Think about this little sketch (if it hasn’t already stoked your nightmares!):
You’d been working out your long-distance move for months.- You investigated three different Killeen interstate moving companies, all of which seemed reliable, and finally picked the one that delivered the lowest estimate.
- It’s now Moving Day.
- The moving crew loads your heads out for your new home.
- And it never shows up. It disappears – along with most of your worldly possessions.
Ah, come on! That hasn’t really happened, has it? Regretably, it has. But that is an extraordinary scenario. What’s more likely to happen with, shall we say, “less than scrupulous” movers is that they won’t pilfer a homeowner’s shipments outright; they’ll simply hold them hostage until the homeowner agrees to pay a higher fee. Of course, these are but two of many sorts of moving scams. Sites like
Moving.com and
MovingScam.com reveal more.
So if you’ve had any fears – any nightmares – about something like this befalling you, consider them a warning: DON’T SIGN ON WITH A MOVING COMPANY UNTIL YOU KNOW THAT COMPANY IS HONEST!
Bypass moving companies that …
- don’t have a physical address. P.O. boxes are a good sign they don’t. Consult the phone book. And check online at Google Maps or Google Earth.
- have a shoddy record with the Better Business Bureau. Get on bbb.org. There you’ll find reviews of over 20,000 moving-oriented companies.
- bill you for an estimate. That’s not something any creditable mover would do.
- don’t give you written estimates – or say they’ll determine your charges after loading. Again: that’s simply not done by well-regarded movers.
- provide you with an estimate that sounds to good to be true. It surely is! (You know the old adage!)
- make you sign documents that have blank lines to be filled in later. All specifics should be spelled out in writing and agreed upon before you sign anything. (Another old adage you surely know!)
- don’t have an active U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) license,
- don’t have a current Motor Carrier (MC) license, and
- don’t have a DOT or MC number that’s less than 3 years old …
- or aren’t insured. You can check all this out at the DOT website’s Mover Registration Search, https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gove/hhg/search.asp. Keep in mind, all moving companies for hire as interstate movers are required to be licensed and insured for interstate commerce.
Here’s still another ripe cliché for you: It’s better to be safe than sorry. Exercising a little due diligence up front and learning all you can about the movers you’re considering before you hire can save you a lot of anguish when your move is being carried out.
And your best information source? The Internet! Or it is so long as you’re not just going to the websites of the movers you’re reviewing. Follow the links we provide above for solid, trustworthy third-party confirmation of a long-distance mover’s credentials … or lack thereof.
While you’re at it, we heartily encourage you to use these sites to look into A-1 Freeman Moving Group here in Killeen too. We’ve been
long-distances movers – not to mention local and intrastate movers – of excellent repute for a long, long time. And we’re happy to present tools like these to help you make smart decisions for smooth moves.
