Moving Scams- How to protect yourself!

Imagine moving to a house and you're waiting for the moving van to arrive, it is a couple hours late. Beginning to worry finally you get a call on your cell phone from the moving company's cell phone:

Trying to hide the panic in you voice you answer,  "Hey how's it going?  Did you guys get lost?" 

"There's been a couple of complications with moving.  We can't bring your stuff without an additional $2500 fee," a voice you don't recognizes answer. 

Everything you own from personal photographs to furniture is more or less held hostage.  Depending on the type of person you are you may answer in confusion, anger or hang up and call the police.  Either way you are one of the many unfortunate who have become a victim to moving companies.  

Every year there are over 9,000 complaints to the Better Business Bureau about moving companies.  Whether they damage something, steal your belongings or try to hold them hostage, the prospects are frightening.  Moving is enough of a pain that the realities of these types of horrible things happening is overwhelming.  

You as the consumer need to protect yourself.  Go here to avoid moving scams, they will give you great advice on how to avoid telling a bad moving story later.  It will take a lot of work.  I have some pointers as well.  Choosing a moving company is one of my least favorite aspects of moving.  It takes a lot of investigating and time just because there are some bad seeds out there. 

The First Step is Prevention

Investigate potential moving companies, find the right moving company will take time, but a lot less time then if you have to deal with a bigger problems later. 

Reference- Try to get a referal from friends, family, neighbors, real estate agent.  If you have a real estate agent- this is one of the best people you can ask about which moving company to use.  Real estate agents are constantly dealing with people who are moving and probably are in the know to which companies are the best ones in the area.  

Online reviews- If you don't know anyone check out online reviews, google the company as they say.  A good site to check is movingscam.com.  If the company you are thinking about renting from shows up on this site, you will want to make a different choice. 

Call each company and ask about:

Prices – Charges for time and mileage. Also, inquire about special or additional rates for certain objects such as appliances or pianos.

Insurance or protection policies – Are they offered by the company? Is there a deductible? Are there certain conditions that the company would not compensate if your compensated belongings are damaged?  

Staff qualifications – How many years experience do the movers have? Do they have criminal background and drug checks before employees are hired?  Do they use equipment to use heavy objects or depend on their strength?

These are some questions that will start your investigation into the moving company you are considering.  If they are rude about answering these questions, imagine how rude they will be when you are upset if something goes wrong.  

Moving Company References

After you think you've chosen the right moving company, you should ask them for five professional references.  Call at least one or two of the references and ask how their experience was with the moving company.

You wouldn't hire someone to work for you permanently without checking their references, you shouldn't start not checking when they are only going to work temporarily for you.

Know Your Rights

Don't sign anything without reading it.  Seriously, I know contracts can be dauntingly long.  Just go home and take your time reading every single line.  The fine print is always what will get you in trouble. 

It is up to you, the consumer, to protect yourself from disasters when you have chosen a moving company.   You are hiring the company so if something goes wrong you will have to take them to court.  This process can be lengthy, expensive and sometimes inconclusive.  

When you pay do not pay everything up front.

Some companies will make you make a down payment when moving your stuff.  This percentage usually doesn't surpass 25% of your total costs.  If it is a reputable company it will not ask for more than that.  

Reward Good Moving Experiences

If the moving company does a great job- doesn't hold your stuff hostage, break anything or lose anything reward them!  It can be simple as writing an online review, volunteering to be a reference or recommending them to your friends.