Questions to AskBefore You Hire

Quick answer: Before hiring any San Diego moving company, verify their license, confirm the full hourly rate including fuel and drive time, and get the minimum hours in writing. The questions below protect you from the surprise bills and no-show crews that generate most moving horror stories.

1. Are You Licensed and Insured?

Every legitimate California mover has a BHGS permit number and a US DOT number, and will give them to you without hesitation. Discount Movers holds CAL-T #201759 (BHGS) and DOT #4372335, and you can verify both on our legal resources page with direct links to the state and federal lookup tools. If a company hesitates on this question, end the call.

2. What Is the Full Hourly Rate, Including Everything?

Ask specifically about fuel charges, drive time, stair fees, and equipment fees. California law requires double drive time on local moves, and honest companies explain it up front. At Discount Movers the numbers are public: $119 per hour cash for 2 movers, a flat $75 fuel fee in San Diego County, no stair fees, and blankets, shrink wrap, and dollies included. Full rates are on our pricing page.

3. What Is the Minimum, and How Do You Bill After It?

Most San Diego movers have a 3-hour minimum. The important follow-up is how time is billed after the minimum. Companies that bill in full-hour blocks charge you 60 minutes for a job that runs 10 minutes over. We bill in 15-minute increments after the minimum, so you pay for the time actually worked.

4. Who Actually Shows Up on Move Day?

Ask whether the crew is employees or day labor hired that morning. Experienced crews work faster, damage less, and have done hundreds of moves together. Ask how long their movers have been with the company.

5. What Happens if Something Is Damaged?

Every licensed mover must include basic valuation coverage at no charge, and should explain their claims process in plain language before you book. Get it in writing.

6. Can You Provide a Certificate of Insurance for My Building?

High-rises and senior communities in San Diego usually require a COI before movers can enter. Ask whether it costs extra. We provide COIs at no charge and coordinate directly with building management.

7. Do You Have Real Local Reviews?

Look for a consistent record across Google, Yelp, and Nextdoor, with reviews that mention specific crews and neighborhoods. Discount Movers has been family owned and serving San Diego since 1997, with over 50,000 moves completed and 4.6 stars on Google, with 596 reviews in total.

8. Do You Require a Deposit?

The answer we would want you to hear from anyone is no. A company that has not seen your load and has not agreed a price in writing has no reason to hold your money, and a deposit taken early is the leverage that makes a revised price stick later. We do not take deposits in any form, and we would treat a deposit request from anyone else as a reason to ask more questions rather than fewer.

9. Is My Move Hourly or a Flat Rate?

These are two different products and the answer should not be vague. A local move is hourly: a crew rate, a three hour minimum, and the drive between your two addresses billed twice under California double drive time. A long distance move is one flat rate agreed in writing before anything is loaded, so the number you agree is the number you pay.

If a company quotes a long distance move hourly, ask what happens when the truck sits in traffic in another state. If it quotes a local move flat without seeing the load, ask what happens when the load is bigger than described.

10. Is the Delivery a Date or a Window?

On a long distance move this is the question that separates a carrier from a broker. We give a date, from simple arithmetic: about 550 miles a day counted from the day after we load, and same day delivery for anything within 200 miles, which includes Los Angeles. A two week window usually means the load has not been placed with a driver yet.

Get Straight Answers

Call us at (858) 490-0155 and ask every one of these questions. We are happy to answer all of them, and the free estimate takes just a few minutes. You can also size your crew instantly with our crew calculator.