Movers vs. Brokers: What’s the Difference?

If you’re looking to relocate your home or office, you may come across both movers and brokers in your search for relocation services. At first glance, it may seem like the differences between the two are minimal. Both will sufficiently move your belongings from one place to another. When in the chaotic moments of a move, for most of us, this may be the only attribute that we look for.

Nonetheless, the differences between them reach far beyond the cost, and it’s important that consumers are able to distinguish between them when choosing a provider. Depending on your specific moving needs, choosing the company that quotes the lowest price without knowing if they are a broker or a mover can lead to a disastrous experience.

Operation

The most noticeable difference between movers and brokers is how they operate. When dealing with a mover, you are dealing directly with professional movers – the ones who physically move your belongings. They handle all of the details such as scheduling and staffing as well as providing the vehicle, packing materials and moving equipment. Here at Peachtree Movers, our professionals are extensively trained to handle various types of moving situations. So regardless of whether you are one of the 20.2% of all people moving in America for a job, or one of the 42.2% of people who are moving for housing reasons, our movers are skilled at providing solutions that would make the experience easier.

On the other hand, a broker is not regarded as professional mover because they are not directly involved in the actual service delivered. That means that they do not have employees that they send out to fill the jobs. Instead, their purpose is to secure service agreements and sell those service contracts to an Atlanta mover for a fee. Brokers do not own any moving equipment, nor do they provide services directly. In fact, many of them do not have a license to provide household goods transportation. When dealing with a broker, you are purely negotiating with a middleman, not the actual service provider. This, in turn, directly affect the outcome of the work and quality of the services rendered.

Estimates

One way to differentiate between a professional moving service and a broker is by the way they get their quote. Brokers will typically request a visual inventory of your belongings to determine how many boxes you’ll need. Many people underestimate how much they actually own and thus receive an inaccurate quote. The true price isn’t given until after the subcontracted movers write the real bill, and in many cases, the bill ends up drastically higher than anticipated.

Dealing with a professional service means you are dealing with the service provider who uses a more accurate method of assessing the the true cost: they send a specialist to do a personal assessment. At Peachtree Movers, we know how to determine the weight of different types of furniture, the amount of work involved and assess any potential challenges. That means that when you receive an estimate from a mover, you can be confident that it will be very close to the final bill- if not exact.

Liability

The most significant difference between an Atlanta mover and a broker is the security they offer in terms of accepting liability. Unfortunately, a broker is not liable for any damage or delay on the part of the actual service provider. Once they secure the service agreement with you and pass it along to the subcontractors, their liability ends. That means if any of your belonging are damaged or something goes seriously wrong while moving, the broker is most likely not responsible- even though the subcontractors will surely try to blame them in order to avoid liability themselves.

Working directly with Peachtree Movers cuts the middleman out so that you are dealing directly with the service provider. Movers are required to maintain insurance which specifically is in place to secure their liabilities. Should the movers become liable for any damages, the insurance will ensure you are remedied appropriately, Even more, there will not be any disputes over who is at fault or not. With Peachtree Movers, you will have peace of mind knowing that you are dealing with professionals, and should something go wrong, you are protected.