How to avoid moving scams

Have you decided to relocate? Awesome! Think about all the opportunities that come with a new town – a major change will do you good. But while you’re bound to have good things ahead, we advise you to err on the side of caution. What are we talking about? Well, specifically, about hiring moving companies. While most of them are good, honest businesses, you’re bound to run into some dishonest people. After all, that’s the way it is in any business – but it’s avoidable if you have all the information. And that’s exactly why we’re here. We’re going to give you all the tips you’ll need to avoid moving scams.

The most commonly used moving scams

Yes – there are many folks out there who will try to pretend they’re running an honest moving company. But in reality, they’re just trying to put one over on you with a dirty moving scam. These are people that want to snatch your money and not do any hard work. Or simply do it badly and get extra money out of you. That’s why there’s no such thing as being too careful while you’re picking a moving company! And if you’re going to avoid moving scams, you’ll need to know the most common ones out there:

  • Extra fees and hidden costs – You can spot these scams more easily than most; typically, they start with an offer too good to refuse. We’re talking an estimate more affordable than any other you got for the job. But when the job is done, if you’re not careful, they’ll hit you with ‘additional fees’ and similar murky contract language. So, in order to avoid moving scams, you’ll really need to take a closer look at your costs.
  • Hostage property – Another bad one has movers actually loading your property onto their vans – but then trying to extract huge amounts of money out of you. And if you refuse, they don’t want to finish the job or return your items.

Unregistered moving operation – You may encounter movers that don’t actually work for registered and legal moving companies. While they may actually do their job, you’re still dealing with people working illegally, and thus you’re much less protected by laws and regulations on moving.

You don’t want to hand over your money to scammers!

You’ll need to know your rights to avoid moving scams

Okay, we know what you’re thinking – knowing about what moving scams are is all well and good, but how do you actually avoid one beforehand? Knowledge after the fact won’t do you much good right? Don’t worry – we’ll help you learn how to find the right person for the job.

Federal regulations

Like most other business communities, moving companies are also operating under a number of laws and regulations. Essentially, this is what separates scammers from real, legit movers. But how to tell them apart? Well, here’s something you should be on the lookout for, if you want to avoid moving scams while hiring movers. According to regulations on a federal level, all licensed movers have to give their clients a document called Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. There’s a lot of very useful information in there, and you can see why illegal moving companies wouldn’t want to give you this. So, if you’re dealing with fraudulent movers, they will avoid doing this at all cost.

Due diligence is key

Okay, we believe that you’ve realized how important it is to avoid moving scams by now. Remember something – when you’re hiring movers, you’re letting someone who’s basically a stranger into your life. And into the most intimate part of your life: your home. These people will be given access to your most personal and valuable possessions. And let’s not forget: you’ll be giving them a lot of your personal information as well. That’s precisely why we insist on being extremely careful. You need to do a lot of research while looking for Canadian movers – this will ensure you don’t end up hiring frauds!

You’ll have to be diligent in your research to avoid moving scams!

And when you’re presented with an incredibly affordable moving estimate – be careful! Don’t settle for it immediately thinking you’ve got a great opportunity. Make sure you check out if the moving company in question has a license. And if they don’t, these aren’t really the people you want handling your property. Also, you shouldn’t really trust a moving company that’s ready to give you an estimate during a phone call, without physically inspecting your premises. References are also something you’ll need a lot of. Make sure you find references from other customers for anyone you intend on hiring.

The devil is in the details

If you’re hiring a moving company, your relocation is actually first and foremost a business deal. Realizing this is crucial if you want to avoid moving scams – because you’ll go into this with the right mindset. What do we mean by that? Well, specifically – we’re talking about the need to pay extreme attention to details.

Your contract is crucial

First of all, let’s discuss the contract that defines the legality of your relocation with a moving company. And do you need a contract in the first place? The answer to that question is – yes, absolutely, and without question. Really, at the end of the day, this is the only way you can truly avoid moving scams. It doesn’t matter how well-mannered and pleasant the movers are – you still need to protect your interests using law. A handshake agreement really won’t do the job here. And on the other hand, no professional moving company would even think of doing business without a contract themselves. Really, no-one who is serious about any service profession would conduct business without legal guarantees.

Secondly, also make sure you don’t sign anything without reading it first. And most definitely don’t sign a half-blank contract, which the movers will ‘fill in later’. That right there is almost certainly moving fraud. And lastly, don’t ever sign a contract that seems vague and unclear.

Your contract is the key to business security!