How to Avoid Moving Scams

Don’t Fall Victim to Moving Scams

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the primary agency charged with protecting interstate moving consumers. They keep tabs on criminals posing as movers, also known as “rogue movers,” who seek to take advantage of vulnerable consumers and practice on the fringe of federal law. These con artists use elusive, fly-by-night operations and tricky bait and switch tactics to scam consumers out of thousands of dollars every day.

The Set Up:

With the shuffle of planning, packing and preparation demanding your full attention, these scammers will attempt to earn your trust with low pricing and inflated promises of professionalism. They will hurry the conversation past pricing and will likely neglect to discuss the complete terms of service until your entire household is neatly packed onto their truck. This is when the price of the move usually changes. If you’ve not scrutinized the moving contract (or signed one at all), you’ll likely have trouble getting your goods back from without an excessive ransom payment. Some will demand a full payment or large deposit upfront. Others will wait to leverage your goods until they’ve arrived at your destination. Regardless of the tactic, you could going to end up paying more than you expected to get your belongings back.

Beware of Suspicious Bids:

Proper moving estimates are a key differentiator between criminals posing as movers and legitimate long-distance movers. A legitimate interstate mover, in many cases, should visually survey of all of your belongings and ask important questions about your planning, packing and delivery. Be critical of the details and perform some due diligence research and you’ll spot a scam long before you fall victim to one.
  1. The Low-Ball Bid You should always be suspect of low-ball bids from long-distance movers. If their sales pitch may seems too good to be true, it is likely missing some important details and could, very possibly, be too good to be true. Always insist on understanding the full scope of your final costs before signing a suspiciously low-cost moving agreement.
  2. The Volume-Based Bid Be wary of movers who quote your long-distance move by cubic footage of truck space and not by estimated weight. While this measure can be acceptable for smaller moves, interstate moves based on volume are considered to be illegal without a weight conversion factor and should be reported to the FMCSA.
  3. The Phone-Based Bid It can be difficult to quote a large move without visually inspecting the household and asking important questions about what you will be taking, where you will be moving and how you will be packing.
  4. The In-and Out Bid Like the phone bid, the in-and-out bid does not usually gather enough information to accurately bid a long-distance move. If you have an estimator, he or she should take adequate time to visually inspect every room in your home including closets, and ask important questions about your moving plans.
  5. The Handshake Bid Always insist on signing a completed moving contract before you let movers take possession of your belongings. Moving scammers are notorious for tacking on unplanned fees for packing, climbing stairs, heavy moving or additional weight at the last minute.

More Warning Signs:

Licensed interstate movers are required by law to adhere to certain regulations and standards of practice that make them more reliable and accountable. Keep an eye out for these common violations to spot a rogue move in progress.
  1. Rights and Responsibilities Federal Law requires that every licensed mover provide consumers with an informational packet titled, “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move”. This 25 page brochure provides you with information on fair practices, industry regulations and consumer rights.
  2. Upfront Deposit No reputable mover should ask for a cash or credit card deposit before they load the truck. If you are presented with such a demand, you may be dealing with a criminal mover. Be sure to clarify payment terms before you sign a contract.
  3. Suspicious Terms and Conditions Some moving scammers attempt to skirt the law with documents that only protect their underhanded interests. Some will present vague agreements that don’t sufficiently protect your property or payments. Others will try to confuse you by using complicated legal jargon, with words like ‘choice of venue,’ which appears to restrict your right to file legal claims. When in doubt, insist on having an attorney review the unsigned agreement before contracting services.
  4. No Valuation is Offered Interstate moving companies are required to offer valuation (or moving protection) to customers which is designed to protect customers and their belongings in the event of damage or loss. If your long-distance mover doesn’t offer this option which can, in some cases, be waived, you should consider this to be a red flag.

Protect Yourself:

With a little due diligence you can be certain that you are hiring a reputable moving company and avoid many of the unfortunate consequences of dealing with a rogue operator.
  1. Check with AMSA Start by checking with the American Moving and Storage Association. They keep an up-to-date list of Pro-Mover certified local and long-distance movers on file. Check with them to find a moving service or to screen a company you’ve already contacted.
  2. Check with City, State and Federal Regulators To be absolutely sure that a business is legitimate, you can check with city officials to verify their business license and address info. Additionally, you can check with the State Secretary’s office to check for up-to-date registration details and “does business as” (dba) aliases.
  3. Get References Ask each moving company you are considering for three local references with recent moving experience. Further check online for reviews with the BBB, Google and Angie’s List to be sure that they have a history of customer service success.
  4. Document Everything After delivery, you should note any problems on the mover’s copy of the inventory before signing it and must, within nine months — which goes by faster than you think — file a written claim for loss or damage to your belongings with your moving company. Your mover then has 30 days to acknowledge receipt of your claim. Within 120 days of receiving it, they must make an offer to pay deny or your claim. It’s a lot easier for them to deny it if you don’t have before-and-after proof, or if they didn’t see the damage before leaving your home.
When you choose United, you can be sure that you are receiving professional, long-distance moving services and not those of a rogue mover. Start your quote today and rest easy knowing you’re working with a reputable, certified mover to handle all of your belongings.

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