Moving is a highly stressful time, meaning that some shady players can take advantage of the high stress you're facing to present you with offers that seem too good to be true. And most of the time, those offers don't pan out because they are indeed too good to be true and tell you what you want to hear. In fact, some other companies are so disingenuous that they are outright scammers and have been shut down due to several complaints from disgruntled customers.
Here are the tell-tale signs of a moving scam and how you can avoid them:
Low-Ball Estimates/Bait and Switch: A company provides a very low estimate to secure your business, only to significantly increase the price once your belongings are loaded onto the truck.
Hostage Goods: After loading your possessions, the mover demands an exorbitant fee before they deliver your items, holding your belongings hostage until you pay. This could potentially be bordering on criminal activity so don't hesitate to contact law enforcement if you end up in this kind of horrible scenario.
Large Deposits or Upfront Payments: Reputable movers typically don't ask for large deposits or full payment upfront. Scammers might take your money and never show up. To protect yourself from this, use a credit card when paying the deposit so if services are not rendered, it will be easier to recover those funds.
Weight-Based Pricing: Some movers base their pricing on the weight of your items, which can be easily manipulated. They might claim your shipment weighs more than it does and charge you extra. Since there is no easy way to verify the true weight of larger items, you can push back and ask for a fixed rate. This would be especially useful for furniture like bedroom or living room sets. Or, if you can track down the order history of items you won't be able to weigh yourself, the sale information should list out the weight and you can send that to movers to generate a more accurate weight-based quote.
Unlicensed or Uninsured Movers: These movers might offer lower prices but won't have the proper licensing or insurance, leaving you vulnerable if something goes wrong. Reputable moving companies with adequate licensure will have those numbers prominently displayed on their site and literature. A quick Google search can confirm a moving company's license is valid and up-to-date with the governing authority.
Last-Minute Changes: Movers might change terms or fees at the last minute, knowing you're in a difficult position to find a new mover on short notice. They would literally take your money and run.
Fake Reviews and Credentials: Some companies might create fake reviews or claim affiliations and credentials they do not possess. You can tell that reviews are fake if:
The person leaving the review doesn't have a profile picture and/or a fake/too-generic name.
The person has only left 1 review total and it's on the business. That means the business owner created a separate account just to inflate their numbers.
There's little to no detail in the review. An authentic positive experience will be very detailed, listing out all of the components that made the experience worth 5 stars.
Multiple reviews were posted in a very short timeframe, which could be an indicator that the business enlisted the services of a bot farm.
Non-Binding Estimates: Movers give non-binding estimates and then charge far more on moving day, claiming the estimate was just a rough guess but the actual price is much higher.
Lack of communication: A reputable vendor will have clear and consistent communication with you from quote to moving day. You will have written and verbal documentation confirming the price, timeframe, and the movers that will assist you as well as any status updates. A scammer will have little to no communication, and will probably disappear as soon as they receive any kind of payment. If you are not getting the information you need on a timely basis from a mover, clearly communicate where you stand. Don't be afraid to back out, especially if the next scam happens...
No-shows: We hope that this NEVER comes to pass for anyone moving as not only is this the biggest telltale sign that a company is a scam, but it's completely unacceptable and discourteous. This has actually happened to a client of ours where they initially signed on with another moving company, only for that company to not even show up at the client's home on moving day! Luckily, we had availability that day and were able to get a team out there so they could successfully move so not all was lost for that client.
If you found yourself on the unfortunate receiving end of one of these scams, here's how you can recover:
do a chargeback on your credit card so you can retrieve some if not all of the money you paid
post about the negative experience online publicly to spread awareness and ensure that no one else falls victim to the scam
Combating these scams is crucial and that's why we at Valet Moving Services pride ourselves on being completely transparent about costs and timing so you aren't blindsided on moving day. If you're looking for reputable movers with a proven track record of consistently delivering 5 star experiences for our customers, fill out the form below!
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