If you have ever fallen for a prank in school or your kids have been able to fool you, you can resonate with how terrible it feels to get scammed. You feel like a lesser person who didn’t check out all the facts and overall feel stupid.
When it comes to moving companies you have to be sharper than ever. The industry is full of scammers just waiting to run away with your deposit, throw you a fake truck, or even just not show up on moving day.
How to Know They are Legit
Here’s a few bullets of ways to know if your moving company is legitimate (so that you won’t want to put a bullet in your mover’s truck):
- Verify that the moving company is licensed and registered and not a clan of scammers. They should have a valid USDOT number issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- If you are moving a shorter distance within the same state, check if they are registered with the state’s Department of Transportation or Public Utilities Commission as they should be.
- Check that the moving company has proper insurance coverage for your home goods.This includes both liability insurance and transit insurance.
- Request the actual proof of insurance and make sure you understand in full the coverage limits and exclusions. Understand the down payment terms.
- Confirm the moving company’s physical address and office location. If the company only has an online website this is not a good sign.
- Expect the pricing of a good company to break down the pricing to be understood by average people. Request a written estimate that clearly outlines all costs, including packing materials included, labor rates by hour or task, transportation, insurance, and anything else should all be listed there.
- Put in the time to research the moving company’s reputation by reading reviews from previous customers and checking their rating with the Better Business Bureau. Google Maps is a good starting point.
- Look for green flags like solid customer service, fast responses to questions, and clear communication throughout the process.
- Ask the moving company for real references from customers you can call personally. Make sure it isn’t their cousin from down the street.
- Make sure you read the entire terms of the contract before hiring the moving company. Don’t just read through, make sure every single line is clear everything including pricing, services, pickup and delivery dates, times, and insurance coverage, need to be in writing or consider it non existent
- Read the fine print!
- You should have your personalized inventory checklist as well as the moving company’s written inventory of items to be moved to be able to cross check. Make sure to receive a written copy of the company’s inventory, and review it carefully to ensure it matches yours as this is what they are legally responsible for.
- Keep paper copies of all documents.
- Book simply on Moving APT and know we have already done all of these checks for you.
By following this checklist and conducting thorough research, you can help ensure that the moving company you choose to go with is legitimate and reputable so you will have a stress-free moving experience.
Classic Scams
- Be cautious of companies that provide unusually low estimates or quote prices that seem too good to be true. This could be a red flag for potential hidden fees or scams.
- They will try to lowball you so you think they are the cheapest option.
- Cash deposit demands upfront as a tell tale sign of a scammer. Once you have given them cash you have absolutely no way of making sure they actually provide a service and don’t just run away.
- If the deposit they ask for in cash is more than 10% you are almost 100% getting scammed.
- Keeping your home goods locked in their truck until you agree to pay unagreed upon fees.
- At this point you are basically hostage to their ways and will have to pay or take them to court to get your things back.
- Lack of licensing and registration is a classic scam we see with new guys in the market. They want to save the headache of government paperwork, so they just purchase a moving truck and start working right away.
- This will put you and your things at a liable spot if any of the workers get hurt or your belongings get damaged. There is no regulatory body to fall back upon.
- The “swap your out for terrible quality” technique is one many moving companies that are borderline scammers love to use. They do show up and get the job done, but give you a smaller truck, less workers, an untrained team, and overall just not what you agreed upon. This smells like a scam.
- When you try to get some money back for your troubles, the head office suddenly seems to disappear.
- The classic stolen items that “got reportedly lost in moving” is a big scam that can put you out hundreds of dollars.
- They will have missing items on their inventory list that won’t match up with your original personal inventory list. The discrepancy will be hard to dispute unless you have clear photos of all the items in your house and can prove things were taken.
Closing Words
When you are looking for a mover, not just take any old Joe off the street. You should be working with trusted and tried moving teams. It is worth shelling out the extra funds ahead of time rather than getting scammed later on by way of stolen, broken or damaged items.
Working with unlicensed movers as well trying to save can end up costing you much more in terms of lawsuits and later issues down the road. Moving APT is here to help you avoid all the scenarios discussed in our article. Don’t be that guy that gets one pulled over on him.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I create a personal inventory list of my home items?
Think of it as a sort of personal insurance policy. Your personal inventory home list will help you settle on a binding quote with actual number and a tally as well as be your own personal insurance policy if anything were to happen to your goods.
This list which should include pictures of all the items is your proof if your TV shows up at the new home with a giant crack that it was the moving company’s fault.
How can I waste less plastic when moving to keep it sustainable?
Moving really does tend to require lots of tape, cartons, and bubble wrap, but this doesn’t have to be an environmental nightmare. Where you can, replace bubble wrap with towels and sheets.
Replace tape with ties (but not too much), and see how you can repurpose all these items later on. If you wrap things in your mom’s towels, that’s one less towel you will have to buy for your new place!
How can I safely move extremely fragile special objects that are irreplaceable?
The truly special pieces with sentimental value I would recommend actually packing up in many layers of bubble wrap and towels and actually putting in your personal car if the option exists.
You can of course wrap these items and put them in a plastic bin with many layers of pillows, towels and more soft items and write “fragile” on top, but I think it’s better to play it safe than sorry. Tell your Moving APT team about your needs.
How can I help a family with young kids moving across the country?
Ask them what they really need. It could be a few hours where you take the kids off their hands so they can pack up the house in peace or even go out for a date night, or it could be a helping hand at home with the actual packing that they need. Ask them directly and don’t take no for an answer.
What is the best way to help a senior citizen move homes?
Involve them in the process! Even if they aren’t fully functional, having them feel empowered will do a lot for their self esteem. You can involve them in the process of choosing a new home, new area, or just in the small things such as where the local supermarket should be, or what day they want to move and feel up to it. Make sure to keep their stress levels low, take breaks, and keep their medicines in the essentials bag so nothing gets lost in the process.
