The Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Spotting Moving Scams

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When it comes to moving your belongings, you’ll sometimes need an extra hand. As a result, you may find yourself looking into different moving companies to help you.

However, with so many companies available, it can be challenging to pick the right moving company for you and your belongings. When you’re dealing with scams, it can be even more challenging.

Here at Simple Moves, we’re dedicated to ensuring your peace of mind, whether you’re moving or looking for the right moving company. As a result, we’ve created this guide below to help you navigate and avoid some of the most common moving scams.

You can’t find any company information online

In today’s day and age of technology, it’s rare not to find anything about a company online, whether it’s a website or reviews. As a result, if you’re unable to find any company information online, it may be a sign that the moving company you’re looking at isn’t reputable. In fact, it could be a sign of a scam. 

While it could just be that the company hasn’t established an online presence yet, it’s always best to err on the side of caution, especially in the case of moving your belongings.

The company only provides phone estimates

While phone estimates may seem inconspicuous, if that’s the only type of estimate for the moving company you’re looking into, you may want to avoid that company. 

This is because it’s common for scam companies to give you one estimate over the phone that is suspiciously low and then change the estimate to a much higher number on moving day. This can leave you to either pay high fees or scramble at the last minute for a new mover.

The bid is suspicious

If the moving costs seem too good to be true, they may just be. While the best moving companies strive to be affordable, it’s crucial to be able to discern when you’re getting a good deal and when you’re being scammed.
For most moving companies, the cost includes travel, labour time, and tools. As a result, the quote you receive should reflect these costs. If the quote your receive seems too low to cover these, you may want to continue looking at different companies for moving your belongings.

The company has gone through several name changes

Suppose you notice that a moving company has changed its names multiple times. In that case, you can safely assume it’s most likely a scam – or at least a moving company with shoddy service.

Name changing is a common tactic many scam moving companies use to help avoid bad reviews. When someone leaves a bad review for the company under one name, they can change it to remove any association with the bad review, allowing them to continue business under false pretenses.

The company insists that your insurance will pay for everything

While insurance will help pay a portion of your belongings’ cost should they break or become damaged in the moving process, it won’t cover everything.

Before hiring a moving company, you must be familiar with the basic laws and insurance policies to ensure that you’re not being tricked. Each insurance is different, so it’s essential to do your research before hiring a company. Simple Moves’ insurances will cover your belongings’ replacement value, total loss, workers injuries, vehicle incidents, and building damages without adding extra cost to your move.

Final Thoughts

Moving can be daunting, especially when dealing with scams and companies you’re not sure about.
At Simple Moves, we’re dedicated to providing a high-quality and transparent process so you can move with peace of mind that you and your belongings are in good hands. To learn more about our moving services or to book an estimate, contact us at (604) 210-4117​ or through our website.