Moving scams, what to look out for, be smart, don’t get scammed

Moving scams, what to look out for, be smart, don’t get scammed.

There are three ways that dishonest moving companies can pad your bill on the day of the move. By being aware of how unscrupulous movers can cheat you, you can take steps to protect yourself from being scammed. Unscrupulous moving companies start by helping you to fill out a packing list for the move. They use this list to give you a “moving cost” estimate. ( we suggest a flat fee guaranteed estimates ) Frequently, the estimate is given over the phone. The most important point to remember is that a dishonest mover will want you to underestimate the cost of the move. Their telephone salesmen are trained to make you feel comfortable. No one can remember ahead of time, everything that needs to pack away in boxes for a long distance move. But the moving broker will tell you not to worry. Any items you forget to add to the list can be added on the day of the move. Then, on the moving day, before packing, the movers will have you sign the contract. Then they will pack your belongings, and the extra items will inflate the cost of the move. Each of the three major ways in which movers pad expenses corresponds to the three legitimate expenses for a long distance move. Long distance movers are entitled to charge you by the weight of your belongings, by the cubic feet your belongings take up in the moving truck, and to charge you for packing and shipping materials that you use. On long distance moves, you will not be charged for the labor. It is easy to pad the cubic foot price. Moving companies count on the fact that everyone is liable to forget some items he intends to move. So the clerk will give a low cubic foot estimate over the phone. On the day of the move, the workers will pack your items loosely, taking up more space. Additional cubic feet will be charged at a higher rate, rapidly inflating the original price. Dishonest movers have multiple techniques to increase the measure of your belonging weight. Before packing they must go and weigh the truck. They will weigh the truck on an empty tank of gas. After packing they will fill up the gas tank, before heading to the weigh station. The additional gas will add pounds to your load. In a moving truck, a full tank of gas can weigh 433 pounds. At 1.00 a pound for the move, this can add up to an additional 400 dollars. Movers also make money off the sale of packing supplies. If a consumer informs the mover that he wishes to use his own supplies, he’ll be informed that his boxes or shipping material are substandard, and if he won’t use the company’s professional boxes the company won’t take responsibility for any items broken on the move. When the consumer agrees to use company supplies, he will be charges 20-40 for each box and its padding, a considerable sum for a long distance move. Inflation doesn’t stop with the legitimate charges. Hidden away in the fine print of the moving contract are additional surcharges, which companies use to add to the original estimate. After carrying items 50 feet from the building, companies will add a “long carry charge” of $50 -$150 for every additional 50 feet items must be carried to reach the truck. Customers living above the ground floor must pay between $50-$150 dollars per flight of stairs. If the moving company has to use an elevator, there will be a onetime fee of $50-$150 dollars. One way to protect yourself from this is to hire a trustworthy company to do your packing, and hire a container company to transport belongings from state to state. Packing Service, Inc. of Florida, is a packing company, dedicated to protecting consumers from. Their web site offer many tips on how to avoid being scammed, and contains links to other web sites dedicated to informing the consumer about the danger of moving scams.

This article was sponsored by Packing Service, Inc. which is a national packing company chain dedicated to protecting consumers from moving scams and always get flat rate quotes. Call now for a Flat Fee Guaranteed Estimate 888-722-5774