How to avoid being cheated by an unscrupulous Moving Company

The number of people relocating their home or office from one place to another has been on the rise with each passing year. The growing demand has seen the mushrooming of packers and movers services in every region. Sadly, this has also lead to an exponential rise in reports of people being cheated by dishonest players who are keen on making a quick buck in the short term. Given the digital proliferation, almost anyone can put up a glitzy show front website that serves to attract unsuspecting customers. Once the money has been deposited, the service delivery goes for a toss. Worse still is the situation where a dishonest, fly-by-night operator disappears with both, the money as well as the goods that were entrusted for the move.



Thankfully, there are several ways to avoid being cheated by a rogue moving company. Those planning a home or office move, now or anytime in the future would do well to follow the below mentioned suggestions:

Reputation: Building a name for oneself takes quite a bit of effort and years of consistent service. Choose a service provider who has been in the business for a good number of years.

Recommendation: When evaluating a mover, ask around. Friends, relatives, colleagues, everyone who has had a first hand experience with the company under consideration would be helpful. One can even get onto specialist forums online where one is sure to find professional advice from prior customers.

Get an estimate: Most moves also involve packing and other assistance. The costs of these are often difficult to estimate without a personal visit. Quality moving companies will always be willing to provide a quote at your door step.

Fallacy of low costs: One often gets what they pay for. Going with the operator who appears to be undercutting the industry average might prove to be a dangerous end game. Quality does not come cheap and service providers will charge for the level of assistance they provide.

The agent trap: Moving companies tend to appoint a network of agents where one can come and book their services. Occasionally, it may happen that an agent may not be the true representative of the service provider. If any dispute were to arise, then the service provider may refuse to intervene in the matter. To avoid such incidents always double check the credentials when booking through a third party.

Read the Fine Print: Always go through a contract with a fine toothed comb prior to signing away on it. Every charge and service must be clearly mentioned and explained sufficiently. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarifications and make sure that they are in writing. Verbal assurances are likely to be dishonoured during a dispute for want of any concrete evidence of the same.

There are plenty of storage facilities and service providers. In the end, what matters is that one chooses a reliable, reputed operator who will deliver on all counts.