Top 8 Moving scams you should know!

Home relocation is the messy and the most complicated process that a person goes through during his entire life span. It cannot be safely executed without the intervention of a trusted Agarwal Packers. With millions of moves occurring every year, it’s a wonder that most of them go smoothly.

However, the maximum numbers of moves are made without incidents but the number of complaints against moving companies is increasing at a high pace over the past decade, so it is in your best interest to find out some of the ways that state that you can be trapped in a moving scam by an unreliable moving company.

The best security against such moving scams is a knowledgeable customer who has done his homework before every step of the moving process. Moving is anxious and having someone else do it for you does not mean that you can leave all the responsibilities on their shoulders. Here are a few things that you must look out for: 

• Discussions over phones

A good moving company does not believe in the discussions over the phone especially the pre-move survey which is conducted at the customer’s residence to examine the size and volume of goods that they wish to relocate. Based on the same, the estimator gives an estimate of the overall expenses that will incur to transfer the stuff from one place to another. Whereas a rogue mover never does this, they avoid in-person contact with the customers and finalize things over the phone only. In fact, they give price estimates verbally without even checking the items out which ultimately leads to non-reliable and false estimates which as chances to be increased in the future.

• Careless attitude 

An estimator who does a quick walkthrough of your home without opening cabinets and taking note of what exactly you want to move is extremely careless. A genuine estimator will ask you questions such as are you planning to move all your kitchen stuff? Are there any items in your cabinet that you want to leave here? Etc.

It’s imperative upon you to give as much as information you can regarding your moving plan and the specific requirements if any.

Hundreds of people each year have their belongings hostile by the scam movers who provide low priced quotes in the beginning then refuse to deliver your goods until you have paid them the extra amount in cash. 

• Request for advance deposit

 Reputable movers will never demand cash or any large deposit before moving your stuff. A customer is mostly asked to pay on delivery if not then the payment is made sometimes in parts. If you pay upfront, you have no control over and there are fewer chances that you will even see your articles ever again. When you do pay, try to pay using a credit card as it will really help you to fight against such fraudulent activities.

• Frequent name changers

Some movers and packers scam people by changing their company’s name. Be sure the company you are dealing with has a local address and information about licensing and insurance. They should answer your phone calls with their full company name, not just moving services or something else.

To be sure, ask for at least three references, not just them but three who are from your area and who were relocated within the last couple of months. Actually, you can directly call those customers and ask questions regarding their experience with that particular mover. Make sure to get all the names the does business with as well as the state and license numbers. Do an online search and see if any complaints are registered against them.

• Packing costs

If you pack your goods on your own, the mover generally is not responsible for the damages that may occur. If you let the mover pack them, you are splitting over the inflated prices for boxes and other packing material, not to mention time and labor applied. Ask the packers about their experience, if you go the concluding way. Most are careful but others will just adjust whatever they can in a single box and seal it up with little regard for whether something will jerk or break.

• Additional charges

Are you living in a 2BHK apartment or moving to the one? You are likely to be charged extra for that. Moving to or from the 15th-floor apartment? Have adequate space in your locality to park the moving truck? Expect a surcharge for the transfer of your belongings to a smaller container for delivery.

• No insurance and proofs

Good moving companies consider the valuables of their customers as the liability till they are safely delivered to the desired destination. To make sure they cover up the risk of damage associated with a consignment, they cover the moving goods under transit insurance that assures that if any of the items get broken while moving, the customer has the right to file the claim against the damages occurred. To make it even more feasible, proper insurance documents of insurance are handed over to the customers. However, a fraudster never does this, they promise to provide the risk coverage in the beginning without giving any document as proof, and when something gets damaged, and they step back and deny taking the responsibility. In that situation, the customer becomes helpless because of the absence of any proof in the form of a document.

• The false contract

This should be common sense rather than any scam, but never sign a document or blank contract no matter how much trust you have retained in a mover. Get absolutely everything in writing. Your estimate and all the additional charges should be right there along with the pickup and delivery dates of your consignment too.

Read your contract from the top to bottom and make sure all your goods are listed in it. If anything goes missing and the same gets damaged during the move then nobody will be ready to take responsibility of this loss.

Have you read all the 8 points? Get in touch with Agarwal packers and movers, a reputable moving professional offering the most trusted and reliable moving solutions across the country.

Happy Moving!