It is quite common for people to hire a moving company when they are beginning the process of planning a move.

Hiring a company can relieve quite a bit of stress and pressure to get everything done within a certain time frame. They usually offer packaging and unpacking services that can alleviate your to-do list also. Moving companies have a lot of very good qualities and benefits that they offer.

But what if you have hired a company that may not seem as reliable or trustworthy?

Do not be fooled-there are plenty of crooks out there trying to dupe people every single day in the moving industry. We are here to help you maneuver through the unlicensed companies and to pick the right one for you.

How to Spot an Illegal Moving Company

When looking for a moving company to help with your transition, keep the following 5 things in mind to make sure the process goes smoothly and you don’t get duped.

1. Price

If the price is seeming too good to be true, then it probably is.

If you are comparing prices between different moving companies and one seems drastically lower than the rest that should raise a red flag. One of the tricks that these type of companies try to play on people, is they advertise a really low flat hourly rate.

What happens is they end up adding on additional up charges and fees after the move is over and demand that you pay that price.

2. Ghosts

Properly licensed and registered moving companies are regulated by the department of transportation (DOT) in whichever state they operate in. When they are licensed, you can search them up on official DOT or business website.

If you are having a hard time finding their business or any information about the company anywhere, they probably are a ghost company and don’t have the necessary qualifications and licenses in order to be in operation.

3. Insurance

One of the most important aspects of hiring a professional moving company is to make sure that they are insured.

This simply means that if anything were to happen during the process of your move, such as damage or breakage to any of your valuables while being moved or in the transportation of your belongings.

Usually, moving companies are insured a certain dollar amount for each pound of stuff. If they are not insured, they can damage your belongings and have no plan or requisite to pay you back.

Of everything, insurance is one of the most important aspects to look into when hiring professional movers.

4. Location

Does this company have a location that you can either drive by or look up on Google Maps?

Most legit companies will have an office that they work out of as their base and if they offer storage services they most likely will have a warehouse where they also park their moving trucks. If there is no registered address or location for the company this is another red flag.

Since they are not a licensed company they will not have a location tied to their “business”.

5. Contract

Is the moving company offering you a contract with all of the details of the move provided on it?

Like mentioned earlier with sketchy moving companies, they can offer flat rates but will get you in the end by adding additional charges and fees.

Your first step should be to make sure that they provide a contract in the first place. The second step is to ensure you look over everything with a fine toothed comb.

By making sure the agreement you have made with the company is all spelled out in the contract, you shouldn’t have any miscommunication issues come moving day.

Protect Yourself & Your Belongings When Moving

When it comes to trusting a moving company with your belongings, you want to know that you’re in good hands.

Unfortunately, most people think they can avoid scams and schemes when looking for help or services. This is not true. Anybody can be fooled into a situation that was not what they thought it was going to be.

These 5 tips should help you be able to figure out the validity of the moving company you are working with. The last thing you want is for somebody to show up, pack your things up, and then never return with your belongings!

For safe, trustworthy moving services, reach out to West Coast Piano Moving & Storage today!