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- It isn’t licensed through the FMCSA. Did you know there is a federal agency that tracks and regulates the trucking industry? It’s called the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and it keeps tabs on the moving industry because moving companies use trucks.
- It charges customers more money than they agreed to. If most customers report that a moving company charged them far more money than they agreed to, it could mean the company is a scam.
- It claims to charge by cubic foot. This is actually one of the most common moving scams. Reputable moving companies (especially interstate movers) charge you based on the weight of your shipment, not how many cubic feet of space it would take up in a moving truck.
- It asks you to pay or sign a moving contract before it does an in-home estimate. Real moving companies won’t ask you to sign anything or pay them a dime until they do an in-home estimate to accurately assess how much your shipment will weigh.
- Big Warning Signs of A Scam
- Characteristics of A Legitimate Moving Company
- Moving Companies You Can Trust Are Waldo Verified!
They’re website is unprofessional
The average moving company today conducts business using its official website. The website is the medium through which they advertise their services, connect with customers, and offer clients quotes. Website quality matters which is why serious and legit moving companies invest in their website to make it modern and professional. One way to tell a moving company fraud is to examine the quality of the website. If it is poor or contains vague or incomplete information, you might want to look el...
They’re only advertised on Craigslist, Kijiji or Marketplace
Serious companies may use websites like Kijiji, but they transact business from start to finish through their official website. Public platforms are only used to expand their reach, but they are not their official outlet to the world. If the company you are talking to is only visible on some of these platforms, this is a sign that the company may be a scam.
They Only Accept Cash, e-Transfer or PayPal
Fraudulent movers only accept cash, e-Transfer or PayPal. They don’t accept card payments because they know that could lead to the authorities tracing the transaction back to them. That is not to say that all companies that accept cash are frauds. However, transparent companies do give clients different payment options to make the payment process as stress-free as possible, not only cash payments.
There are certain characteristics of a legitimate moving company that you should be aware of. If you see a few or more of these characteristics, then you know that you are dealing with a legitimate business.
At MovingWaldo, we select the best moving companies based on our rigorous Waldo Verifiedprocess. This includes a thorough assessment of the company owner’s experience, credentials, and overall credibility. As part of our evaluation, we also carefully scrutinize the company’s insurance certificates to confirm that they meet our minimum requirements ...
Jun 30, 2020 · Consumers can read movers’ customer complaints and reviews to look for overcharging and delivery problems. BBB works to filter out fake reviews. BBB Accredited movers agree to adhere to ...
Apr 19, 2024 · April 19, 2024. (Getty Images) Moving is always a stressful project. Throw in the threat of a moving scam, and things get even worse. Before hiring a moving company, careful research is...
- Odd Deposit Practices. It’s a common practice in the relocation field to put down a deposit to reserve your moving date. Typically, this is fine. However, a bad moving company or prospective moving scam might ask you for some weird things or manage things in a strange way.
- Describing Themselves as Movers, When They’re Really Brokers. When you’re planning your move, at some point you’ll need to decide whether you want to work with movers or brokers.
- You Find Out that Your Movers Have Changed Their Business Name – A Lot. This is another grey area, because there are very reputable movers who change their company names on a yearly basis simply because that’s what’s best for their company.
- Your Moving Company Hits You With a Lot of Random Extra Fees. Your moving company should be able to keep your pricing structure relatively simple: They’ll bid you a price per mile or a lump sum based on the mileage of your relocation project, and update the cost if necessary (e.g., if you had any particularly bulky or fragile items, or if you needed custom crating, or anything like that) at the end.
Jun 19, 2024 · Learn to spot moving scams: review positive reviews, ensure insurance coverage, check associations, demand quality service and transparent contracts. The packing, moving, and unpacking of your belongings during the relocating process can be chaotic, tiring, and stressful.
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May 10, 2022 · The best protection against moving scams is to be a well-informed consumer who does their homework every step of the way. Here is the rundown on the most common types of moving scams, the red flags to watch out for, tips on how to protect yourself and how to report a company.
