7 Reasons Not to Ask Your Friends to Help You Move

It is a common scenario that movers hear about all of the time. Someone moving to a new apartment in Miami looks over their small amount of stuff, calculates the short distance, and decides that their buddy with a truck is the cheaper bet for helping them move. This plan does not always go the way you plan, potentially leaving behind broken friendships and busted belongings. Understand the risks involved in having a “buddy” move and compare the outcome to what you get with a local moving company:

• The Time Investment – Your friend groaned when you asked him to help you move, not because of the few extra miles it will put on his truck, but because moving is a big time commitment. There is the packing, lifting and driving to consider, and that’s all before you even get to the new apartment. A moving company will make moving quicker, especially if they do the packing for you.
• The Assumed Debt – No matter what your friend may tell you, in the back of their mind you owe them big for helping you move. It is much easier to just have the cost right out there, and not have to worry about the way your friend will ask you to pay them back at a later date.
• The Safety Issue – Do you really want to be the person responsible for your friend pulling out their back, or dropping a piano on their toe? With a professional moving company, the safety of the movers is their responsibility.
• Passing Judgement – It’s one thing for your friends to hang out in your living room, it’s something else entirely to let them see the stuffed animal collection hiding in your closet. Movers are discreet, and won’t spill your dirty secrets over a good game of beer pong.
• The Cost – Once you tally the gas, tolls, and packing materials, you will realize that the buddy move really doesn’t save you that much money. Especially once you start to tally up the cost of a few six packs and pizza for dinner.
• The Damage – When you ask a friend to help you move, you have to assume that something is going to break. Are you willing to destroy the friendship because your Xbox was dropped as they make their way down your stairs? When you have items you really care about to move, you can’t afford to have an accident happen.
• Insurance – The last thing that a moving company has that your friends won’t, is insurance on your belongings as they are being moved. If something is accidentally broken by a professional, you will at least receive a monetary replacement.

It might seem like a good idea at the time, but take it from pros, moving and friendship should never mix.