Citimove Blog

Sometimes that low bid just seems too good to be true, and that may even be the case. Avoid hidden fees and charges with these helpful tips:

- Factor in your moving supplies! Most movers do not include these supplies in their estimate, meaning you must either purchase them on your own, or leave it up to the mover and pay a premium. Be sure you know what your mover can provide- some services, for example, charge for each moving blanket used, and this can add up.

- Know your travel time. Movers do their best when making an estimate for distance traveled, but you know your location best. If a mover places a bid and states it will take him/her 45 minutes to reach you when the number is closer to 1 ½ hours, be sure to let them know so they can bid accordingly.

- Take advantage of the additional info box! If you feel your mover should know something about your job, tell them! Often times a mover may become alarmed that you did not mention your doorway is 2 feet shorter than it should be, and you may be charged for the additional burden. Granted this is an exaggeration, but mentioning any details that can affect your move can only help.

Everyone has different needs. To ensure your desires are met, we have added a great deal of customizability to the site in hopes that movers and users alike will put these features to use. Customers will often suggest improvements to the site, though more often than not we already have such a feature in place. Learn the ins and outs of Citimove by reading these handy tips:

- Hourly rate or flat price? This question should be among the first answered prior to submitting your job. If you desire a flat price, be prepared to enter each of your items into the proper fields, and be as precise as possible. If you would like a hourly rate, accurately estimate the size of your apt or home and take advantage of the additional info box. It is imperative that you are as accurate as possible while filling out these forms- movers will charge extra fees for missing or incorrect items.

- Contact your mover! Whether by email or phone, contacting a mover can only help you. If you’re searching for a mover and have received a few bids but require more info, or you’re just curious as to what services a particular mover offers, contact them. Additionally, once you have accepted a bid, be sure to call your mover in order to straighten out the details and specifics of the job.

- Review your mover! Customer reviews form the backbone of Citimove; they protect the customer from being deceived and they allow movers to build up a respectable online reputation.

Sometimes customers on Citimove don’t give enough information regarding their move, and their rates suffer as a result. To avoid this dreadful fate, follow these simple tips to be sure your job submission goes smoothly and that you’ll receive as many bids as possible.

1) Fill out your moving information as best as you can. If you are not sure about the exact address of your new home, hold off on your submission- any alterations made to a flat rate job, for example, will result in the nullification of all received bids, so submitting false information is useless for both you and potential movers.

2) Use an alternate time if you can. This gives the mover some flexibility in terms of when they can fit you in to their schedule, which will allow you to receive a more competitive quote. Additionally, consider the “Any Time” option in your “Preferred Time” field; this allows the mover to choose the exact time of your move, which often has the same result as entering an alternate time (a lower bid!).

3) If you are looking for a flat rate, meaning you will have to enter all of the items being moved, be as accurate and honest as possible! Movers will charge extra fees for missing or incorrect items, so try to be as precise as you can while indexing your possessions, and use the Additional Info box for any small (or big) details you would like your mover to know- this will insure you receive a reliable bid.

Likewise, if you would like to receive an hourly quote, please be accurate in estimating the total square footage of the apartment or house, and be sure to take advantage of the Additional Info box! This box is the most efficient way to inform your mover- tell them relevant details about your home (ex. The hallway is narrow, I have a 1 ton safe that will need moving, please handle my faberge egg with care, etc.). As it says on the info box- “Include info on very heavy items, oversized items, very fragile items, narrow stairways or halls, stairs to get to service elevator, items that won’t fit in elevator, or anything else that may affect the move.”

4) Preview your move and be sure all your information is accurate and abundant- the more information you give the mover, the more competitive and precise the quote!

5) Lastly, if for any reason you need to cancel your job, please do so as soon as possible. Movers often have hectic schedules, so a late cancel can easily ruin their plans. By using all the tips mentioned above, you can be sure the bids movers submit will be both honest and low. Good luck!

For movers, becoming number 1 in the area is no small task. Aggressive bidding, some extra effort, and excellent service are vital to becoming a top mover. Here are some helpful tips that will help you men and women of granite, ye movers of might, rise in status and increase your rank on the site.

- Place realistic bids. If you don’t plan on honoring your bid, say sayonara my friend. Citimove revolves around mover reviews and over 80 percent of our customers care more about a reliable mover than a cheap one anyway.

- Bid aggressively, especially if you are a new mover. Being that new movers don’t have a reputation on Citimove, competitive bids are the best way to build a following on the site in terms of positive reviews. Once you have received a few verified reviews and moved up in rank, you can bid higher because customers are willing to pay a premium for reliability.

- Call your customers. Customers request phone calls for a reason- they want you to give them a ring and speak to you first hand. Calling a customer is a great way to lock in a bid, because you are taking the time to interact and speak to them firsthand.

- Ask your trusted customers to write a public review of you. Writing a public review is easy and helps to increase your rank, so be sure to establish yourself by accumulating these.

- Provide a customer with your great service, and receive a verified review. Verified reviews are the only way to quickly increase your status and establish yourself on Citimove- they are the backbone of our site.

- Consider a phone line. This will increase your visibility by adding an advertisement to the front page of your region, and gives users the ability to call you directly.

Face it- some moves are dreadful. A once quaint home can quickly transform into a deadly dust cloud, complete with strewn boxes and years worth of junk you’ve never even seen. It’s times like these you thank your lucky stars for movers, so you can sit back and marvel at the cat-like agility these men and women show as they maneuver through this newly created obstacle course. Many moves, however, a far less complicated- in fact, bribing a few good friends (well, not that good if you have to bribe them) and getting them to help you move is usually the most efficient means of relocating, especially if it’s a close move.

In cases like these, however, you will almost always need a way to transport your goods- after all, tying that 400 lb. armoire to your hood or walking a TV 8 blocks can really spoil your vehicle, not to mention your back. To avoid such mishaps, check out these trustworthy van and truck rental companies if you’re looking to move yourself out. (please select either “One-way” or “Local/ In-town” to begin the process, and note that each of these companies charges a (large) fully refundable deposit for all rentals!!)

Ryder: http://reservations.ryder.com/Reservation1cing.aspx
Ryder only has one location in NYC (Long Island City in Queens), and they operate from 7:30 – 5:00 pm every day but Sunday. They are somewhat pricey, but they charge $.59 per mile, which is great.

U-Haul: http://reservations.uhaul.com/(kegjtn55oq2mty3uo1koqh55)/Default.aspx U-Haul seems the cheapest, and with the additional boxes and rolls of tape they throw in with some of their rentals, they have offer a nice package. Be weary, however, of their outlandish mileage price- a whopping $1.69 per mile! Also, they default one dolly and 12 furniture pads when your checking out, so be sure to tick ‘0’ if you don’t want these (saving you an extra 17 bucks). Also, you cannot select a location from their site- “A local U-Haul representative will call you by 5pm tomorrow to schedule your equipment pickup at the most convenient location with available equipment,” so be sure you stick by a phone.

Penske: http://www.pensketruckrental.com/personal_rental/
Penske has a number of locations, especially in NYC, including Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. They do not operate on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, which is a bit of a bummer, but their trucks are very well priced and their mileage rate is $.99, which is reasonable. They charge for every 6 hours, so be sure to get the truck back by the allotted time if you don’t want to be overcharged. They also have great customer service.

Budget: http://www.budgettruck.com/default.asp?txn_typ=LO
Like U-haul, Budget also has a hand truck and (2!) dozen furniture pads pre-selected, so be sure to tick these off if you don’t want/need them (which would save you $36 per day). They offer a side-by-side comparison of each of their trucks when you click on the “More info” link, which is pretty useful. They also provide you with a total estimated price, breaking down each of your charges in the process. Their trucks, however, are somewhat pricey and they charge $.79 per mile traveled.

A few years ago on New Years Eve, I paid $150 to get into a club called Guastavinos for all you can eat and all you can drink. The club overbooked the place. So we waited on line a mile long for 3 hours in the blistering cold to get in only 15 minutes before New Years. By the time we got in, there was no food left. And only 2 bars, each with 1 bartender serving well over 1000 people for all you can drink. I left by 12:30 to go home and put something on my girlfriend’s frostbitten feet.

When I went to Citysearch to submit my review the next day, they promptly removed it. You see, the way Citysearch handles review is with a nice little ‘Request removal of this review’ link. Dozens of other people submitted reviews of Guastavino’s that day, yet all of them were taken down. Fortunately for Citysearch, they were the only free restaurant review site around, so at the time they could do what they want and not risk losing a customer.

Now Citysearch does not have all positive reviews on their site, and I’m sure they don’t take down every review that is requested, but they don’t have a review policy posted on their site, and they sure didn’t have any explanation for taking down my review.

I won’t forget my experience at Guastavino’s, but in my mind Citysearch is somehow associated with this bad experience. Guastavino’s really did a terrible job, but to be honest I probably wouldn’t have gone back there regardless. Citysearch simply took down a review, but they are the real losers in this experience.

You see, like many New Yorkers I loved Citysearch and would’ve been one of their biggest users and would’ve visited the site every day, but now I go there only when menupages.com doesn’t have my restaurant or sheckys.com doesn’t have my bar.

As the webmaster of a site that focuses on service reviews, I keep this experience in mind.

Taking down that bad review means you are associated with that bad service provider…

A lot of people have asked about our Click2Call feature which is not surprising since it’s relatively new technology. Click2Call is based on voice over IP technology. You know- the feature on AIM or Yahoo Messenger that allows you to call that special someone you met on MySpace in Australia for free. This technology also allows us to use the internet to connect two people together through their mobile or land line phone. It’s pretty simple to use too. Just click on the mover you want to call, type in your own number, and then wait for it… wait… there! Your phone will begin to ring. As soon as you pick up, we call the mover and conference you two together. Pretty cool right?

But you might be wondering, why not just list mover numbers? Movers don’t pay monthly fees to be listed on Citimove so we use this charge them for the business we bring to them. We think it’s the most equitable way to charge for our services. Of course this feature is free for Citimove customers. Click2Call is being used by many sites to replace the Pay Per Click advertising model for service provider sites because it’s better at preventing fraud. In order to be charged, the movers have to answer the phone and they can tell if this is a bogus call. Well we hope that this helps to explain this new feature and why it is being used. As always, suggestions from both movers and customers are welcome because we want to make Citimove as intuitive as possible for our users.

When I began my internship with Citimove I knew next to nothing about movers and the industry in general. My prior experiences mainly involved a good group of buddies, a hot summer afternoon, and copious amounts of beer; that was the ideal moving day. Speaking of summer, I didn’t even know moving had a season, though looking back on my life, it makes perfect sense. Practically every person I have helped move out chose the summer to relocate, and despite the steady blast of heat and streaming sweat, each one has been- dare I say- quite fun.

So now we are in this busy moving season and I am an official member of the elite Citimove squad- got my badge and everything. But here comes the hard part- I have to learn the ins and outs of this industry to be the best damn coffee fetcher I can be (though I work at home, so I suppose the only person I fetch coffee for is myself). In all honesty, I was given a great amount of responsibility with this internship; many of you have seen my star-studded name on your emails or have communicated with me directly, so this job is definitely not a joke.

Before I began I never knew a site of this nature existed for movers; I had never heard the bidding concept applied to a service, and this innovation is exactly what sparked my interest. After I began I started to learn a great deal about the sites workings, and, quite frankly, I’m impressed. And no I’m not just saying that for the sake of my bosses (hi guys!). I had no idea that so much time has to go in creating a site of this nature; every single thing has to be developed, tested, retested, and modified. Then often re-modified.

Now, Citimove has been around since 2003, so I am only experiencing this with new features implemented (such as this wonderful blog); I simply can’t fathom how much effort went into crafting something like this. I had never heard of a service where individuals can call one another while keeping their information private; I didn’t realize that administrative tools had to be created for every aspect of a site; I had no idea how long it took to come up with a respectable blog entry (j/k). We have been working hard to give you a site that works, and this process is far from finished; as with any exceptional site, actually, this process should never finish. So please, if you feel something needs improvement, shoot us an email; we’re always open to new suggestions.

Now where did I put that dang coffee…?