Get moving quotes online - What do you guys think of this business idea? (cost, companies)

[PakBrain]

Originally Posted by tilli

I am trying to plan a local move and encountered the same annoyances.

Look moving companies, don't act like I can request a quote online but then insist on calling me. If I wanted to talk to you on the phone I would have called you instead of using the "online quote" feature. I would rather that you be honest on your website that you will have to talk to me on the phone instead of pretending that you do online quotes when you really don't.

I am counting big on this. On all existing moving quotes websites customers are facing this issue. That's the reason I have built a communication channel so that you can communicate with a moving company. A big benefit of this is it is something documented so that we can go back and enforce Service Level Agreements moving companies have with us when they promised you something and did not deliver or changed it later-on.

[PakBrain]

Originally Posted by RikkiTikki

Tilli, check this info published by the Florida Dept of Agriculture, Division of Consumer Services, regarding how local and intrastate movers are required, by law, to operate and provide estimates. Household Moving within Florida - Division of Consumer Services, DOACS

Most of the online quote features refer to interstate relocations. Unfortunaletly, like most virtual marketplaces, many of these online quote features are designed simply to collect your personal infomation so someone can call you.

I believe most of these online quote websites are run by brokers. They take your information, call you back to take precise information about the load (since consumers are not able to define exactly how much is your load using a form/webpage) and later pass it on to moving companies to get quotes from them or feed into trucking industry's portal to come up with a quote from some moving company to pass to you.

What I am trying to do is to provide consumers such tools like uploading pictures of rooms/load, etc. to help moving companies come up with a better quote

[PakBrain]

very inaccurate, you will end up screwing the customer, because no can tell you how much it cost to move with out see what they are moving.

Any one who books a move this way deserves what they get. !!! A very bad move !!!!

Technology has come long way my friend. I rep. from moving company in Australia can see pictures of what you have in your house in Alaska or do a virtual walk through if you happen to have a webcam/camera phone/wireless camera/you name it.

[RikkiTikki]

PacBrain, which has precedence - federal and state statutes or your service agreements?

If a consumer changes the scope of services of their move after an initial pricing estimate based on a physical, in-home survey by an experienced professional, or completion of a virtual inventory completed by an inexperienced, uninformed shipper, a licensed household goods motor carrier can choose not to perform the service if the customer elects not to pay for the changes they've ordered. It's the law.

Until changes are made to way that household goods carriers, move brokers or freight forwarders are legally required to operate, consumers are at risk of being taken advantage of or otherwise inconvenienced when they use virtual estimating tools.

Consumers protections are outlined in Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. Nowhere does it state it's OK to use a webcam to perform a move estimate.

[PakBrain]

My point is if you are using my service you agree to certain terms or you face a penalty (-ive rating for example or simply showing a count how many times you changed your estimate as a moving company).

If website terms say shipping company has to provide estimate and cannot change it or faces such penalties I dont see any issue. If they have a problem with it they will not sign-up.

How we make sure we still get companies serve customers is something I am still working on. One of the things might be customer agrees to certain flexibility if company finds additional stuff.

By the way how much an independent inspector would cost to go and inspect a move? Maybe having another type of user account on the website will work the best who would go to website, look for open moves, provide an accurate load estimate, and then we dont let moving company change it. It just popped in my mind

[RikkiTikki]

If website terms say shipping company has to provide estimate and cannot change it or faces such penalties I dont see any issue. If they have a problem with it they will not sign-up.

Bingo! That's exactly why the internet marketers, virtual advertisers , web designers and media companies who've tried this before aren't around anymore. You can't deny a customer or a company their rights under the law!

Suggest you read the current regulations regarding intra- and interstate HHG transportation before you spend a lot to time building a product that is going to cause participating parties to break the law.

[Gandalara]

Originally Posted by PakBrain

I am into online quotes business already (have three websites serving Life Sciences industry as ***MOD CUT***

Recently I planned for a move and found there are no websites you can submit your move information and get incoming quotes online to compare and pick a moving company online. Yes you can submit requests for moving quotes but everyone calls you. I dont want that. I want to have all quotes on one webpage I can see and pick mover by the click of mouse button or communicate with them online

For this purpose let's say I have a website called Best Moving Website (I own this domain by the way ) Now think about the following:

[ ... snipped for brevity ...]

Anything else I need to plan or think about?
***MOD CUT***

I'll be honest - I wouldn't use it.

I might use the web to figure out which 3 companies had the best ratings for customer satisfaction, but then I'd pick up a phone and call them to come to my house.

I want real live human beings giving me a quote. I watch body language and get first impressions. I want to see if they present themselves as business-like.

We're talking about my possessions and probably a large amount of money. It's not a "quick, do it on the web" kind of thing.

Just my honest opinion.

[PakBrain]

Nobody is stopping parties from changing estimates/prices. They can do so but we have own policies to deter them from doing so or they have the choice of not using our services.

uShip is successful for some reason (even when prices are being changed/updated). Even if parties are allowed to change prices I see a value of doing something like this although I would like to have only legitimate moving companies use my website and they should be kicked out moment they are out of insurance or their license expires

[PakBrain]

Originally Posted by Gandalara

I'll be honest - I wouldn't use it.

I might use the web to figure out which 3 companies had the best ratings for customer satisfaction, but then I'd pick up a phone and call them to come to my house.

I want real live human beings giving me a quote. I watch body language and get first impressions. I want to see if they present themselves as business-like.

We're talking about my possessions and probably a large amount of money. It's not a "quick, do it on the web" kind of thing.

Just my honest opinion.

Really appreciate your honest opionion; adds a lot of value to what I am trying to do.

Let me ask you this: If you submit a request for quotes on my website and get replies from 10 companies that have

- 5 out of 5 stars ratings from other customers
- dozens of positive feedback (comments)
- website providing you the insurance to cover up to, say, $500K

Would you still not be interested in using it?

[Gandalara]

Originally Posted by PakBrain

Really appreciate your honest opionion; adds a lot of value to what I am trying to do.

Let me ask you this: If you submit a request for quotes on my website and get replies from 10 companies that have

- 5 out of 5 stars ratings from other customers
- dozens of positive feedback (comments)
- website providing you the insurance to cover up to, say, $500K

Would you still not be interested in using it?

I would probably use the website (as one of many) to look at the ratings and feedback IF I could look at it without submitting a quote or registering or any of that nonsense. If all the feedback was positive, I would be suspicious.

I already have insurance, with a company I'm familiar and comfortable with.

I would still want them to come to my house. Anyone who would give a quote *online* -- without seeing my possessions in person -- is too iffy for me.

Another point - I don't own a video camera. I don't even own a cell phone So no video or pictures of my possessions to submit. And why should I do that work, when an expert will come to my house and figure it out for me? Where I can shake their hand and get a feel for what kind of person he or she is?

Hey, your idea may work. I wish you well. It's just not something for me