Moving Soon? 6 Tips to Avoiding Scam Movers
Moving Soon? 6 Tips to Avoiding Scam Movers
There are many moving companies out there, and it doesn’t come as a surprise that more than a few are scammers. Montreal in-particular is experiencing a growing number of these scammers and articles are flooding the web about this pandemic (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/rogue-movers-scam-montrealers-for-hundreds-of-dollars-1.2685835). Essentially you’ll be trusting inexperienced one-man-shows with flimsy tools, baseless rates and contracts and unreliable trucks. Here are a few things to look out for.
1. Phone Representatives
Phone-manner can be a huge red flag; established moving companies have a dedicated trained staff to handle calls and communications. When you contact a scammer, there is a fairly large probability that you’ll be talking directly to the muscle. Ask questions about the company and their operations, moving companies have a procedure to process clients and tend to be very transparent about it.
2. Web Presence
Though having a website doesn’t mean it’s a scammer but a website built on WIX and one made through a web design company is very different. Any internet veteran will be able to point the differences, now if you’re not one no problem here is a list of things to look for;
- A detailed address, confirm that with Google street view
- Images of their establishment, staff and equipment / Minimal Stock photography
- Consistent and transparent content, scammers will keep their website as simple as possible because they’ll be constantly changing their name and image
- Websites made by an agency will normally have a label usually located on the bottom of the homepage, which should link you to the agencies website.
3. Ratings
There is not a single company that hasn’t been rated by a previous client. See what others have said about the movers you’re going to work with. It’s fairly obvious to root out the fake comments; it comes down to the length, the longer it is to higher the probability this was done by someone that used the service.
4. Business Legitimacy
By this one simple search, you can root out scam movers;
http://www.registreentreprises.gouv.qc.ca/en/
Visit this government website and select “find an enterprise”, every active business in Quebec is registered on this website, with their official address, date of registration, phone number, and business owner’s name. There is a fairly high probability that your scammer company is not listed. Almost every established city in the US and Canada provide this service to its citizens, simply Google the right keywords, and you’ll find it with no problem.
5. Cash Only
Scam movers work in cash, they are not registered business, and hence, they don’t have enterprise bank account. Moving companies will provide payment options for their clients, whether it’s a payment plan through credit or check, or one-time POS options.
6. Fees and Contracts
You might be doing a small move down the street and looked up some movers on Kijiji for a small fee of $50, that by itself should be a red flag. That price is simply too good to be true! Now if that doesn’t seem to alarm you ask them for a contract before paying them anything and read it thoroughly. In it you’ll find something like; additional $50 for anything weighing more than 75 Lbs or $20 per flight of stairs or $500 deposit, ridiculous statements you won’t find anywhere on a legitimate moving companies contract.
Follow these simple tips, and you’re guaranteed to steer away from scam movers and ensure yourself a safe, quick and easy move. Good Move!!
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