Moving is difficult, stressful, and may be quite expensive. Even if these problems are frequent, you don’t want to add more steps to a demanding procedure. Unfortunately, the moving industry is not exempt from persons or businesses frequently attempting to take money from you and defraud you. On moving day, you discover that the moving firm is unskilled and that the clients who promised outstanding service were compensated. You had assumed that you had hired a top-rated moving company.
Although false online evaluations are frequent these days, it’s not difficult to spot them. Here’s how to spot bogus moving reviews online if you want to avoid scams and pick a legitimate moving company. There are various good national movers that can help you. But if you got a fake company, you can recognize them by following tips.
The movers have poor reviews:
You may check reviews, online complaints, company information, the date the business was incorporated, and the BBB rating here if your potential moving business has a bad online BBB rating, which should raise serious concerns.
You don’t get a quote:
You ought to get a quote for the cost of your move before hiring a mover. To assess the scope of your relocation and the quantity of furniture you own, your potential mover should visit your home or flat. You will be given a written estimate following this.
Meeting with a few movers will help you lock in pricing. You probably have a con artist on your hands if a mover refuses to come to your house to provide a written quote for an interstate move.
You receive strange estimates:
Although it may be tempting to choose a low-cost moving estimate, we advise acquiring many estimates so that you can compare different services and costs. “Unusually high or unusually low estimations, compared to the other estimates,” is what a con artist offers.
A decent estimate rule is to “obtain written estimates from at least three separate moving companies.” This will enable you to compare the business, their services, and several quotes to make an informed decision.
Down Payments are very high:
The amount of the down payment required to reserve your move date is excessive once you have chosen to deal with a mover. The down payment, which will apply to your state-to-state move, should typically be several hundred dollars.
If your prospective mover requests cash, a sizable down payment, or full payment in advance, you may be the victim of a scam.
The truck used by your mover is unmarked:
A trustworthy moving business will never drive an unbranded, unmarked truck. Their van or truck should prominently display their business name, address, website, and phone number.
Your prospective mover lacks knowledge:
Moving professionals should be knowledgeable in all aspects of moving. They should be able to answer any of your inquiries regarding your move, local or cross-country. You want to know their policies about any problems with your belongings.
Ask them about their claim procedure and how they handle lost or damaged merchandise. If your prospective mover “looks uncertain or won’t offer you answers, especially concerning the claims procedure,” according to Keaton, that could be a red flag.
You don’t want to make the already difficult process of moving even more difficult by hiring movers that aren’t authorized. You must be diligent in your search for movers right from the start of your move. This entails speaking with and interviewing several movers, looking into their licenses, getting quotes, and more.
It’s important to keep an eye out for anything that appears strange, questionable, or too good to be true throughout this procedure. With any luck, this moving advice will assist you in keeping away from fake movers.
