How to recognize fraudulent moving companies

There are a lot of things that can go wrong during a relocation. That is to be expected once you take into account just how many moving parts a relocation can have, especially a local one. Those mistakes can happen on both the client and the relocation sides of the equation. For example, you, the person moving, can have issues with setting the moving budget, paperwork for school or address change, packing, downsizing, etc. And sometimes more destructive mistakes can occur on the side of the mover. These can be something trivial like being late or something more substantial and dangerous like changes to billing or even loss and damage to property. Still, these mistakes can be fixed through argumentation and maybe even claims. However, what if something goes wrong with your move on purpose? How will you recognize fraudulent moving companies and avoid them?

What are the dangers you might face?

Let us talk about what kind of problems you can have if you fail to recognize these moving companies on time.

• Delays – Your move can be unnecessarily delayed, often due to completely preventable reasons. This can result in a serious disruption of your plan.
• Damages or lost goods – If you fail to recognize fraudulent moving companies you can suffer theft or serious mismanagement of your possession.
• Price “negotiations” – Maybe the worst option is for movers to require new sums of money while still holding on to your stuff, which is very much illegal (extortion).

You don’t even have to recognize fraudulent moving companies

Before we move on and talk about all the alternatives, there is actually one sure way to know to recognize fraudulent moving companies without fault. That would be to simply check if they are registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This federal agency offers industry standards of movers all around the country. The reason why not all movers are a part of it is simply that some movers work only locally, and therefore have no need for federal registration. However, with the FMCSA stamp of approval for long-distance and local moving companies Memphis alike, you can be one hundred percent sure that there is pretty much no chance that the moving company is as scamming one.

Furthermore, checking if the company is registered with the FMCSA is actually pretty easy. The website of the FMCSA offers the option to search up the name of your mover and check if they are registered. Having a company that is registered with the FMCSA also helps with resolving any accidental disputes, as you can file a claim to the FMCSA as they have regulations that are there to protect the customers. One of those regulations that are important to know is the 110% rule, which guarantees that the final bill for the move will not be more than 110% of the estimated moving quote. Spyder Moving Services Mississippi and other companies registered with the FMCSA have to keep their standards…

How to figure it out by reading the reviews

Now lats say that you are only looking for local movers Biloxi MS rather than the long-distance ones. Let’s say that you are also in need of low prices and therefore turn to unlicensed movers. How are you to know if the unlicensed company is fraudulent or not? The best way to do so is to read reviews of the company. This is actually a pretty good idea all around, with or without the license. Reviews are your best indicator of how the service you are hiring your movers for will pan out. This is because reviews are, essentially, archives of previous experiences of the customers that have come before you. They are the quantitative and qualitative rating of your mover’s capability to produce good relocation.

However, not all reviews are of the same value. There are such things as fake reviews. Fraudulent moving companies can hire bot farms to leave positive reviews on theirs, and negative reviews on their competitors, completely without regard to reality. Therefore they can, in fact, fake a good reputation… but only to the untrained eye. When you are reading the reviews, make sure that you are focusing on the substance. Are the reviews short and repetitive? Something is probably afoot. Furthermore, make sure that you see the dates of the reviews. Sometimes sins of the company can be fixed by the time you are in need of their service!

Oh, and of course, should you find yourself serviced by a fraudulent company, be sure to leave a negative review on Yelp reviews in order to warn others!

What about incompetent companies?

However, not all problems arise from fraudulent companies. You should also be on the lookout for incompetent moving companies. The difference might appear to sift in its effect and yet is pretty important. Incompetent moving companies are not malicious, just not capable enough o see the relocation to its end.

To recognize fraudulent moving companies as opposed to spotting a moving company that is simply not up to the standard of regular commercial movers is not that different when it comes to reading reviews, for example. All you have to do is look for the red flags. For things like being late, loss of property, change of billing etc… All of those things are rarely found in registered movers, or those with good reviews.

In summary

This has, in short, been all that you can do to recognize fraudulent moving companies. If you are in a hurry, as you very well may be if you are picking a mover right now, we will quickly summarise the most important points. First and foremost, go for licensed moving companies. That way you simply know you can’t go wrong. However, should you pick some other mover despite this advice, focus on reviews as they will help you determine the quality of the company. Finally, should you find disputes with the mover anyway, know your option.