Avoid Getting Ripped Off! The Ultimate Guide to Spotting a Moving Company Scam
The Bold Abode is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com as well as other affiliate networks.
Getting ready to move? Be careful you don’t end up in a moving company scam!
There are some really important things to know and look for before you sign on the dotted line with any moving company.
Even if you’ve moved several times, you may unknowingly fall victim to an unscrupulous mover like we did! It was a really stressful, agonizing experience…
And we were lucky.
We didn’t lose tens of thousands of dollars like I’ve hear other people have. My word, the stories I found AFTER we realized we were getting taken advantage of!
How to Make Sure You Are Not Getting Scammed by a Moving Company
There are thousands of stories like mine. As you read the tips below, you’ll find out what happened to us along the way…even though we thought we knew what we were doing…we ended up in a moving company scam.
Watch the video below to hear me tell the story of what happened when our moving company blindsided us AFTER they loaded all of our stuff onto the truck.
1. Research the Company Thoroughly
- Check online reviews and ratings on trusted platforms (e.g., Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Google Reviews).
- Look for consistent complaints or patterns of bad behavior.
This is where we really thought we were doing ok. Right from the beginning!
We got 2 recommendations from our realtor. She knew both of the representatives from each company and we trusted her. She was the top real estate agent in our town and we assumed she really knew them.
Super simple mistake to make on our part. But there is more the to story.
2. Verify Credentials and Licensing
- Confirm that the moving company is licensed and insured.
- Check for a valid USDOT number (for interstate moves) or local state license (for intrastate moves).
Do this before you ever sign anything. This is our BIGGEST mistake. I didn’t look up the companies before we signed the contract. (see #1)
You can look them up here in the FMSCA search tool.
If your moving company search result says, in BIG, RED, BOLD TYPE…
“(Company’s Name) is NOT authorized by FMCSA to transport or arrange the Transportation of household Goods” —–
RUN.
And don’t look back!
3. Get Multiple Quotes
- Obtain estimates from at least three different companies.
- Be wary of quotes that are significantly lower than others, as they might be a red flag.
That second bullet point is on pointe. #funnynotfunny
We only got 2 quotes, so we didn’t really have that 3rd one to know if we were being low balled.
The first quote we got was from a national moving company. They quoted us around 8K for our move. That included full packing and an intrastate move of about 90 miles.
The second quote we got was a local guy that grew up in Lynchburg. His quote for everything was around 6K.
Since Morgan’s new (non-profit) employer was paying, we went with the local company to help save them money.
If we’d had that 3rd quote, we might would have known something was up for sure. More on that feeling later.
4. Request a Written Estimate
- Always ask for a written, detailed estimate that includes all potential fees and charges.
- Understand the difference between binding and non-binding estimates.
Both of our companies provided written estimates. The moving portion was “binding”. The packing portion was only an estimated amount.
The first company provided a detailed inventory list with their packing estimate.
The second company only provided a rough estimate of number of boxes they might use.
More on that later as well.
5. Avoid Large Upfront Deposits
- Reputable moving companies usually do not require large deposits upfront.
- Paying a large sum before the move could be a sign of a scam.
Both of our companies wanted a deposit. No surprise there.
Company 1 – 30%
Company 2 – 50%
Neither seemed odd to us at the time but the 30% is more in with what moving companies generally require.
However, if a moving company wants the entire thing upfront? RUN.
6. Watch Out for Name Switches
- Be cautious if a company operates under multiple names or recently changed its name.
- Confirm the company’s history and check for any complaints associated with previous names.
In my research after the fact, I found out that companies with invalid DOT numbers often try to rebrand and get a new one.
I don’t think ours did this or has done this, but it’s definitely something to look into.
It’s a huge red flag if they have previous names and iterations of their companies!
7. Read the Contract Carefully
- Read all terms and conditions before signing any contract.
- Look out for clauses that limit the company’s liability or include hidden fees.
Make sure you and anyone moving with you or anyone that is paying for your move reads the contract carefelly.
I read the first one, but I didn’t look at the second one. That was bad, bad, bad.
As I mentioned earlier, our second company did not provide a detailed inventory of our property. They only listed and estimate of the packing materials.
Biggest term to watch out for?
ESTIMATE
If I had read the second contract, I would have seen the type and number of boxes that mover was “estimating” and what he was charging for them.
His prices were more than double and sometimes triple the price I could get them at UHAUL for. I had just done a lot of packing for staging the home and knew exactly what the boxes cost.
If I had seen this contract, I would have said NOPE.
And this is where he got us. More on the story in a minute.
8. Check for a Physical Address
- Make sure the company has a physical business address and not just a P.O. box.
- Visit the location if possible to verify its legitimacy.
Both of our companies had physical addresses. The first was just down the street.
The second was in the city about 10 minutes away.
HOWEVER… when Morgan was trying to pay the deposit, the mover was pressuring him to not just pay it, but to bring it to his house out at the lake.
It seemed odd to both of us considering it was high volume moving season and he wasn’t working at his “office”.
In retrospect, that should have been a red flag. Oops.
9. Trust Your Instincts
- If something feels off or too good to be true, it probably is.
- Don’t hesitate to walk away if you have any doubts about the company’s credibility.
If you feel like anything is off, call another company.
If you feel pressured to make a deposit, like we were, that’s not cool and you should take a beat.
Listen to you gut and be careful.
10. Take the emotion out of your decision.
- Moving can be very personal and emotional. Try to distance yourself from the emotions you are feeling so you can stay unfazed throughout the process.
- Unscrupulous individuals will take advantage of this. They know how attached we are to our stuff and will use it to blackmail us and intimidate us.
There were several times we wished, in retrospect, that we’d stopped the process with the company we chose and started over.
But because we were under a deadline, we were nervous about it.
But we absolutely could have rented our own UHAUL and made it work.
Lastly, know your rights!
- Be aware of your federal rights, but every state is different! Get familiar with your state’s laws and regulations.
- If you end up in a really tenuous situation, it’s generally a civil matter. Be sure you have a lawyer or be willing to walk away without your stuff!
- This is why it’s SO important to have written documentation of everything along the way!
- You might even want to record your phone calls… even from the beginning. Just make sure the regulations in your state. Some states require two party consent, but some, like ours, only requires one party consent.
The rest of the story
Here’s what happened –
Morgan paid the deposit and book the date. On the day of moving, a group of college kids showed up to pack. They did an OK job, but I definitely felt like I could’ve just packed myself given they weren’t really trained to pack like the other professionals that we had used before.
That night, Morgan and I went to eat dinner, and I got a call from the mover. First, it was weird that he was calling me but I answered and went outside to take his call.
During the call, we were talking about a few things, and before it was over he said – “now, I just want let you know that we used way more boxes than I thought and it’s going to be a bit more than the quote.”
I wasn’t terribly surprised because it was an estimate and I work in Web design and know that sometimes I go over my estimated price. But not that much over. I try to be very careful about our estimate things so I don’t blindside my clients. That’s just being a good business person..
The next day, the biggest red flag showed up… A U-Haul truck.
That felt really really weird that he did not have his own fleet vehicle. But again we just are already in the process and signed the contract so didn’t say anything
they loaded up all of our stuff and took off. That night Morgan got a text, not a call, from the mover saying we were going to owe over $3000 more than the quote. That ended up being more than the first company had quoted us.
that’s when I started doing my research.
I began to read about movers, holding your goods hostage and had a spot those movers and boy did we see ourselves in those stories. We looked up his DOT number, and that’s when we found that he was not authorized to move household goods in the US, not to mention the state of Virginia.
that’s when we really started freaking out.
but that wasn’t all… They were supposed to give us a bill of lading before they close the truck and they did not. That’s illegal.
We had about 10 days before we closed on the new house and we walked on eggshells the whole time. Morgan handled things really well with the mover, keeping him calm and not trying to escalate things. I was pretty tech tough, but he knew that if he was combative, there was a chance the price could go up or he would not give us our stuff.
Thankfully, Morgan employer was incredibly gracious, and promised that they would do everything to make sure our stuff arrived at our house.
That was probably the worst 10 days we have experienced in our marriage. We knew what to do if they showed up and wouldn’t unload and we actually had the authorities on standby.
There’s not a lot that law enforcement can do because this is considered a civil matter. But because this individual was not licensed in the state of Virginia, they were interested in investigating this person and his business dealings.
Fortunately, the truck showed up and they immediately open the tailgate. That was a huge sigh of relief! They unloaded everything and did a pretty good job and then Morgan paid them the remainder.
Oh and our Realtor? The night this dude texted us saying we owed way more money than he quoted, we called her. She was shocked and appalled.
Then a few days later when we talked to her again, she had called a few of her former clients who used him. Unfortunately, she heard stories that were similar to ours!
I was surprised no one had told her before what they had gone through with this shyster. I’m glad we did, so hopefully, now she will not recommend him to anyone else!
So knowing what we know about falling into a moving COMPANY scam, what would we do differently?
We definitely learned our lesson and will probably never use an actual moving company again.
The move before this one, we rented our own truck, I packed everything, and we hired some local college kids that we need you to help us load and unload the moving truck.
Not only was it a great experience, we were able to employ some of our good friends’ kids, and it cost SIGNIFICANTLY less.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, We had total control of her what was going on and it was a super smooth experience. There’s zero chance of ending up in a moving company scam if you handle it all yourself!
Sometimes, I know you have to hire a moving company, but if you can avoid it… I would!
Our situation was only a $3,000 mess.
Watch Chris Loves Julia’s Instagram video below about how much they were scammed for. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!
My heart is doing seizures for them. 😭
Have you ever experienced a moving scam?
Let me know how you handled it down in the comments below!
XOXO
Gwen
Pin your favorite pin for later:
