Buying a new home always comes with a touch of uncertainty, right? You are about to change the location where you spend most of your time. Usually, people get accustomed to the location where they currently live and they do not feel as comfortable when they are about to move.
At the same time, they can’t wait to see what awaits them in the future. For these two reasons, moving is one of the most stressful things every individual out there can experience. There are numerous reasons for this, packing is the most significant of all them. Besides that, you need to find a moving company that can provide you with this sort of service
You’ll admit that this is not always easy since your needs and preferences need to be satisfied. We can all agree that not all the firms out there can do it properly. If you need these services, be sure to pay a visit here. Now, let’s talk about common moving company scams and how you can avoid them.
Without further ado, let’s begin.
1. Luggage Becomes Hostage
The first, and let’s say, the most nightmarish scenario, is when your luggage becomes a hostage of the firm that provided you with these services. Naturally, the most effective to explain this sort of occurrence is that it is a theft. We cannot think of a better way to explain this happening.
It happens when movers do not accept to unload your luggage unless you pay them more than was agreed in the contract. Thankfully, this is not a scenario that we would describe as common, but that doesn’t mean it cannot happen. That’s why you should always be on the lookout and prepared for it.
What’s important to understand is that, no matter how reputable the firm you are about to hire looks, you should ask for the identification of those who are providing you with this service. Plus, make sure you get the license plate of the vehicle. This information is needed if you require the police’s assistance in the future.
2. Packing Costs
What needs to be understood is that movers are generally not responsible for the damage that occurs to the items they are moving if you pack them yourselves. The reason is quite simple, they didn’t make sure that these are well-protected. Therefore, they are not liable for any damage that can occur during transportation.
That’s why you must know how to pack these properly. If you agree to the condition that the company does the packing, they become liable for the damage. However, there’s a chance that the prices of the whole procedure will rise significantly, because of the prices of packing material or boxes. You should inform yourselves about that part and do it on your own.
3. Low Rates
Those who have a lot of experience with moving around the country or abroad know that the problem with low rates is probably the commonest one. The reason why it is so widespread is that it is quite tempting to fall into that particular trap. It starts by offering potential clients low rates.
However, when the procedure starts, these rates will increase significantly. Not to mention that some additional clauses inside the contract can surface at once. The main problem is that clients tend not to pay attention to all the parts of the contract. It’s no wonder why these companies can scam them so easily.
Those who have signed a contract they haven’t read properly are obligated to pay the rates. Otherwise, the firm can sue them. You can rest assured that this sort of case cannot be won by any means. To have another layer of protection, ask for the information regarding billing and extra fees before you come up with an agreement.
4. Cursory Glance
The next scam we want to address is known as a cursory glance. Before moving is carried out, your home will be visited by an estimator, who will ask you certain questions about the services you need. For instance, do you want to move all the pieces of furniture or you’re planning to sell some of them?
We cannot stress enough how crucial is for the estimator to ask these questions. It’s because that way, you will be provided with a price tag for the service. An estimator who doesn’t ask any questions can be far away from the initial price you will be offered with. It can happen that the prize will rise significantly during the procedure. So, collaborate only with those who ask proper questions.
5. Settling the Payment
In most cases, international movers will ask the client to pay for the service at once. To protect yourself from inflated prices, which are mostly unreasonable, it is important to negotiate whether to pay a deposit when the procedure starts, and then pay the full sum after the work is done.
Of course, you can either pay by cash or via credit card. Since these financial aspects are always tricky, we advise you to pay only by credit card. In that case, you have some sort of backup in cases when some problems occur during the process or when some fraudulent transaction happens.
Consult Online Reviews
Preventing scams of this sort, or any other problem that might occur during this procedure is possible. You can do it easily by informing yourself through reading online reviews ex-clients left about the company. These reviews are crucial. They are describing someone’s first-hand experience with a firm.
Sadly, many people do not consult these when they are about to hire a moving company. They simply do not value them as much as they should. But those who decide on consulting these should have in mind that fully positive and fully negative reviews are equally unreal. Instead, look at both of these and try to form your own opinion based on them.
The Bottom Line
As is the case with any industry out there, scams are always a possibility among moving firms. Here, you can find some common scams and how to prevent them from happening.