If you are reading this article, you have likely received several quotes from long distance Moving Companies. Some of the quotes you received were very expensive, some were affordable, and others seemed too good to be true, in other words "cheap." I have been in the moving industry for several years, and I will be the first to tell you -- If the costs seem too good to be true, it is! Especially in the moving business, based on my professional experience, if we all just made a decision based on quality and not price, moving company scams would be at the bare minimum, and you can avoid yourself from being scammed by movers. Choosing a mover based on quality, not price, is an excellent foundation. I would be lying if I told you that this is the only method used by moving companies to lure you in. However, if you receive $900.00-$1500.00 quotes and expect a service of legitimacy and quality, then run far away from that moving company. How do you know if a moving company is legitimate and not a scam? There are several ways to verify - This all depends on what you mean by legitimate. There are moving companies licensed and insured with the FMCSA (Department of Transportation) active insurance that appear on google, but that does not mean they are legitimate.
Is My Moving Company Legit?
Another way you can tell if a mover is legit or not is by cubic feet, the only way you can verify that is by understanding the terminology. Long distance moving companies bank on the fact that you do not know how to determine cubic feet. Cubic feet equates to volume, in moving you are charged by the amount of cubic footage your belongings take in that vehicle, so, with that being said, if you get a call from a long distance moving company, you have given them an extensive inventory list from your three bedroom home, and you were given a price of $2,000.00 -- Check the cubic feet you were quoted for, likely your price is "affordable" and "cheap" because the moving company low-balled your estimate, in the moving industry a $2,000.00 job is a minimum studio to a small one bedroom job, this goes back to the fact that if it seems to good to be true, it is. Remember that just because you signed a contract with that price does not mean your price cannot go up. Costs can and will increase because your price is based on volume. Come move day, when the foreman arrives, you will be due for a terrible moving experience.
Reviews
To verify whether or not a moving company is legitimate, you must check for negative reviews, often a consumer rushes the whole Moving process and falls in love with the advertised costs or pitch from that moving company without even checking for any negative feedback online from that moving business, common sense, right? Well, you would be surprised how many consumers have signed up with moving companies with 1–2-star ratings, do your homework!
Brokers
If you are chalking up a deal from a broker, then you are dealing with a shark; - brokers do not care about you or the moving company they ultimately sign you up with; they will do whatever and say whatever it takes to get you to sign up. The broker has zero accountability, if anything goes wrong it is between you and the mover, simply put the broker is a middleman. Brokers are like real estate agents; you don't need them; you can find a moving company yourself! What a broker will do is find a mover who is okay with that broker taking 40 percent of the initial cost, send the mover, and the mover will make you pay for it in the long run, avoid moving brokers at all costs; you can verify whether a moving company is a carrier or broker by going to protectyourmove.gov and inputting the companies DOT number, if the database tells you broker, RUN.
Form of payment
To avoid from being scammed by a mover ask about their payment process, if you are being asked for cash before the movers even arrive then that mover is not legitimate. So, If a moving company requests any wire transfer or cash up front that does not involve credit, they're not a legitimate moving company; they are trying to scam you. It does not matter if you signed a contract, ask yourself, "am I prepared to sue this moving company for my money back" a local police station cannot get the money back you gave to john doe moving and storage. Reputable movers will not ask you for any cash before loading your goods. If you follow all of my, advise then you will have a good experience; remember to judge your product based on quality, not price. This is your best possible chance to stay away from a shady moving company.
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