Scam artists know how to get into a business and take advantage of people’s need for money. How to recognize deceitful removalists is the key to finding the legitimate, trustworthy companies that will help you. If you have time to invest, performing research online can save you countless hours of dealing with unscrupulous businesses that only want to take your money. Be sure to conduct adequate research on any business that you plan to do business with; this will ensure that you will not be working with a fraud company. In addition, be sure to look out for the Better Business Bureau and other similar consumer complaint reporting websites.
The scariest part about being a small business owner is that you will encounter unscrupulous people just about everywhere you turn, and how to recognize deceitful removalists is of extreme importance. Deceit is the oldest form of deceit and it has been around forever; however, modern technology has made it much easier to pull scams than it was years ago.
Check-out the ways of recognising deceitful removalists and stop scams.
1. Suspiciously cheap prices/price baiting
You can use moving scam indicators to determine whether or not someone is trying to solicit business from you on behalf of a real estate agent or broker.
- If you come into touch with this kind of questionable business activity, you need to take measures to protect yourself before things spiral out of hand. In addition to harming many people’s reputations and financial well-being, moving scams can also be very dangerous. It is important to be aware of moving scams when they occur so that you can prevent yourself and your family from being a victim of one.
- It is important to note that just because someone contacts you from a phone number that you are not familiar with does not always imply that they are trying to solicit your business from you.
- However, the overwhelming majority of reliable home phone companies allow you to register your phone number in order to receive calls or information about potential consumers that come your way.
- Depending on whether or not the scam signs are shown on your caller identification display, it may be required to report the phone number to the relevant authorities.
2. No documented estimate or copy of the contract provided in advance.
A good moving scam tip is to never sign any kind of estimate or contract when you are not sure of its validity.
- Any reputable company will never ask for any type of upfront fee until they have fully explained their process and offered you a free estimate.
- Or will never require you to provide them with a signed contract or any type of written estimate prior to moving the furniture into your home.
- In fact, if you are asked for any type of written estimate at all, you should always insist that they give you a written estimate that is not attached to a timetable or an invoice.
- A good moving company will also never require that you sign an ‘assumption of responsibility or any type of disclaimer that releases them from liability if you are harmed while you are in their possession.
- They will never ask you to enter into any type of legal agreement with them until they have all of the legal terms and conditions set forth in writing.
- A good company will never ask you to send them any money up front in an attempt to collect payment from you in the event that they are unable to complete the move.
- Instead, these companies will include language in their contract that allows for late fees or additional charges if they are unable to complete the move in a timely manner.
- All reputable companies will require that you pay for any damage that you cause during the move in full before they will ever allow you to proceed with the move.
- They will also be very careful to only use people or companies that they know to be trustworthy and reliable.
- If a company tries to charge you for a credit card number, phone number, or any other type of sensitive information without your permission, it is very likely that the company is running a moving scam.
- You should never trust a company that tries to force you to give them money in advance of taking care of the furniture. If a company attempts to change the terms of the written estimate after you have accepted the estimate, it is very likely that they are running a moving scam.
- Lastly, these reputable moving companies will require that you sign a release form before any work is begun, and this release form should always be given to you completely and in its entirety.
3. The moving company’s website has many hidden terms and conditions.
There are many moving scam indicators out there that you can use to help you figure out whether or not a company is legitimate.
- The best thing you can do is invest a couple of hours into reading as much feedback as you can and doing research online.
- This will ensure that you’re working with an honest company because you know exactly what to look for. So start looking for these things in your future, because these signs should be easily all around you.
- One of the things that you can do to determine if a company is legitimate or not is to see what kind of feedback they have.
- You can usually find this information by going to the Better Business Bureau and searching for companies that are ‘rated’ on their service.
- You’ll see all of the bad, glowing reviews and you’ll probably even see some of the good ones too.
- A moving scam indicator like this can tip you off to any hidden conditions on the company’s website.
- If there is a lot of bad feedback on their site, but the star rating is low, this could mean that they are cheating people. This is a great way to tell if a company is legitimate or not because the customer reviews say everything.
- Another indicator of a scam is if the company’s site requires you to pay a large upfront fee before you can get started. Even if they give you a handful of reasons why it’s a good idea to sign up for their service, it doesn’t mean that it’s a good business idea.
4. There is no evidence of insurance, and there is no mention of insurance.
Moving scams has become a big problem in recent years. It’s usually the case that if you are in need of someone’s service to transfer your valuable items, you would not be looking for an easy way out. Thus, a lot of people get lured into getting into the hands of a fake company that takes advantage of their situation and makes them deal with false promises and fake policies.
This is where a moving scam indicator can really help you.
- It is important to know what you actually have when you are moving.
- If you think that you won’t have enough coverage, then it would be best if you will contact the insurance company to find out for sure.
- You may even want to call the state insurance department to confirm the coverage or maybe even the county office.
- But if you have already confirmed your insurance, then it’s time to start checking the details of your policy carefully.
- The most common way by which people get trapped in a fake moving scam is by not having enough coverage.
- The scammer may suggest that if you will only pay a certain fee, they will be willing to transfer your belongings for free.
- But then after you have paid them, they suddenly disappear and you are left with no belongings.
- That’s why a moving scam indicator is important so that you will be able to tell if the company is telling the truth or not.
5. Cash deposits / Deposits that are unreasonably large
Cash deposits are one of the most common ways for unscrupulous moving companies to take your money; if a company is charging you for a deposit and it is not coming out of your pocket where it belongs, then you should know what a moving scam indicator is. A scam indicator is a system that flags deposits that simply don’t add up to the total, so that you don’t get taken.
There are many online systems that you can use to find out whether or not a particular company is legitimate, and there are also software programs that you can purchase that will do the same thing for you in a matter of minutes. Here are a few things to look for when it comes to a moving scam indicator.
- The first thing that you should be aware of is whether or not the company is registered with the Better Business Bureau. This is important because, if it’s a well-known scam company, it will probably have had some sort of complaint against it, which is a red flag.
- Next, make sure that they are licensed to do business in your state. There are different scams out there, and you would want to be sure that the company you are planning to do business with is a legitimate company that has been in business for some time.
- Most legitimate moving companies will have at least a phone number where you can contact them should you feel like you need more information. It is very unlikely that a company would be operating on the dark ground without any contact information, because they are in such a competitive business that they want to be able to provide you with all of the information that you need.
- Another important tip is to be on the lookout for a deposit guarantee. If the company is going to require you to make a deposit before they move you, they are probably looking for a way to get their money back. This is just another sign of a scam, and you should definitely take notice of these companies.
- There are legitimate companies out there, and they are willing to help you out with the arrangements that you need for your move. This is the sign of a reputable company that you should watch out for, because if they ask you for a large deposit at the beginning of the arrangement, they are probably not going to have any success.
6. Suspicious online reviews are a moving scam flag number six.
Moving scams are not the only scam that can occur when you move to another city or state. There are many ways that people will take advantage of you in order to get their money or your possessions. It is important that if you feel that something is wrong you take the appropriate steps in order to protect yourself from being a victim. This is why it is important to do a bit of research on the internet and find a moving scam indicator that can help you know if a business is legitimate or not.
- A very common form of fraud is one where someone pretends to be an expert at some aspect of moving.
- They offer advice, which sounds very good, but then when you actually get there and try to pay for the services they have provided, they take your money.
- This kind of fraud is prevalent online, and the only way to know if someone is telling you something that they know is true or not is to search online for customer feedback.
- If a lot of people complain about such scams then it is probably a sign that it is illegal and should raise some red flags for you.
- In order to avoid getting involved with any type of moving scams you need to learn as much as you can about them and then look for a moving scam indicator that can tell you if the business in question is legitimate or not.
- There are many resources that are available on the internet that can help you learn more about such things, and make sure that you always arm yourself with as much information as possible before deciding to hand over any money.
- The more you know about moving scams the less likely you are to be taken advantage of when you move.
Contact our Professional removal Company at Melbourne for scam-free move
If you have not moved for quite some time, it may be difficult to even think of a time to schedule your move. Moving can be very stressful and inconvenient and, if you are thinking of a hassle removal service, you should consider the option of contacting an experienced removal company in Melbourne. Our team will get the work done in no time.
As a client, you would also need to check the credentials and reputation of the removal company you have chosen to go with. There are many house removalist companies that are offering their services in Australia but not all of them are legitimate. You could check their client testimonials and the Better Business Bureau to ensure that you are getting yourself into a safe and legal transaction.
Contact our professional removal company in Melbourne for a scam-free move. If you feel uncomfortable about any aspect of the transaction, you could speak to us at the number given on the website so that we can sort things out for you. Our removal company is willing to give you a free consultation so that you can discuss your needs with them and get answers to all your questions.
When you contact our company at 1800842066, they will give you a quote on the services provided and it would be best to compare these quotes to ensure that you are getting the best value for money. We would then quote the price of the moving package and you can compare the price to other companies so that you can get a good idea on the cost. When comparing prices, it is important to note that the price of one removal package may include only packing and removal services.
