Moving is a big deal. You are letting people you do not know touch all your stuff. Your couch. Your bed. Your TV. All the dishes your grandma gave you. That is scary when you think about it.
Some moving companies are really good. But some are really bad. The bad ones can break your things. They can steal from you. They can charge you way too much money. You need to know how to spot the bad ones before they show up at your house.
Here are the warning signs to watch for.
1. They Do Not Have a License or Insurance
Good movers have special papers that say they are allowed to do their job. These papers are called a license. They also have insurance. Insurance is like a safety net. If they break something, the insurance helps pay for it.
Always ask to see proof. A real moving company will show you right away. If they say no or make excuses, do not hire them. No license means big trouble for you if something goes wrong.
You can check their license number online. The government has websites where you can look this up. Do it before you give them any money.
2. The Price Is Way Too Low
Everyone wants to save money. That makes sense. But if one moving company costs way less than all the others, be careful.
Let's say three companies tell you it will cost about 1,500 dollars. Then another company says they will do it for 800 dollars. That sounds great. But it is probably not great.
Why would they charge so much less? Maybe they are not very good at their job. Maybe they do not have insurance. Maybe they plan to surprise you with extra charges later.
Here is how the trick works. They tell you a low price. You say yes. They load all your stuff onto their truck. Then they tell you the price just went up. A lot. Now all your stuff is on their truck. You feel stuck. So you pay the higher price.
Get prices from a few different companies. If one price is way lower than the rest, that is a warning sign.
3. They Only Give You the Cheapest Protection
Most people do not know this. The basic protection that movers have to give you is almost worthless.
The law says movers have to offer something called released value protection. It is free. But it only pays 60 cents for each pound.
Think about that. Your TV weighs 50 pounds. It cost you 1,200 dollars. If the movers break it, you only get 30 dollars. That is not even close to enough to buy a new one.
Good moving companies will tell you about better protection. It costs more money. But it actually protects your stuff. If they break something, they have to fix it or replace it.
If a moving company does not talk to you about protection options, that is bad. They should explain your choices. They should help you understand what you are getting.
4. They Will Not Tell You the Final Price
Some moving companies will only give you a guess. They call it a non-binding estimate. That means the price can change.
On moving day, they might tell you the price is now much higher. Maybe they say your stuff weighs more than they thought. Maybe they say it will take longer. The reasons do not really matter. What matters is you end up paying way more than you expected.
Good movers will give you a locked-in price. It is called a binding estimate. The price will not change unless you add more stuff or more work.
Ask what kind of estimate you are getting. Make them explain it. Get it in writing. If they will not lock in a price, think hard about using a different company.
5. Lots of People Say Bad Things About Them
Before you hire movers, read what other people say about them. Look on Google. Look on Yelp. Look on the Better Business Bureau website.
One or two bad reviews is okay. No company makes everyone happy. But if you see the same bad things over and over, pay attention.
Watch for these problems that people mention a lot:
The movers showed up really late or did not show up at all.
They broke a lot of things.
The price went way up on moving day.
The workers were mean or rude.
The movers would not give people their stuff back until they paid extra money.
Their things got delivered to the wrong place or way too late.
If many people are saying the same bad things, believe them. They are warning you.
Also look at how the company answers bad reviews. Do they say sorry and try to fix things? Or do they get mad and blame the customer? That tells you a lot.
6. They Only Have Written Reviews
Written reviews are good. But video reviews are even better.
When someone makes a video review, you can see their face. You can hear their voice. You can tell if they really mean what they say. It is much harder to fake a video than to fake written words.
A company with lots of video reviews is showing you they are proud of their work. They let real customers talk about what really happened. That builds trust.
Not having video reviews does not mean a company is bad. But having them is a really good sign. And if everything else about a company seems weird and they also have no videos, that makes things even more suspicious.
7. Their Website Looks Really Bad
When you look at a moving company's website, it should look real and professional.
A good website should have:
Their phone number and address where you can find them.
Information about what they do.
Pictures of their trucks and workers.
Their license numbers.
Stories from happy customers.
A bad website might have:
Lots of spelling mistakes.
Pictures that look fake or stolen from somewhere else.
No real address, just a phone number.
No information about who they are or how long they have been in business.
A website that looks like someone made it in five minutes.
If their website looks sloppy, their work is probably sloppy too. A real business should have a real website.
8. They Will Not Give You a Written Contract
Never ever let movers touch your stuff without a written contract. Never.
The contract should say:
Where they are picking up your stuff.
Where they are taking your stuff.
What day and time.
Everything they are moving.
How much it costs.
What is included in the price.
What insurance or protection you have.
When they will deliver everything.
This contract protects you. It says what the movers promised to do. If something goes wrong, you have proof of what they said.
If a company wants to start moving your stuff without giving you this paper, stop them. That is a huge warning sign. Something is probably wrong.
Get everything in writing. If they only tell you things out loud, those promises mean nothing later.
9. They Want All Your Money Before They Start
Most good moving companies do not ask for much money before the move. Some ask for nothing at all. Some ask for a small amount, maybe 10 or 20 percent.
You should pay most of the money after they deliver your stuff and you check that everything is okay.
Be very careful if:
They want half your money or more before they start.
They want all the money before the move.
They only take cash.
They want you to send money in weird ways.
They keep telling you to pay right now or the price will go up.
Think about why this is bad. Once they have all your money, why would they work hard? Why would they be careful with your stuff? Some fake companies take money from lots of people and then just disappear.
Pay as little as you can before the move. Use a credit card if you can. Credit cards protect you better than cash if something goes wrong.
10. You Can Not Call Them on Moving Day
On the day of your move, you need to be able to talk to someone. Things happen. Trucks are late. You have questions. Problems come up.
Good moving companies give you:
A phone number for the driver.
A phone number for the office.
A way to know where your stuff is.
Updates if they are running late.
If a company will not give you a way to reach them, that is really bad. What if the truck does not show up? What if they break something? What if they go to the wrong house?
Not being able to call them means they do not want to answer your questions. That is either because they are not organized or because they are hiding something. Either way, you do not want that company.
11. You Can Not Find Their License Number
Real moving companies are proud that they have a license. They usually put their license number right on their website. It is often at the bottom of the page or on the page that tells about the company.
If you can not find it:
Look on the government website to see if they are licensed.
Call them and ask for their license number.
Be careful if they will not tell you or if they make excuses.
Just because you can not find the number does not mean they are fake. But it should make you ask more questions. Why would a good company hide this information?
12. They Are Not Really the Movers
Here is something tricky that many people do not know. Sometimes the company you call is not the company that moves you.
Some companies are called brokers. They are like the middle person. You call them. They take your information. They tell you a price. But then they call a different company to actually do the move. You might not know who is really coming until moving day.
This can cause problems:
The movers who show up might not be as good as you thought.
The price might change.
It is hard to know who to call if something goes wrong.
Your stuff might get mixed up with other people's stuff.
Being a broker is not against the rules. But you should know about it. Ask the company this question. Will your workers be the ones moving me? Or will you have another company do it?
Many people feel safer when they hire the actual movers. No middle person. No surprises about who shows up.
What to Do If You See Warning Signs
If you notice these bad signs, here is what to do.
Before you hire anyone:
Get prices from at least three companies.
Check their license yourself online.
Read lots of reviews.
Ask lots of questions.
See how they answer. Are they nice and helpful? Or do they seem annoyed?
Ask them for phone numbers of people they moved recently.
Trust your gut. If something feels wrong, it probably is.
If you already hired them but now you are worried:
Save everything. Emails. Texts. The contract. Everything.
Take pictures and videos of all your stuff before the move.
Read the contract again. Make sure you understand it.
Ask questions about anything that seems confusing.
Think about getting extra insurance.
Make a list of everything being moved.
Learn about your rights. The government has websites that explain what movers can and can not do.
If something goes wrong:
Take pictures and videos of anything broken.
Do not sign a paper saying everything is perfect if it is not.
Write a letter to the company about what went wrong.
Tell the government if the company did something really bad.
Write reviews to warn other people.
You might need to talk to a lawyer if they stole from you or broke lots of expensive things.
Final Thoughts
Moving should be exciting. You are going somewhere new. Starting something new. It should not be scary or stressful.
The difference between a good move and a bad move is doing your homework first. Yes, it takes time to check on moving companies. Yes, reading reviews is kind of boring. But a few hours of research can save you thousands of dollars. It can save you from having your favorite things broken.
Good moving companies do exist. They have trained workers. They have good trucks. They are honest about prices. They care about your stuff because they know it matters to you.
The warning signs in this article help you tell the difference between good companies and bad companies. When you know what to look for, you can spot the bad ones before they cause problems.
Ask questions. Make them show you their license. Read reviews. Read the contract. Trust yourself. If something seems wrong, it probably is.
Your stuff deserves a good moving company. And so do you. 😊