This "boxless move" concept eliminates the risk of mixed-up or lost files and gives you 100% access to your files immediatley before and following the move. According to Steelcase, Inc., the Spider Crane® is the only approved method for moving their cabinets with the contents remaining in them. Moving them any other way, such as emptying the top two drawers and tipping the cabinet onto a 4-wheel dolly, voids the Steelcase Manufacturer's Warranty. Return to Top
4. How will you handle our desks? Here, too, is a clever invention for minimizing your downtime during an office relocation. Instead of shutting down hours before your move packing the contents of your furniture, movers can inflate a Space Gobbler™ into your drawers which immobilizes the contents so that nothing moves around and falls out. If your mover does not own Space Gobblers™, you must totally empty and pack the contents of all the drawers. Return to Top
5. How will you handle our library? Have the mover under your close supervision load your books onto book bins which look like book cases on wheels. This procedure, like the Spider Crane® and Space Gobbler™, greatly reduces your downtime because it gives you 100% access to your books immediately before and after the move. The Dark Ages method for moving a library is to pack the books into mountains of boxes where they can easily get mixed up. This system is very labor intensive and puts you out of business before and after the move. Return to Top
6. How will you protect the office building from damage? To protect carpet, a new product called Pathrite or Carpet Cover, covers carpet with a 6-mil-thick vinyl that has a light adhesive on one side. It has all of the benefits of Masonite yet none of the problems. It is easy to handle, store and apply. Where Masonite is very labor intensive and expensive to install, the vinyl carpet cover rolls down in minutes. Another new product, called the Mat-A-Door®, protects lobby walls, main entrance doors and the lobby side frame of a passenger elevator that is used to haul furniture. Return to Top
7. How will you load the furniture onto the moving van? You can immediately measure the level of sophistication of your mover if he uses the "floating" method for loading the furniture instead of the stacking method. The floating method keeps the furniture on the dolly on the floor of the moving van. It is fast, safe, and efficient. The old-fashioned way is the stacking method where the mover undollies the furniture onto the truck and stacks it floor to ceiling. This procedure (used on most long distance household moves) can cause considerable crushing damage to anything at the bottom of the pile. It is also slow and very labor intensive. Return to Top
8. What provisions do you have for contingencies such as a truck breakdown, an elevator failure, or the need for additional men or equipment? The best answer is that someone of authority from the moving company will be accessible during your move. Such a person should be an owner or the general manager. Usually, the salesman has no decision-making authority in an emergency or last-minute change of strategy. Return to Top
9. What type of insurance coverage do you have? John Shubert, president and CEO of Southern States Insurance, Inc., cautions "The one with the insurance often becomes the one who pays." You may be contingently liable for accidents if your mover isn't adequately covered. "For your protection, you should demand current certificates of insurance listing workers' compensation as well as general liability coverage -- $2 million for general aggregate and a $1 million umbrella," advises Shubert.
If you obtain replacement value insurance, don't think that it is a substitute for a good mover. This type of coverage normally does not cover valuable papers (your files) or recorded electronic data; and if you're put out of business while you're waiting for the insurance company to settle your claims, replacement coverage does not pay for your downtime and lost business. (Insurance companies have between 60 and 90 days to settle claims.) Return to Top
10. Will we be permitted to audit your invoices? A small minority of movers have a habit of billing for movers who are never on the move, i.e. "ghost movers." Will his company permit you to examine the payroll and cost records to verify all moving charges if you deem it necessary? Return to Top
11. Will you furnish a list of your last five office moves? Ask for a list of the last five office moves with contacts and telephone numbers. Call all five contacts and ask the following questions:
A. When did the mover move you? If the moves occurred more than 6 weeks ago, be suspicious.
B. Ask how well the mover protected their furniture, p.c.'s, and contents.
C. Ask if and how the mover protected their offices against damage.
D. Ask if the mover completed the job in the time allotted, and if the bill exceeded the prices quoted. Return to Top
12. Last but not least, "mass walk-throughs" do not save time. This "herd" concept has become very popular in recent years but often undermines the entire selection process. First, movers on a mass walk-through will be afraid to raise vital questions for fear of informing their competitors how they propose to do the move. The mass walk-through also encourages unrealistically low bids by intimidating those who participate into second guessing their competitors' bids. Finally, the mass walk-through penalizes those movers who are thorough and detailed, and, subsequently, slower in taking their inventory. In order to keep pace with the pack, they are forced to take shortcuts or overlook important details.
If you follow the procedures outlined above, you will have taken a giant step toward being a hero--congratulated for a job well done--and not the scapegoat for all the things that went wrong.
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This article appeared in The Washington (D.C.) Times May 16, 2002.
Van scams
By Tim Lemke
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The warm weather of May once again brings the familiar sight of people loading boxes onto trucks en route to a new home. But with the excitement of moving comes the possibility getting stiffed by a moving company for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars.
The scam often goes like this: A company gives an estimate of, say, $1,000, only to charge $4,000 later. Then it holds furniture and other goods hostage until the company gets its money or auctions the stuff off to the highest bidder. What's worse: seizing furniture is legal in most states because moving companies have a possessory lien on goods once they load them onto trucks.
Stories like these are common in states such as Florida and Arizona, where there are large numbers of elderly people, and the problem is getting worse in the Washington area.
Complaints to the Consumer Protection Division of Maryland's Attorney General's Office increased from 95 to 145 in 2001. So far this year, 33 persons have levied complaints. In Virginia, 148 persons have made official complaints in the past three years. Complaint figures for the District were not available.
Last August, Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. reached settlements with five area moving companies all owned by Bryan and Michael Funk, a father-and-son team. The Attorney General's Office collected numerous complaints against Discount Moving and Storage Co., Metro Moving and Storage Co., Metropolitan Moving and Storage Co., Mid-Atlantic Moving and Storage Co. and Nationwide Moving and Storage Co., all owned by the Funks.
The complaints said the companies charged consumers for insurance they never provided, and that the Funks did not have a warehousemen's licenses.
The complaints also said employees of the companies loaded furniture onto trucks, then demanded cash payments. If customers refused to pay, their items were improperly auctioned off, the complaints said.
Bryan and Michael Funk agreed to pay restitution and $20,000 in civil penalties, and change the way they operate. The Attorney General's Office did not release the names of those making complaints.
Moving companies and industry observers acknowledge there is a problem with dishonesty within the moving business.
"We represent about 3,000 moving companies that know how to treat their customers," said Joe Harrison, president of the American Moving and Storage Association. "But there are some crooks out there."
The U.S. Department of Transportation says it receives between 3,000 and 4,000 complaints against moving companies each year.
The General Accounting Office has been particularly critical of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the division of the Department of Transportation that has overseen the interstate moving industry since 1999, for showing little initiative in going after dishonest movers.
Only five of the administration's 760 employees are assigned to moving and storage issues, and efforts to create a complaint database and training efforts are more than a year behind schedule.
Industry insiders and consumer advocates say consumers often don't have solid recourse against shady movers. The agencies that oversee smaller, intrastate moving companies vary from state to state, and it's often not clear which agency collects complaints and has power to make change.
In Virginia, it's the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. In the District, it's the Office of Corporation Counsel. And in Maryland, it's the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office.
"Unfortunately, as much as we try to educate people, they don't always know where to turn," said Becky Bowman, Maryland's assistant attorney general in the Consumer Protection Division.
The Maryland legislature recently passed a bill requiring intrastate movers to deliver all goods and prohibiting them from enforcing a lien. The bill is awaiting approval from Gov. Parris N. Glendening and is expected to be put into effect by October.
Those within the moving industry say there are many preventative measures consumers can take to ensure they aren't cheated. The first, and most important thing to remember, they say, is to do customer homework.
"There are a lot of dishonest movers and there are a lot of honest movers," says Chuck Kuhn, president of JK Moving and Storage, of Sterling, Va. "It's important customers perform due diligence."
Ed Katz, president of Office Moving Systems Inc. and operator of the Web site officemoves.com, suggests talking to several moving companies and asking not only for references, but the names and numbers of their five previous customers.
In addition to checking references and past customers, industry representatives say it's best to make sure moving companies are licensed and insured.
Some even suggest visiting the company's headquarters, meeting employees and checking out the fleet of trucks.
Experts advise getting an estimate from the moving company in writing, and if possible have the company come and view what is to be moved ahead of time. And, don't choose a company based solely on price.
"For some reason, the customer looks at price only, and believes what they see," says Mr. Harrison. "Customers get themselves in binds, and aren't educating themselves properly."
Companies say it is important that customers be honest about what they have to move. All too often, customers will underestimate the amount they need to move, or ask that movers pack items when they originally said they would do it themselves.
If movers arrive to find that they must haul more furniture or do more packing than originally told, they may be forced to charge more than the original estimate
"The number one issue is clear communication between the customer and the business," says Mr. Kuhn. "There needs to be a clear understanding of what the customer wants."
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