Think about this little sketch (if it hasn’t already given you nightmares!):
You’d planned your long-distance move for a long time.- You reviewed three different Oklahoma City interstate moving companies, all of which appeared to be reliable, and finally opted for the one that gave you the lowest estimate.
- You’re all set for Moving Day.
- The moving crew loads your heads out for your new home.
- And it never gets there. It vanishes – along with the better part of your worldly possessions.
Ah, get real! That doesn’t actuallyhappen, does it? Regretably, it does. But that is an extreme scenario. What’s more probable with, shall we say, “less than honest” movers is that they won’t purloin a homeowner’s possessions outright; they’ll just hold them hostage until the homeowner forks over more money. Of course, these are but two of many types of moving scams. Sites like
Moving.com and
MovingScam.com alert you to more.
So if you’ve had any trepidations – any nightmares – about something like this befalling you, consider them a warning: DON’T SIGN ON WITH A MOVING COMPANY UNTIL YOU KNOW THAT COMPANYS TRULY TRUSTWORTHY!
Steer clear of moving companies that …
- don’t have a physical address. P.O. boxes are a dead giveaway. Consult the phone book. And check online at Google Maps or Google Earth.
- have a bad record with the Better Business Bureau. Get on bbb.org. There you’ll see reviews of over 20,000 moving-oriented companies.
- make you pay for an estimate. That’s not something any creditable mover would do.
- don’t offer written estimates – or tell you they’ll tally up your charges only after they’ve loaded the truck. Again: that’s simply not done by quality movers.
- provide you with an estimate that seems to good to be true. It very likely is! (You know the old adage!)
- ask you to sign documents that have blank lines to be filled in later. All contractual elements should be described completely in writing and agreed upon before you sign anything. (Another old axiom you certainly know!)
- don’t have a valid U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) license,
- don’t have a valid Motor Carrier (MC) license, and
- don’t have a DOT or MC number that’s less than 3 years old …
- or aren’t insured. You can check all this out at the DOT website’s Mover Registration Search, https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gove/hhg/search.asp. Remember, all moving companies for hire as interstate movers are required to be licensed and insured for interstate commerce.
Here’s still another ancient proverb for you: It’s better to be safe than sorry. Exercising a bit of due diligence up front and discovering all you can about the movers you’re considering before you hire can save you a lot of headaches and heartaches when your move is being carried out.
And your greatest information source? The Internet! Or it is if you’re not just going to the websites of the movers you’re considering. Follow the links we provide above for solid, trustworthy third-party corroboration of a long-distance mover’s credentials … or lack thereof.
While you’re at it, we heartily encourage you to use these sites to investigate A-1 Freeman Moving Group here in Oklahoma City also. We’ve been
long-distances movers – not to mention local and intrastate movers – of great repute for a long, long time. And we’re happy to present tools like these to help you make smart decisions for smooth moves.
