I currently live on the third floor, with several heavy pieces of furniture. Next time I move, I promise you that there will be movers doing all the heavy lifting. I might pack a few boxes, take care of the dishes and other little stuff, but the furniture at least will be handled by professionals. When it comes to choosing my moving company, though, I plan to be very careful. We’re talking about my personal possessions, after all, and there’s been more than one scam perpetrated by household movers. I don’t want to have to ransom back my possessions. I don’t want to argue with movers that estimate one price and charge a much higher one. I don’t want to have anything go wrong with my move.

Take Action To Protect Your Possessions

When we move, we want the best movers we can afford. The easiest way to find them is to ask around. Who have your friends and family used? Did they have any problems? Does your realtor have a recommendation, or the apartment manager? Word-of-mouth is generally the best bet for finding a reliable company. After all, your friends won’t point you to a company that treated them poorly.

It’s also worth the time to do a little due diligence — a little research. Call the local Better Business Bureau and check if anyone has filed a complaint against your company of choice. Google their names, as well, and add in your city to make sure you get relevant results. If you hear any bad news about a company, cross them off your list and move on to the next. You don’t need the worry of dealing with a company you know has had problems in the past.

The Three Estimate Rule

You always want to get at least three separate estimates to compare. If one company is significantly more expensive, you’ll probably know to avoid them on your own. But you should also consider ignoring significantly cheaper estimates. If you get two estimates that are similarly priced and a third that is much, much cheaper, you should ask yourself why that company is so much less. Statistically, that’s the moving company most likely to cause trouble for you. It’s just like scams in any other industry: if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

You should also ask for a contract that lists out all prices, rather than signing an estimate. It’s very easy to tack on extra surcharges to a signed estimate — perhaps there’s a per mile charge for driving or extra fees for packing. You want to know those in advance and have them in writing. Using a signed contract will protect you if your movers try to pull something. If nothing else, you have documentation if you wind up taking them to small claims court.

Ask Questions

You’re about to let people you don’t know into your home. You may have your children around; you definitely have your possessions around. Ask the moving company about the movers — do they conduct background checks? Does the company have insurance? What about a claims policy? You’re paying enough to be nosy.

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