Moving scams aren’t really uncommon these days. We all have heard stories of overbilling and exorbitant hidden charges by illicit movers, theft of valuables on-the-move, delayed delivery and all such horrors. Put simply, you do have a bunch of scam movers around. When you sign up with a moving chicago company, you put all your trust in it. After all, it’s the movers who will be carrying your grandma’s old piano and your son’s first gold cup. And when that same mover turns out to be a scam artist, you are left stranded. But, you should not have to face such gory scenes with your moving.
The post below alerts you on the common scams by movers and also offers tips on how to save yourself from them.
Hidden charges & overbilling
One of the most common of all moving scams, hidden charges and overbilling are something that you should be aware of always. Some illicit movers advertise with low quotes to attract customers. But, when it comes to the final payment, customers are left in awe with a highly inflated amount. How is this possible? Well, what these scam movers do they don’t mention the prices of all services in their quote. They just offer a dirt cheap amount and don’t even reveal to the customers that they have not included all the services in that. Later, when the customer actually signs up with the mover, he starts pointing out the other charges- like extra goods, handling charges etc.- one by one. One of the most common excuses here is that driver took a longer route because of traffic jam and hence you have to pay more.
Your Tip
So, when you are planning to hire a mover, make sure he is completely transparent with the pricing structure. We all look for lower quotes. But, if a mover quote seems to be unreasonably low, there could be some nasty surprises lurking behind it. So, beware, and always ask the company for an elaborate quotation to get the actual figures. And you should do the calculation before you sign up with your mover. This way, you will still have room to switch to another mover if the first one seems to be a red flag.
Theft
Imagine the horror of finding your diamond solitaire missing when the mover finally unloads your luggage at your new location! Theft is one of the common nasty scams by illicit movers and it usually happens with shared shifting. The worse, the scammer would surely not accept it when you will charge him for theft.
Your Tip
To avoid such nuisance, it’s better to maintain a detailed list of things that you are sending with the mover. Make sure to mention even the tiniest of item in the list. Show it to the mover and get it signed by him. This way, even if something goes missing while on-the-move, you can always charge your mover for recovery and compensation. Also, you should always sign up with a mover who carries a valid insurance. If something goes wrong for you under the charge of the mover, the insurance will cover your loss.
No arrival on due date
It’s no less than a horror to find your moving truck hasn’t arrived at your new location on the due date. Now, that’s the sign of a very unprofessional mover. Sometimes it so happens that the mover company bags a bigger contract than that of yours. And then, they simply switch all their attention to that contract leaving you with nothing less than wild guesses about your luggage.
Your tip
A bigger contract is always lucrative for any business. But, that doesn’t mean a mover will delay the previous orders only to make room for the new one. Big or small, a contract is always a contract for a mover. If he is a true professional, he will be equally attentive to all his contracts, regardless of the size.
To avoid such nightmares, you should always be very pronounced about your delivery date with your mover. You should go on reminding the company constantly about your due date so that they think twice before delaying your delivery.
Make sure to have the customer care number of mover handy so that you can contact there immediately if things don’t seem to be right.
Bailey Hudson is a creative content writer from Texas USA. He graduated in 2012 at the Hult University with a degree in Mass Communication. He created Bailey Doest Bark in 2015 and is currently the managing editor of the online portal.
