How to avoid being scammed by movers

I just watched the report that was done on being scammed by movers. First of all, I am surprised that the story was done in a way that made it look like all movers were scam artists. My husband has been a mover/driver for over 25 years and has never done the things that were talked about during the story. Most movers are owner/ operators and depend on their reputations to keep the jobs coming in. The drivers do not do the estimates or do they tell customers how much the move will be. These things are done by a CSR (customer service representative). Second, most drivers who are responsible for getting the truck loaded, driving to destination, and unloading, will tell the customer if there is another shipment on the truck. The delivery dates are determined by the CSR and the customer and the driver is the one responsible for getting to the destination on time. Yes there are times when a driver may be late, due to weather, truck problems, or in the case of my husband the death of his mother. Now I personally do not see how these things can be avoided. Does anyone else? Also, most drivers, including my husband will tell a customer if they will have another shipment on the truck. I am extremely upset with the way this story was done and do take offense to the fact that all movers were lumped together and said to be Summers. Offended mover's wife in Colorado, Carol

I cannot believe what I saw. I have worked in the moving industry for over 20 years, and that is the worst piece of reporting that I have ever seen regarding movers. You should at least understand the process and report accordingly. I work for a moving company that represents two of the finest, most trusted Van Lines in the country. The realtor that was on the show was making statements that she apparently knows nothing about. For instance, when you move with at national Van Line, your shipment, unless it physically takes up the entire truck, is going to most likely move with one or more other shipments. What would be the point of sending a truck that holds 18,000 pounds from Maine to California with only 2,500 pounds on it? Also, when a reputable mover goes out to do a ‘physical’ survey (which is required for an interstate shipment) of the household goods to be shipped, that mover is REQUIRED, by Federal Law, to provide the shipper with 2 very important and informative pieces of literature. One is the Governments publication FMCSA-E-05-006, entitled “Ready to Move?” which lists all of the websites anyone could need when working with a mover, and the other publication OMB No. 2126-0025, is “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” . These are required when a shipper is moving across state lines (interstate moving). They are both designed to protect the consumer and spell out all of the things to look out for.

This “piece” that aired is, at best, a hatchet job, and at worst, a very irresponsible piece of reporting. What happened to getting both sides to the story? Why don’t you have a professional Mover come on the show and let everyone know what to look out for, and the REALITIES of moving. All professional/reputable movers know exactly what scams are going on out there, we hear the stories every day. Who would know better what is being done right, and what to look out for? CERTAINLY NOT A REALTOR!!!!!!! (any more than I would be the one to give advice on buying/financing a house!)

This report has certainly made me question the professionalism of your “expert realtor” and also of the Today Show in general to allow such a slanted and misinformed opinion to get on the air in the guise of news.l

The Today show should be embarrassed. If they are going to cite someone as an expert then they should be an expert. Some of the advice was valid, don't use internet movers and never pay a deposit to a mover. As a promover the best recommendation I can make is to get 3 quotes, the representatives business card, the estimate, the order for service and the truck that picks up the shipment should all show the same US DOT number, if they don't you have a problem. Moving is expensive, take the time to check out the company and the van line. The BBB is a good resource, if the company isn't listed find out why. The weight of a shipment is determined by a "cube sheet", make sure you agree with everything that is listed to be moved and request a copy of the cube sheet along with the quote. It seems to me that many consumers look at the price only thinking all movers are the same, they are not!

If you want to help people with moving and preparing for a move then TEACH them what to do, don't panic them. This could have been a remarkable story, going step by step on what people should do. Plus adding what to be wary of, such as requiring a deposit. When people are moving it's generally because of a death in the family, or job loss, sometimes a new job, or moving back home to be closer to elderly relatives, and lets not forget retirement. In any case (and almost every case) moving is stressful, and it is my job as a move coordinator to try and take some of that stress away by instructing them and going over details. The key to a succesful move is an open line of communication.

I am disappointed that you just added to the stress, instead of being helpful and instructive.

ive been working for a moving company for the last 12 years and this article makes me sick. its so totally one sided and no reputable moving company or van line will conduct buisness in that manner. the thing that really pissed me off is when they are talking about 'overcharging' the customer. like some movers, not all customers are truthful.

if a customer tells you "oh ya, you can get a tractor trailer into my gated community" and when you get there you cant fit that 53fter in, guess what? of course im going to charge the customer a shuttle charge because now a 4 hr delivery will take 10 hours, plus the cost to me for renting a smaller shuttle truck.

ive walked into homes with nothing being packed when everything was supposed to be packed by owner (PBO). guess what? you want those ceramic lamps moved across the nation.....well, im going to pack them in a box and charge you for it. if you didnt want to be charged for the packing, you should have gotten it done BEFORE the day of the move.

ive also walked into homes where the customer would tell the sales rep "oh, im going to sell this and this and this before the move" but it doesnt sell. now 5000 lbs turns into 7500 or 8000 and that screws up my space in the truck to pick up my other loads. guess what? you have extra things not on the cube sheet which you signed..... im charging you for it.

if we get to the destination and we have stairs or an elevator and the customer failed to tell the sales rep or I about it....guess what? im charging you a stairs charge. if you think moving your items to a 2nd or 3rd floor takes the same amount of time and energy as a 1st floor move, you are nuts. i dont mind doing stair moves, but its nice to know ahead of time so i can make the proper arangements for an extra man to help.

ive even had customers try to make a claim on furniture damage even though said damage was listed on the inventory sheets which they signed and clearly visable prior to the move. moving is expensive and some people will try anything to get some of that $$ back, including making bogus claims.

are there bad movers? of course there are. but dont catagorize ALL movers because of a few bad apples. i dont judge all shippers or customers i move because of the few that made my day hell.

and btw, tipping is OPTIONAL, not required. however.... it certainly is appreciated. movers dont make alot of money after expenses and every little bit helps. if your movers were curtious, careful, and go out of their way to make sure your move was a smooth event, give them a little something at the end of the move as a sign of your appreciation.

even a glass of water on a hot day is very welcome. i had one snob of a woman once tell me that if i wanted a drink of water, i have to use the outside hose, even though the inside faucets were working and in use by the owners. we are humans, not dogs. needless to say, on that particular move, i closed up the truck, and started to leave. when the snob came out and asked what i was doing, i told her im going to the nearest store to get some water. she said she had somewhere to be later that afternoon. i told her "well, looks like your gonna be a little late then since i have to go offsite just to get some clean water". she never got the hint and she ended up being late for whatever she had to do, putting her into an even fouler mood. oh well. treat your movers like human beings and not slaves at your command and things will go smoother.

ok, guess im done with my tirade. just got fed up with this one sided reporting and lack of input from a real van line representative.

if anyone out there needs a good moving company in the ft myers/ naples area of florida, call Atlas Van Lines at 1-239-337-5550. we do local and long distance moves, as well as international. we have a great staff and a bunch of hard workers who really do go out of their way to make sure you move goes well. ask for Kelly and she will set you up with a sales rep to come out and give you a free estimate. tell her Mikey sent ya ;)

I have moved several times and think movers are hard working and honest as a whole. I did use a newer company once to save money. They thought I went to the store but changed my mind, they were going through my stuff actually opening boxes. "Just checking to see if anything broke"....B.S. The lesson is to go with the Pros and pay for reputable people, I think this story shows the Moving Industry in a wrong light. There are always a few bad companies in anything you want to write an article about.

The issues brought out in this story are true, more today than in the past. Our websites have extensive information about the scam movers out there. They are prevelent on the internet and are scamming people as you read this response. I fight these scam movers everyday when I quote our shippers. As a licensed forwarder and carrier I take this issue seriously.

First off, it's www.movingscam.com, not www.movingscam.org.

Second, I found the lead-in to the article to be sensationalist, but the main content of the article to be good.

Third, companies can change their quality over time. My wife and I had a very good experience with a company in Seattle in 1999, and then when we needed to move in 2003 we used the same company again. Turns out that the driver and crew (on the second move) were felons, and stole my credit card information, which they immediately (tried) to use to pay things like their utilities! Luckily, the CC fraud department found this out immediately.

I wanted to add one more tip for all those potential moving customers out there - Make sure you are honest and thorough with your on-site moving estimator on exactly what the movers will service. The more information he or she has about what you need moved/packed will insure a better move. Surprises on the moving day are never good and another garage full or few thousand pounds you weren't taking to begin with will sure throw a kink in the chain and cost you more money! Please understand your rights and responsibilities as a moving customer. Just a helpful tip from a moving company manager!

As a moving company owner, I cannot deny that the reputation the moving and storage industry has, is not deserved on some level. However, news always focuses on the sensational/outrageous/bad and stories about people who had a great moving experience is, frankly, just not that newsworthy. Any reputable company will first and foremost want to educate the consumer. An educated customer can peg the unscrupulous operators without any trouble at all. Consumers also have a sense of when a company is trying to genuinely help them, versus upsell them into something they don't need or want. Customers who call my company are always told that whether they use us or not, they need to know the right questions to ask to protect themselves, and we will help them in any way we can to avoid getting ripped off. We will always offer suggestions to help them best prepare for their move and to save time and money in the process. I don't want a high dollar customer who never comes back. I also agree with prior commentors that you cannot paint Movers with such a broad brush. They are the hardest working, least appreciated people on earth. It is up to the management of the company to know who they are hiring, make sure they are thorougly trained, and feel good about sending them into the customers home. I take exception with the notion that any company that asks you for a deposit is out to get you. My company is small (seven trucks) and if we did not take a nominal prepayment, customers will sometimes cancel their move without any notice and I end up having a truck sit on a day when I could have scheduled it. On the small margins we operate under, I just can't keep my business up and running with that sort of thing happening.

I represent Door to Door Storage and Moving. We agree with the premise of the Today show story that consumers must be careful when moving. But, as with others who have commented on this story, we feel it is inaccurate to characterize the moving profession as your story did.

Door to Door believes that consumers should have complete information about their move and the details spelled out in the agreement that our customers sign. This has been a policy of our company since its founding in 1996. Door to Door has helped more than 250,000 customers move and store their possessions. The only way to serve customers (and build your business) is to provide them with the information they need--and have a right to--and make sure they have a positive experience.

Our company is a member of the Better Business Bureau because we feel it’s important for our customers to know that we are committed to accountability. Door to Door works hard to ensure that our employees, including service representatives and drivers, treat our customers with the utmost respect and handle their treasured possessions carefully. We work with customers to find the best, and most economical, way to move and store their possessions. We also provide them with moving tips and resources for supplies to help make their move less stressful.

We encourage the Today show to re-visit this timely topic again and work with representatives of reputable moving and storage companies to provide additional factual information to educate consumers.