What are Moving Scams?

You’ve had a disappointing move. You shelled out money to a company that barely spoke, had a rickety van and a shady looking website. Then, the unthinkable happens. The bill is much higher than it should be, some of your things are broken, injured, or worse missing. But how could this have happened? Simple, you, like many others, have discovered moving scams.

What is a Moving Scam?

A moving scam is when a moving company will try to dupe the client out of either their belongings or of the final bill.

Move by Weight Scam – One of the ways that moving scams will be able to dupe money out of the client is billing by net weight. People will receive a bill based on what the estimated weight of their belongings will be only to discover that the weight was wildly misjudged. This causes a huge spike in what the end bill would be while still being justified based on the terms of the agreement that the owner signed.

Hostage Loads – One of the ways that moving scammers will be able to secure their capital from the client or homeowner is by invoking UCC 7-307/308 which stipulates that a moving company may levy the personal property of the owner until payment is received. This means that they can keep and sell your belongings to make up the payments that are owed based on their criteria of moving.

While all of these are awful, it’s also hard to tell when general theft has been performed or intentional destruction of property.

How to Avoid Moving Scams?

Read the Contract – The first thing you need to do, especially when your personal belongings are involved, is to get a contract, read it, and have it signed. If not, you play into their hand, you are allowing the UCC 7-307/308 to be the governing legal document in the transaction, but the contract overrides all.

Know your Movers – Get to know your movers. Often a company will advertise their movers so that you can get to know them. Actively engaging and participating in the move will put you close to your movers, put you in the know about the wellbeing of your belongings.

Get a Trusted Moving Company – The best and easiest way is to find a trusted moving company.

• Find one that is part of a union.
• Has a great score on Yelp, Google+, or something similar.
• Has to experience as a company.
• Has active social presence or good word-of-mouth.

Southwest Movers

With Southwest Movers, it is always the best time to move. Our experienced movers and our top-of-the-line trucks help provide a moving service that is unique and efficient no matter what the condition of the move is in. If you are ready to sit back and relax while we move your stuff for you, give us a call at (800) 562-1084