When you move, you need to be careful. You are in a vulnerable position and you need to choose your movers wisely. We cover some of the unfortunate events around the country and post them here to help you make the right decision when choosing a moving company.
Cheap Is Really Not So Cheap
Here is a common tactic used by unscrupulous moving companies. This story comes out of San Jose.
According to the article “employees would pitch a price and then add in undisclosed fees for packing and packaging supplies that would often double or triple the bill”. You will often find great offers advertised by moving companies. When you see them, they are almost always not what they seem to be. When the price is too good to be true, then you can bet that there will be some hidden fees or game playing involved. Watch out for these too-good-to-be-true prices.
Why take the risk? You can read more about it here.
The Pink Purse
Here is anther story about some missing jewelry. As it turned out, the jewelery was stolen during the move. How did the woman find out? The moving company was found in possession of one of her rings! When you are moving, you should always keep small items like jewelry with you. There is no need to load a purse with valuable jewels in a moving van. Even the best moving company may have an employee that cannot resist looking through a pink purse. You should have high expectations, but you should also take steps to ensure your valuable belongings are not stolen. Small valuable items are better left off the moving truck. Read more here.
The Government Wants To Help
According to the Wall Street Journal, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced the launch of its new moving fraud prevention campaign. Read more here.
The government has a website that is dedicated to protecting movers from various scams. It is called Protect Your Move. There are is some good information on the site and it is well worth checking out. There is a good page on movers vs. brokers. Many people are not aware that they are talking to brokers instead of movers when they call some moving companies that advertise on the web and other places. You should always ask. Then choose a reputable local mover 😉
Choose Your Movers Wisely
As always, there are steps you can take to ensure that your move will be as stress free as possible. We have written a number of posts on moving scams so that you can see what goes on and make the right decisions.
