An official website of the United States government Official websites use. gov A. The gov website belongs to an official government organization of the United States. Talk to local law enforcement and file complaints with the FMCSA and the DOT.
Contact your local, state and federal representatives and tell them that you want them to support consumer protection. Call local media: newspapers, television stations. Create your own website and get the word out. Everything you can do to let other consumers know what's going on in the moving industry. We'll identify some of the most common moving company scams and give you some tips on how to avoid them.
If you're thinking about moving to a new apartment or house, before calling the moving company, you should be aware of fraudulent moving schemes and how you can protect your money and belongings. For this reason, unreliable moving companies often offer customers a quote over the phone and, after the move, increase the previously quoted price. This document will serve as a basis for determining the cost of the move and addressing potential disputes or claims for lost or damaged items. A bait and change movement happens when the moving company gives you a quote, but after you load all your belongings into their vehicle, they increase the price.
Or, if the moving company violates the license and the Department of Transportation impersonates your truck while it was in transit, all your valuables will remain on board until the truck leaves. The dissolution of the ICC in 1995 was just the last nail in the coffin. However, the ICC could not really oversee the industry, since many moving companies had entered the market and “the tariffs were now anachronisms”. Moving companies will evaluate your home to identify any obstacles or hazards, such as a broken ladder, that may arise during the move or detect any damage to the property that existed before your arrival.
Of course, it's not worth paying cheaply if the moving company doesn't also practice taking freights hostage (rising prices during the move), because the moving company has to make money somehow. We recommend that you work with a moving company that schedules a pre-move inspection so that there are no surprises on the day of the move. Withholding payment until the move is complete will help ensure that your belongings are delivered in a safe and timely manner. This scam involves giving estimates to consumers only by phone instead of inspecting the goods being moved on site.
However, some moving companies may request an advance deposit to guarantee the date of the move, especially during peak moving season. Make sure the moving company provides you with a detailed list of all your belongings, including the estimated weight and value of each item. In a scam involving stolen items as hostages, moving companies refuse to unload your belongings from their vehicle and claim that you owe them more money than you originally agreed to. Some companies may add hidden fees to the move, such as for the use of additional packaging materials, for additional insurance or for special handling of certain items.
