Household storage and warehousing facility can be availed to store basic domestic household goods, appliances, furniture etc in a safe and secured storage facility. Such storage or warehousing facility is managed and offered by movers and packers companies in India.
Movers and packers companies in India not only offer packing and shifting service, but they also offer storage service, exclusively for household goods like TV, fridge, washing machine, furniture etc. Just to put things in perspective, storage and warehousing facility by movers and packers companies are usually for storage of basic household materials.
I want to give you a good overview of the entire process of storage and warehousing with some common precautions on how to find best warehousing service providers for storage of household materials.
Process of Household Storage and Warehousing
Process of household storage is almost similar to packing and moving; the only difference is when you are moving your household materials, the mover will pack and move it to your place. But for storage, the goods will be packed and moved to the warehouse, not to a new house.
It all starts with a survey. Movers and packers would like to conduct a free survey so that they can see what are the goods, how much of space will be required to store them and what kind of efforts they have to put in handling.
By handling I mean to say the efforts in packing, loading it on the truck, unloading in the warehouse and so on. Obviously you have the option to pack everything of your own, or ask the movers and packers to do the packing for you.
Only problem with do it yourself packing is you may not get it right and if the movers and packers company feels that the packing is not up to the mark, then they have to re-pack it themselves just to ensure that your goods are safe during the storage. After all they are accountable for any damage and they would like to ensure that goods are packed properly and it’s safe for storage.
Post packing, they will be loading those packed boxes on to the truck and take it to the warehouse for storage. Trained labors will unload all of the materials safely and store it in to the warehouse under the supervision of their executive or in-charge.
Some time people ask about private storage rooms, but mostly the movers and packers companies offer storage space on shared basis. That means in one godown, household materials of various customers will be stored. But you can always ask the potential companies you are evaluating about available options.
How to screen storage service providers before hiring?
Since storage is usually a long term contract and you cannot ignore the risks factor, it’s always better to screen and deal with the best storage service provider available in the town. There is no hard and fast formula to ensure that nothing will go wrong, but still when you are alert and know with whom you are dealing, life will be much easier.
Here are a few of the most common ways to screen and evaluate storage companies before hiring.
Always meet the probable moving companies face to face to discuss and understand their process.
Survey is important and don’t insist on getting rates over the phone because rate may vary when they will see your goods physically.
Make sure to visit the premises where your goods are supposed to be stored. This is essential and you should not ignore this.
Check all legal papers, license, tax registration etc of the company to ensure that the company exists and they are eligible for offering storage service.
Discuss about the insurance of the storage space and goods being stored.
Check for basic safety measures like fire fighting system, moisture, protection from dusts etc.
Make payments by cheque and understand all terms and condition before signing the contract.
Fix accountability for any damage or loss of goods.
Remember that the lowest rate is not always the best. Be practical when evaluating rates of storage services.
Listed above are some of the most common practices to evaluate and screen moving companies for household storage and warehousing services. There are good and well placed companies, but so are the bad ones. Just be double sure with everything in whatever ways you can.
Summary
Storage and warehousing facility can be used to store extra household materials that you can’t accommodate in your new house, or to store entire household goods when you are moving out for a few months. There may be other reasons to use storage and warehousing services.
It could be a life saver, but you can’t just go and hire a storage company without adequate screening and verification of the facts. So always compare a few options and be double sure that the company you are about to hire is fit for the job.
How do you screen movers and packers companies for storage and warehousing services?
