An office move in a corporate environment is never lightly undertaken. Moving to a new facility disrupts your employees and causes slowdowns and delays. Having a (LINK) moving company that handles the (LINK) packing, transportation and other logistics efficiently is a great gift in a difficult time. Paying high prices for shoddy or dishonest work makes your corporate relocation a nightmare.

A good company's representative will walk through your corporation's facility with you, taking notes and asking questions. A detailed estimate of services and charges will arrive soon afterwards. A written explanation of the circumstances that might affect actual charges will be included. You should also receive a disclosure of your rights and responsibilities under the laws and regulations that apply.

Once you sign a contract with the company, they will likely provide moving boxes and large labels so that your employees or theirs may pack and label boxes and put tags or labels on furniture. Deposits will certainly be expected, but will not be outrageous; you will get a receipt.

The day of the move, trucks and movers sufficient to do the job efficiently will arrive. Their truck and uniform markings, identification and paperwork will clearly show that they are the company with whom you contracted, unless you explicitly agreed to a subcontractor. They will load, pack and secure your furniture, equipment and boxes. You will receive a full and accurate bill of lading inventorying all that is being moved.

At the new facility, they will walk through with your representative to make sure they know where you want the items placed. Your furniture and equipment will be located where you need it, and boxes will be stacked carefully in the spaces where their contents need to be. All items are in good condition, and boxes are not scuffed or dented.

Finally, the bill of lading will be checked to your satisfaction. Any changes to the estimated charges will be carefully explained and will be within the possibilities outlined pre-contract. When they leave, you will feel satisfied that your relocation was handled with the least mess and disruption possible.

That is the ideal. However, the opposite can frequently happen. Movers don't arrive when they are supposed to. Deposits are lost. The goods get on the truck and aren't unloaded until expensive extra fees are paid. Goods are damaged, and no recompense is made. You end up filing claims with insurance companies, reports with the home office, complaints with the Better Business Bureau and notes to yourself, wondering if it is somehow your fault.
To protect yourself from incompetent movers and relocation scams, start with the following:
● Know what you need done and what you want
 How many square feet of office are you relocating? How much furniture, equipment, etc. is in there?
 Do you have particularly heavy or fragile items to be handled?
 Do you have hazardous materials or animals to handle safely?
 Do you need storage or warehousing, etc?
 Would you pay extra to have each piece end up exactly where you want it in the new facility? To have some packing done by the company?
● Know your rights and responsibilities
 Find out whether and what regulatory bodies cover companies that provide moving and relocation services. If this move crosses state lines (other than within a single metropolitan area) in the U.S., your rights are protected by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's rules and regulations. Your moving company is required to give you a copy of their consumer rights and responsibilities brochure.
 Understand that there will be some flexibility in the charges. They can charge up to 10% or 15% more for unusual circumstances, more stuff than expected, etc.
Assign a trusted person in your firm to be the moving company's primary contact, and a second person to be their drop-dead deputy. Give that person clear directives and then let them handle all dealings with the movers.

If you allow price to be your prime determinant, searching for a mover on the Internet and choosing the one with the nicest website and the lowest charges, you may pay many times over in surprise costs and disrupted business. If your representative does their job well, explaining your expectations to potential relocation contractors, checking references and examining paperwork closely, you are likely to receive fair treatment and good service.