Moving Scams to Avoid
The last thing that you need to be thinking about as moving day approaches is the possibility that you are part of a scam. While most Gainesville movers are highly reputable, it pays to do a little extra legwork before you sign any type of contract with movers. Here are a few things to be on the lookout for when you are considering hiring a company to move you into your new home.
Be Careful of Handing Out Deposits
A reputable Gainesville moving company would never ask for a deposit up front before any packages were even loaded on a truck. The only thing you might have to do is secure your spot with a credit card hold, but no cash should ever be required at the time you are reserving a date for the move.
The Home Inspection
Professional movers will send over a staff member to your home to carefully analyze everything that will be loaded on their truck. In addition to seeing how many and how big items are, the staff needs to know how difficult items will be to move from certain areas of the home. When a company simply gives you a price without even setting foot in your home, consider looking for another company to help move your items.
Watch the Gas Charges
While many companies traditionally charge you to have the truck filled with gas before they load anything, they should never charge you again once they have completed moving your items. This is called the double dip, and getting customers to pay twice for gas is a sign of a company that does not take their reputation seriously.
The Guaranteed Price Quote
Be careful to read all the fine print before you sign any contract. Some companies try to scam their customers by giving them great prices at first, with details in the fine print explaining how the final weight of the truck is subject to additional fees if it goes over the agreed amount. Because you have no idea what all your belongings weigh, you fall into this trap and find out you owe thousands at the end of the move.
The best scammers know exactly what they are doing and will hold your items hostage until they get that payment. If you refuse, they keep the items on the truck and begin charging you a storage fee on top of that money you owe.
