Publications - Moving: What to know before you go

Moving: What to Know Before You Go • Home Telephone Service   • Cellular Phones • Internet Service • Utilities • The Company That Moves You • Moving Violations • Insuring Your Goods • Useful Resources • Read other CFA publications

Moving Violations

The most common complaints about moving companies involve estimates. Companies may underestimate the job and then jack up the price when the goods arrive at the new destination. They may demand the additional charge in cash and refuse to unload the items until it is paid. This leads to another common complaint against moving companies, holding consumer’s goods hostage. If you don’t pay up, the company takes the items to a storage facility and begins to tack on storage fees. Some shady companies unpack the goods, steal things, mix items from different moves together, and threaten to auction off goods.

You can avoid some of these problems by thoroughly checking out the company before you decide as described above. In addition, consider getting a binding estimate. The company may charge for it, but in the long run it will be worth it. A binding estimate ensures that you will only pay the amount of the estimate. Even if you agree to additional services beyond the scope of the estimate, the company cannot require payment for the additional services before completion of the job; it must bill you for them later.

A moving company cannot charge for a non-binding estimate, but the non-binding estimate is not a guaranteed price for the move. The moving company can demand as much as 110 percent of the estimated cost on the day of delivery and may bill you for an additional amount after completion of the move.

Another common scam disreputable moving companies pull on consumers is to intentionally misrepresent the weight of the goods being moved. They give one weight when the goods are collected and another when they are seeking payment. Fortunately, one of your rights as a consumer is to have disputed goods reweighed.

If your items are held hostage and the company is not abiding by the law, you can contact the local authorities. Also, be sure to file complaints with Call For Action, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the appropriate local agencies.