It is not an easy task to locate reliable movers, regardless of whether you are moving locally within the same city or moving to a different city entirely. Long-distance moves, on the other hand, introduce an entirely new facet of the investigation.
The internet is not the place to look for a moving company, despite the fact that it is an excellent resource for discovering where to go for dinner on a Friday night. According to professionals in the moving industry, the best movers are those who come highly recommended by previous customers.
“Nearly all of the victims that contact us found their moving company on the Internet,” cautions the experts at MovingScam.com.
To avoid becoming a victim of moving fraud, keep the following tips in mind:
- If the company won’t send a representative to your home to give you a quote based on an onsite inspection, don’t consider using it.
- Find a moving company that has at least a 10-year history in the business.
- Avoid hiring a moving broker. This is a company that will subcontract your job to another.
- Don’t hire a company whose representative fails to give you the legally-required pamphlet entitled “Your Rights and Responsibilities when you Move.”
- Never pay a deposit upfront.
- Don’t pay for the move until you’ve checked all of your belongings.
Once you’ve rounded up several movers who sound good, get the following information:
1. Ask for the company’s US DOT number
Believe it or not, there are hundreds of moving companies that lack something as basic as a license to transport belongings from one state to another. Those that are licensed will show up online, at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website.
Enter the company’s DOT number on the website and you can learn if its license and insurance coverages are current, the company’s size, safety record, and crash information.
If your move will be within your current state, contact the state office which oversees moving companies. You can find a list of these on the FMCSA website.
2. How much will the company cover
Make sure you have a good understanding of the valuation coverage that the organization provides. This is the amount that the company will reimburse you if any of your possessions are lost, stolen, or broken while they are in their care.
Full Value Protection and Released Value Protection are the two types of valuation coverage that interstate movers are required to make available to their customers.
You may get an explanation of the distinction between the two on the website of the FMCSA. It is crucial to grasp the difference between the two.
You should review your homeowner’s insurance policy to see whether or not the contents of your home are covered in the event that you relocate.
In the event that you do not already have it, you should strongly consider getting third-party liability insurance, particularly if you will be transporting expensive objects.
3. Ask for an itemized list of all fees
Insist on receiving a breakdown of all of the moving company’s charges, including surcharges for taking apart furniture, packing, unpacking, and other miscellaneous charges.
If there are any charges you don’t understand, insist on a full explanation.
Don’t sign the contract until you understand everything in it, you’ve ensured the price is what you agreed to, the pickup and delivery dates are clearly listed, there are no blank spots and the representative has signed it.
The National Association of REALTORS suggests choosing from among the movers who are certified by the American Moving and Storage Association.
