How to avoid moving scams?

Imagine putting all of your faith in a moving company, only to end up devastated once that relocation takes a horrible turn. Unfortunately, this has become a common scenario, one that is almost impossible to avoid before it becomes too late. However, not all hope is lost. All you need is a bit of guidance, and a few tips, to help you avoid moving scams. Your relocation does not have to turn into a horror story since you are the one who makes all the shots. So, what did you decide? Will your relocation be a complete success or an utter failure? 

Plan your relocation on time

If you want to keep your happy family safe from any moving scams, the best thing you can do is start planning your relocation well in advance. When you find yourself pressed for time, you will feel a lot of anxiety and pressure to make a quick decision. After all, you are probably running out of time by now. However, making a rash decision often turns out to be the worst thing you can do. If you are in a jam, you will be easily convinced into whatever the moving company says and offers, as they could be your first and last option. Therefore, be wise. The first step to avoiding moving scams begins with a calendar date, which should be more than a month before the planned moving date. 

Figure 1-Time flies by so quickly! Before you know it, the date of your relocation will be here.

Choose a reputable moving company only

Your best shot of avoiding moving scams is choosing the so-called bigwigs in the relocation industry. A company which has a good reputation is highly unlikely to turn fraudulent. No decent company will risk the credibility they have worked so hard for, so you can feel safe when in their hands. However, since moving abroad takes time and money, people usually want to find companies whose names are not already established in the relocation industry, as they are always cheaper. Know that you cannot put a price tag on safety. It is always better to pay more money for a job well done than to give that same amount of money after being blackmailed by fraudulent movers, since they have all of your items and, therefore, all the leverage. 

To avoid moving scams, get some references and recommendations

The opinion of different people could be your number one ally when choosing your movers. These are the people who have had experiences with a certain company in the past, so they should have no problems expressing their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with them. To check the opinion of the people, you have a couple of options:  

•  Get word-of-mouth recommendations from your loved ones and, thus, avoid moving scams. 
• Check the company`s Better Business Bureau ratings. Bear in mind that a few bad comments are not a red flag. However, if the majority of the comments are not full of praise, steer clear from the company in question.
• Finally, there is always the possibility of asking the company for the contact information of a few of their past customers. Every semi-reputable company will be thrilled to share this information with you, as it will serve as a testament to their quality. 

One of the biggest mistakes people make when moving home is not doing thorough research on their movers. This is a mistake that can be easily avoided since every information you could need is available 24/7 on the Internet. 

Figure 2-The entire community can help you avoid moving scams.

Never agree to pay a large deposit

You should know that there is not a decent moving company that will make you pay for the service before you receive it. However, with fraudulent movers, this is a common occurrence. They already know what their plans are, so they will try to get a large deposit out of you. This way, you will be trapped. Namely, in such a situation, they will hold all of the power, since they will have a big chunk of your money, which you will not feel like giving away. Thus, feel warned. Never agree to do business with a moving company that requires a lot of money beforehand. 

Don`t go for the cheapest movers

The entire moving process is long and tedious. Your movers have to pack your items, load them into the moving truck, transport them safely, and then unpack them upon arrival. Don`t even get us started on the process of handling tricky items, such as pianos! As you can imagine, it takes a lot of resources, as well as employees, to undertake this endeavor. Once you take that into consideration, you will realize that this entire service cannot come at a cheap price. 

The best thing you can do is get moving quotes from a couple of different moving companies. They all offer an easy way of calculating your moving cost, so you should have no problem doing this one. Once the results come in, compare the offers. If there is any price that stands out as incredibly cheap, do not accept it! A cheap price is almost always a sign of fraudulent movers. It is just their way of luring you into a trap, one that will end up costing you more than you can imagine. In case you are strapped for cash, it is always wiser to save money on storage than on your relocation company. Trust us on this one. 

Figure 3-The cheapest price is not always the best one.

Can you avoid moving scams? 

Absolutely yes! It is not impossible to avoid moving scams. As a matter of fact, it can be quite easy to differentiate between reputable and fraudulent movers once you get the necessary knowledge. Protecting yourself when moving abroad with a family is crucial and, more importantly, easily done. Do not miss your chance of having a successful relocation, since all you have to do is carefully memorize the tips from our list. Good luck!