Avoiding Local Moving Company Scams

Most of you have spent a lot of valuable time and money collecting all the possessions in your house. You carefully chose furniture that not only matched each room, but reflected your personal style. You purchased items over the years because it would be too expensive to furnish an entire house with one paycheck. When you eventually find yourself having to relocate, you want to be sure all your possessions also arrive safely to your new destination.

This is one of the reasons you need to know how to avoid local moving company scams. Most of the companies are reputable and employ trained professionals. However, just like in every other business, there is always a bad local moving company that will tarnish the reputation of their honest counterparts. Learning about some of the more common methods used by dishonest moving companies will help you to protect yourself and your belongings.

Local Moving Company Scam #1

One of the most common tactics that is often used by a local moving company is overcharging you and changing the amount quoted. This always happens after your possessions are loaded on to one of their vehicles. In effect, they threaten to hold your possessions hostage until you are willing to pay up! A local moving company may be extra nice to you in the beginning to gain your business. They often quote you very low figures that should raise a red flag. If you compare prices and realize that one local moving company is quoting you a significantly lower price, I would caution against using them. Most reputable companies maintain fairly standard prices throughout the industry.

They may load up your items and then tell you there are a lot of other expenses that need to be covered that were never mentioned or included in the contract. Some companies will even add additional information to the contract without your knowledge after you have signed the document! They may even threaten to remove all your items from their truck and sell them if you don’t pay them the requested amount in cash. These crooks will often tell you that this is the only way they will be able to cover their expenses if you refuse to pay the full amount right there and then! You wouldn’t believe the difference in price between what you wee originally quoted by the company and what the actual movers may demand. This type of local moving company scam also includes quoting customers according to the cubic footage of their items, rather than the weight. This practice is not only unethical, but it has been considered illegal for interstate moves since 2005.

Local Moving Company Scam #2

A local moving company may also involve denying damage that the movers incurred during the move. Employees will vehemently claim that your items were previously damaged. They will maintain that the corner of your beloved coffee table was already dented before they even loaded the item into their moving truck. It can be very difficult to prove the condition of items after the fact. Reputable companies will use a moving checklist that includes not only an itemized list of all the items that will be moved, but also their condition prior to the move.

Be very wary of any companies that don’t do this precautionary check. Honest companies will have you sign this form upon collection of your possessions, and again upon delivery of them. This document makes it much easier for insurance companies to determine where the blame lies in cases of damage. A local moving company may swear up and down that the items were already damaged before the move if you end up having to file a damage claim. At this point, you will be very sorry if you don’t have any reliable documents to reinforce your case. In addition to completing the moving checklist, you should take an itemized visual inventory of everything you own before you start packing. Use a video camera to capture the items in each room or take as many photos as necessary. This will make it much easier if you have to file a claim. Your photos or video tape will allow insurance claims experts to see the exact condition of each of your items before the movers assumed responsibility for transporting them. This simple step may take a little more time and effort on the front end, but it can save you a lot of time and grief in the long run.


 

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