How to avoid moving scams?

Moving scams are everywhere. One of the worst nightmares for people who are preparing for a big change. Whether we are talking about moving your business or it’s a residential relocation. One should prepare for a lot of false advertising or unreliable companies. That is why you need to catches all the catches before packing. Stay alert and pay attention to small details that will reveal more than it meets the eyes. You need to be sure that the company has all the papers and good reviews. Of course, if the company is reliable and professional, you can have packing tips by the pros as well. All that is easy to check, keep reading and see how to avoid moving scams.

If there’s a lot of bad reviews, skip it and avoid moving scams

When doing relocation, you have to be sure that there are no moving scams. Most of the people relocate once or twice in their lifetime, so prepare. You want to have a reliable Tennessee moving company since you will hand them over, well, your entire life. All the memories, that old picture with aunt Jacky, the love letters that you sent or your childhood car collection. All those belongings have to be well packed. People in charge have to be attentive. Overall, they have to be aware of the fact that they are relocating your entire life. You would want to hire that type of company. If you’re searching for reviews, the first thing you should not do is only talk to your friends.  Check if the company is on the list of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. You want to have a registered company.

Hiring a registered company will help you avoid moving scams. One only has to type the name of the company and have more information. If you have a USDOT number, even better. Do a lot of research in advance and have all the information you need. Then ask your friends and family. They will for sure provide you with some more information. Maybe they know someone who moved recently to the area where you would like. Contact them and see if they would like to share an experience. See what are the reviews of the company in question. Experiences of other people will be a great ID of the company. It will reveal all that you need to know. Get in touch with the company and schedule a meeting.

Check the contract-one way to avoid moving scams

A contract is indeed one of the most important legal documents you need to have in order to avoid moving scams. Next to reviews this is the best way to find a professional company. Read the contract from top to bottom, as well as the fine print. A company that doesn’t want to share full contract with you is maybe not the one.

Your rights do matter!

Every serious company should present you all the conditions of the contract before the move. In that way, you will see that they are professional and that they also think about you, the contract goes both ways. Apart from that, the company has to present you with Consumer Rights and Responsibilities when moving. One needs to know everything well in advance. If you have put everything on the paper, you shouldn’t worry. Be sure to have all the belongings listed on the contract. You cannot dispute charges for something that wasn’t on the list.

Moving scams are usually wrapped well somewhere in the contract. That is why you need to enlist all the belongings. Only in that way you will be sure that they will be transported or packed well. Be on the same page with the manager when talking about extra fees. You need to agree that the price that is in the contract is the final one.

Extra fees?

Watch out for Extra fees apply. Be very clear with how the things will be done. An experienced company will already propose you the options. They also need to pay the workers, the gas for the truck etc. Usually the representative should come to the household and do an on-site quote. The prices are made up of the weight that you have and space size. If you’re moving an entire home, a representative must do the necessary quotation of your household.

Additional tips to avoid moving scams

There are many ways to discover moving scams. Checking the reviews and having a clear contract is one of them. Of course, if no one answers the phone of a certain company or there is none, it’s a turnoff. If the company only does business online and doesn’t have an actual address, it is suspicious. Another alert is if the company offer incredibly low rates. Moving is a serious undertaking, so having incredibly low rates is something that defies common sense. That usually goes along with the fact that the company doesn’t have state or federal license numbers.

Play it smart!

Relocating takes time and if you agree on certain dates both sides must respect the agreement. Of course, slight changes may occur but if the company always postpones the move, it’s fishy. Never pay in advance, and never with cash. Avoid moving scams and pay with a credit card!