Moving Fraud Prevention Tips

There are lots and lots of cases of moving scams out there and you need to guard yourself properly so that you will not be a victim of these. If you make the mistake of getting deceived, you will lose your money to the scammers. Now, people tend not to understand the moving scam we talk about all the time. It may not necessarily be a situation where you are duped and waylaid and your money taken away from you without any services offered. It may be the case of being offered services that are below per while you pay huge amounts that will under normal circumstances give you great services.

Now, before you learn how to run away from these moving scams, you have to know the scams you should run away from. It is good to inform you that the rate or percentage of moving scams out there may be very infinitesimal, in the sense that it may be as small as 2% in all moves. Even if it’s so small rate, you should be fully aware that there are professional removal companies in Manchester but there are also a scammers – you should pay an extra attention if you decide to hire Manchester man and van team, as in case of small firms it’s more difficult to differentiate a trusted company from potential fraudsters.. When you become a victim, you will lose more than you ever imagined. The reason why it is a very bad experience is that you will not only loose what you are paying for the services which is normally very exorbitant, you may also lose your items and belongings in the process or they may get damaged.

Hidden charges

One of the most witnessed moving scams is a situation where your items are taken hostage. This happens when the firms come with their fake charges to lure you into hiring them. In this case, they reduce their rates to the barest minimum and you will be hoodwinked into believing that they are the best for you. When this happens, you are told at the middle of the deal about some other charges that may be two to three times higher than what you paid, and if you fail to pay this, your items will be confiscated and held hostage till you pay. This is the reason we have been telling those who care to hear that cheap removals Manchester is not always the best. Some people say that this is not a scam, but I don’t actually know what it is if it is not. It is a calculated scam. To guard against this, you have to ask in clear terms and language if there will be any hidden charges before you collect any quote from local Bolton removals or Oldham man and van  firms. Ask the movers and the executives of the firm and insure that the documents state that the amount on it is the final amount you are paying for the move. If the answer is not clear enough about the hidden or extra charges, run for your life.

Advance fee moving frauds

The next is the practice of collecting your deposit and disappearing with it. This is the reason why most of the moving experts will warn against putting any amount of money down before the move, no matter how small the money is. If you are working on other contracts, especially the home related ones, you will have no qualms making the down payment because many of them demand for this. But when you want to hire Stockport removals team that you have no control over, don’t ever make a down payment. The payment should be made at the destination or your present location. In fact, the best method is for you to give half of the money after the company has packed and loaded the items in the truck, and make the balance payment after they have off loaded them at your new home. Now, whenever a moving company demands for an upfront payment, it simply is a red flag that should make you run.

Switch scam

Another scam is the name switch scam. Most of the companies that already have bad profiles normally engage in a name switch scam whereby they change their names so that it will be difficult for you to find out about their antecedents from the better bureau website. You have to ask them if they have any other names with which they do business. You should also ask for their licenses and their physical addresses where you can visit and make inquiries in person with their staffs answering your questions. They should be properly licensed and should also belong to the regulatory bodies that will regulate them and serve as arbiters if you have any problems with them.

In general, before you hire any moving company, get enough references by going through their feedback in their website. You can also ask friends and family members that have used such services.  Some of the reliable real estate agents around will help you with the names and addresses of the best. Before you hire, you must get multiple quotes and estimates and verify them. Choose the best according to services, reputation of the firm and cost. You have to insure that they have all the licenses, and when they offer them to you, you need to verify to insure that they are coming from the rightful bodies. Also insure that their licensing is up to date before you hire.