Tips for dealing with fraudulent moving companies

Many people change their address quite a few times during their lifetime. Statistics say that Americans move around 12 times. Changing your surroundings, or saying goodbye to your friends and dear family members is not an easy thing to do. However, there are different reasons why people decide to change their scenery. It can be either finding a new job or simply wishing to get to know a different surrounding. But before you get into your new neighborhood, there are plenty of things to organize. You certainly need a firm moving plan to follow through the entire move. In addition, hiring movers in Greater Philadelphia area is one of the most important steps that you have to take. But what happens if it turns out that your movers are actually scammers? You can find the answer right here, in this article! After you finish reading, dealing with fraudulent moving companies is going to be much easier.

Dealing with fraudulent moving companies

Moving is for most people a very delicate action. Organizing a full-scale move is a difficult task to undertake since there are so many steps that you should take. It can be particularly overwhelming, especially for first-time movers.

In addition, even people with moving experience can sometimes face difficulties with their move. Since you are in a special state of mind, you can easily let some things slip through the crack. When moving around Collegeville, most people also tend to hire one of the most reliable movers Collegeville PA has to offer. However, it is not always an easy decision which movers to hire. Nowadays, there are some moving companies that do not necessarily provide all the services that say they do. For this reason, it is vital to stay down-to-Earth as much as possible during relocation preparation. In this way, you will be able to spot a potential fraudulent moving company.

Avoid fraudulent moving companies by doing your research

When choosing a moving company you can find yourself in a situation of a taught choice. Nowadays, there are really so many different moving companies on the market. For this reason, it is necessary to do both online and research in person. Basic online research will help you narrow down the choice to several moving companies. Luckily, there are some tips on how to recognize good moving services and which ones to avoid. First of all, pay attention to their website. Low-quality website is not what makes a reliable moving company. Usually, there should be all the relevant information. Also, there should be a customer service contact and a gallery with good pictures showing real people doing their work. Finally, if possible, visit their offices and check the way they would communicate with you in person.

When it would be appropriate to take legal action?

So, what are the possible unfortunate events where it would be appropriate to take legal action? Well, any violation of the contract you have signed is an indicator that you have to act and seek your customer’s rights. when finding local movers keep your eyes wide open.

• Damage to your property. The moving crew damaged your furniture or scratched your TV. In short, you should react if any damage to your property occurs.
• Delivery delays. Delivery delays are also a serious violation of your right as a customer. Your movers must deliver your belongings on time. If they fail to do so, you can file a complaint with the moving company.
• Hidden costs. The moving company is asking you to pay more than previously agreed. This is also a serious violation and it usually happens because of unclear moving contracts.
• Theft of your belongings. This is by far the worst incident that you can experience. If this happens you should file a claim against and moving company. We also advise you to immediately call the police.

Reading customers’ reviews is really important

When looking for a moving company that will help you with your upcoming relocation, it is important to read what other customers said about their services. When you are in a rush to make everything work regarding your move, it is easy to skip this vital step. Certainly, moving reviews are not the only thing you should rely on when looking for residential movers Pottstown PA. If you see that a company has too many good-to-be-true reviews or lots of bad ones, then something is definitely wrong.

Also, pay attention to who wrote the reviews and see if they sound natural. Some companies go that far to pay people to put in a good word for them. You should also check if they have reviews on all the social networks. In addition, check if they have exactly the same reviews both on the website and Facebook.

Prevention is the best way to avoid any potential scams

When doing your research on a moving company, it is important to ask lots of questions. In fact, for anything that is not clear to you, your moving company should make sure to make things clear for you. For example, if you ask your movers about their licenses and they avoid the answer, you should certainly avoid them. Having clean licenses should be also visible on their website. In addition, this should guarantee the good quality service of your apartment movers Pottstown PA has on offer. Another thing that you should be suspicious about is the extremely low prices your movers offer. In certain cases, when a company is new and wants to attract its customers, it may offer a bit lower prices. Therefore, not all cheap movers are bad. But if they are too cheap then this is a sign that the service is bad.

Dealing with fraudulent moving companies and the increasing prices

The usual scenario in this situation is that at first, your movers offer a reasonable moving estimate. After the moving process starts and your movers load items on the truck, they may increase the moving price.

At this point, you do not have your items as movers hold your items as hostages. In addition, they say they would return them to you only after you pay the higher price. Even after you have read your movers’ reviews, and everything seemed good, ask for a moving estimate in writing. If by any chance movers do not want to provide it, then you should not deal with them at all. Another option, in this case, would be to file a moving complaint. Also, you can ask your movers to come to sense and give you back your items.

How to file a complaint

Dealing with fraudulent moving companies sometimes means filing a complaint. Before seeking justice it is important to know and understand how to read a contract you made with your movers.

It is very important to know your rights as a customer. Once you are familiar with your rights and obligations, it is time to start collecting the evidence. You should know that e-mail is an official document and is valid evidence in court. Before you even hire a moving company or search for climate controlled storage near me, it is important to have as many things in writing as possible. In addition, moving experts highly recommend that you make your own inventory list. Also, you can take photos of your inventory to show the state of your belongings before movers took them over. Keep all the correspondence including emails, SMS, or any other document. Once you have it all, you can write a complaint understandably and concisely. Remember to name all the witnesses in this situation.

Know your moving vocabulary in case you are dealing with fraudulent moving companies

Just like any other business activity, moving has its own terminology. One of the best ways to prevent awkward events with scamming moving companies is to know how to read moving contracts. If you are not sure what any of the terms mean, like hidden costs you can ask your movers for clarification. Furthermore, in case you need some additional understanding, you can consult with your lawyer about some meanings.

• Bill of Landing – The evidence that the moving company took your belongings for transportation.
• Cargo Claim-A statement or a list of items that suffered damage during the move.
• Claim- An appeal against the moving company for any inconveniences including shipment delays or lost items.
• Carrier’s liability for loss or damage -Your mover’s obligation is to refund the eventual loss of your belongings.
• Additional charges- These charges appear because of the transportation of specialized items like pianos or huge pieces of furniture

Learn what constitutes a moving fraud

There are many ways that a moving company can come up with potential scamming ideas. Some of those you can instantly face with. However, it often happens that only when you already trusted the goods to movers, do they try to scam you. Also, there are some things not to do when hiring movers. First of all, do not ignore their background. Failing to do so, a moving company can make a fraudulent Bill of Lading. Secondly, they can give a questionably low estimate, and then withhold your goods until you pay them more.

Dealing with fraudulent moving companies means that they can assign the wrong weight to your shipments. In this case, you will pay more for the “weight bumping”. Finally, they can falsify the number of packing materials they used for your belongings.

Additional tip: always get some sort of moving insurance

One of the best ways to protect yourself from fraudulent moving companies is to get moving insurance. So, what options do you have and what’s the difference between these options?

• Third-party insurance. This is basically an insurance contract that you can sign with an external insurance company. This is a great way to additionally secure your belongings.
• Released value Insurance. Or in other words, basic moving insurance. This type of insurance is obligatory by the letter of law.
• Declared value is a type of insurance where you declare the value of each item separately.
• Full-value protection. This type of insurance covers the current market value of the broken item.
• Storage unit insurance. Do you plan to use temporary onsite storage containers? It would be a good idea to protect your belongings with an insurance policy.

Get to know what is not a scam

During the moving process, anything is possible to happen. If you did most of the packing it may happen that some of your boxes fall apart. In addition, this may cause some damage to your goods.

In this case, your movers are not responsible for what happens to your boxes. However, there are some inconvenient situations in which your movers can cause some damage. Especially when moving long-distance, some slight damage may happen to your furniture or appliances. This is not enough to take some legal action against your movers. In certain cases, some small items may disappear during the move. If this happens, you might ask for a partial refund. Finally, some delivery delays of a few days may occur. Usually, in this case, your movers will issue a refund for the delivery costs for missing the delivery date.

If dealing with fraudulent moving companies, report them to the right organization

In case you are dealing with a fraudulent moving company, you can take some legal action against them. It is advisable to have contacts of several different government organizations to which you can report a scam.

• The US agency that operates within the USDOT and is responsible for trucking, and trans[porting industries is Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This organization often deals with interstate moves.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB): this agency can take care of the fraud you faced and can help you solve the case
• American Trucking Association (ATA): feel free to submit a claim to this association, since they are responsible for movers across the country. They can also help you get to higher instances with your official complaint
• State Agencies: the good thing is that each state has its own association and people they appointed to help you out with any dispute or scam that can happen during a relocation process

The possibility of encountering and having to deal with fraudulent moving companies is always there. To minimize the chances of it happening, you can also ask your neighbors, friends, or any people you know who recently moved with the company in question. This will give you the bigger picture of a moving company, help when dealing with fraudulent moving companies, and prevent scams from happening.