Most moving horror stories start the same way: a low number on a phone call, a confident promise, and nothing in writing. By the time the truck is loaded, the customer has lost all leverage, and the mover knows it.
This guide is the checklist we would want a friend to use before booking anyone, including us. If you are still working out a budget, start with packers and movers charges in India. Every question here can be asked on a first call, and the answers tell you more than any advert or star rating.
1. Did Anyone Actually See Your Home?
A price given without seeing your home is a guess, and guesses are usually low on purpose. A low phone figure wins the booking. The real figure arrives on moving day, when your goods are half on the truck and refusing is no longer practical.
The volume of a home is easy to underestimate from memory. A loft, a store room, a balcony stacked with boxes, a wardrobe that will not come out of a bedroom door whole: none of these come up on a five-minute call, and all of them change the price.
Ask: “Will someone visit before you give me a final number?”
A good answer: a free, in-person survey of every room, followed by a written quote. A video survey can work for small moves, as long as the surveyor walks every room on camera.
A warning sign: a firm price over the phone, or a price “per BHK” with no questions about what is inside it. Our guide on why phone quotes change explains why.
2. Is the Quote Written Down, and How Long Is It Valid?
A spoken price can be remembered differently by each side. A written quote, built from an itemised inventory, is a document both of you can point to later.
Ask: “Will I get the quote in writing, with the list of what it covers? How long does it hold?”
A good answer: a written quote with the inventory attached, valid for a stated period. Ours holds for 30 days, so you can compare without pressure.
A warning sign: “We’ll confirm the final amount on the day.”
3. What Happens If the Final Bill Is Higher Than the Quote?
This is the question most people never ask, and it is the one that matters most. Every mover will say the quote is accurate. Very few will say, in writing, what happens if it is not.
There are honest reasons a final bill can move a little: a carton nobody opened during the survey, or a short extra carry the building only revealed on the day. There are also dishonest ones, like inflating the weight on long-distance moves, adding “loading charges” at the truck door, or charging for packing material the quote never mentioned.
Ask: “Is there a limit on how much the final invoice can go above the quote? Is that limit in writing?”
A good answer: a written cap. Ours is 5%: on the surveyed inventory, your invoice cannot exceed the quote by more than 5%, and anything beyond that is waived. Things you add after the survey, like extra items or storage, are quoted separately before they are packed. The 5% cap explained covers the details.
A warning sign: “Don’t worry, it won’t change much.”
4. Is the Company You Call the Company That Moves You?
Many listings online are brokers, not movers. They take your booking, then pass it to whoever offers the cheapest truck that week. The name on the website is not the name on the truck, and when something goes wrong, each side points at the other.
Ask: “Are the crew and the vehicle your own? Do you have an office in my city that I can visit?”
A good answer: the company’s own branch, its own crew and supervisor, and a named point of contact for the move. Relocate Xpress runs its moves from its own offices in each city, with its own teams.
A warning sign: vague answers about who exactly will arrive, or a team you cannot reach once the job is “handed over”.
5. Will Your Goods Be Listed, with a Declared Value, Before They Leave?
An inventory is the only way to prove what went into the truck and what came out. Without one, a missing carton becomes your word against theirs.
Ask: “Will every item be listed at pickup? Can I declare a value for the expensive pieces?”
A good answer: an itemised inventory at pickup, signed by both sides, with the declared value of each important item written on it. That list is what any claim is checked against later.
A warning sign: a single line on the receipt that says “household goods”.
6. What Exactly Is Covered if Something Breaks or Goes Missing?
“Everything is covered” is easy to say and hard to verify. Some movers say it to close a sale and never put it in writing. Others offer cover so limited that it pays almost nothing.
Ask: “What do you pay if something is lost, and what if it arrives damaged? Is that cover included or extra, what does it cost, and how do I claim?”
A good answer: clear terms, in writing. At Relocate Xpress, anything lost from your inventory is paid for on every move, and Damage Cover can be added for 3% of the declared value, so visible damage is repaired or paid at current value, your choice. The claim steps are written into the bond, and you decide with the full picture in front of you.
A warning sign: “Everything is covered”, with nothing in writing.
7. How Much Advance Do They Want, and When Is the Balance Due?
A large cash advance, or full payment before loading, leaves you with no leverage at all. In the worst cases, goods are held at the destination until an extra “release fee” is paid.
Ask: “How much do you need upfront, how can I pay it, and when is the rest due?”
A good answer: a small advance, paid in a way that leaves a record, with the balance due only once your goods are loaded. Ours is a 10% advance, payable by UPI, bank transfer or card, with the balance due after loading.
A warning sign: cash only, a large advance, or “full payment before we start”.
8. How Do They Handle Damage, and How Fast?
Damage claims are where a mover shows its character. Ask before you book, not after something breaks.
Ask: “If something is damaged, how do I report it, what proof do you need, and how quickly do you settle?”
A good answer: a written claims process with clear time limits. Ours asks you to report visible damage within 48 hours, mark it on the delivery receipt and share photos, and we settle approved claims within 7 working days.
A warning sign: no process at all, or a process you only hear about after the damage.
9. Are the Reviews Real?
Star ratings can be bought. Reviews that read like advertisements, appear in bursts, or never mention a single specific detail deserve suspicion.
Look for: reviews that name the city, the crew lead or the problem that came up and how it was fixed. A real customer remembers specifics; a written-to-order review rarely does.
10. Is There One Document That Holds It All Together?
Most moves go wrong in the gap between what was promised and what was written down. The simplest test of any mover is whether they will put their promises in a document you both sign before anything is packed.
That is why Relocate Xpress puts the quote, the delivery date and our service commitments into the Written Commitment Bond, signed by both sides before packing begins and linked to your quote reference. Ask for the full bond terms with your quote and read them before you book.
Red Flags on Moving Day
Even with a good quote, watch for these on the day itself. Any one of them is a reason to stop and ask before more is loaded.
- A new figure at the truck door. Extra charges for “loading”, “labour” or “packing material” that the written quote never mentioned.
- No inventory. The crew starts loading without listing the items, or asks you to sign a blank or half-filled list.
- A different vehicle or crew from the one you were told about, with no explanation.
- Pressure to pay in full before the truck leaves, or a sudden request for cash.
- Fragile items packed loosely, with no bubble wrap, no padding and no labels. Our guide on how to pack fragile items shows what proper packing looks like.
A mover you can hold to their word will not mind you checking. One that does mind has told you something useful.
Extra Questions for an Intercity Move
A move to another city adds days on the road, and more places for things to go wrong.
- Part load or a full container? A shared truck costs less but waits to fill; a dedicated container leaves when your goods are loaded. Our guide to part load or full container explains the trade-off.
- What is the transit time, in writing? Ask for a date range, not “two or three days, roughly”. Transit time on a long corridor explains what moves it.
- Can you track the consignment? Ask who to call while your goods are on the road, and how often you will hear from them.
- Who delivers at the other end? A company with its own branch at the destination can answer for the unloading; a broker usually cannot.
Our route pages list the distance, transit range and rate table for each corridor we run, such as Bangalore to Hyderabad, so you can check a quote against published numbers.
If Your Employer Is Paying
Company-paid moves and bank transfers come with their own paperwork, and a mover that does not know it can cost you a reimbursement.
- Ask what documents the mover issues. Most employers and banks want an itemised invoice, the inventory and the quote, often in a particular format.
- Ask whether they have done moves for your employer or bank before, and whether the bills were accepted.
- Ask for the quote before you submit it for approval, so the figure you claim is the figure you pay.
We handle employee relocation for companies and IBA-approved transfers for bank staff, with the paperwork those moves need.
If a Car or Bike Is Moving Too
Vehicles are where a vague mover does the most damage, because a scratch or extra kilometres are hard to prove afterwards.
- Ask how the vehicle travels. A covered carrier with wheel straps is the standard; a car driven between cities is not transport.
- Ask for a pre-inspection report, with photographs of every panel and the odometer, made with you before loading.
- Ask what documents to hand over, and keep the originals unless the journey needs them.
Our guide to moving a car between cities covers each step, and our car transport and bike transport pages show the rates.
A Short Checklist to Keep
- An in-person survey before any final number
- A written quote, with the inventory, valid for a stated period
- A written cap on how far the final bill can rise
- The company’s own crew and an office you can visit
- An itemised inventory with declared values at pickup
- Loss and damage cover in writing, with the cost shown upfront
- A small advance with a record, and the balance after loading
- A written claims process with time limits
- Reviews with real, specific detail
- Every promise in one signed document
If Something Goes Wrong Anyway
If a mover holds your goods for extra money, refuses a refund it owes, or disappears after taking an advance, you have options. Keep every message and receipt, then contact the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 or at consumerhelpline.gov.in, and file a police complaint if goods are being held. A written quote and a signed inventory make every one of these steps easier, which is one more reason to insist on them from the start.
When you are ready to compare, book a free survey and put our answers to the same ten questions. You can also read why customers choose us.
