Anatomy of a Moving Scam

There are three ways that dishonest moving companies can pad your bill on the day of the move. By being aware of how unscrupulous movers can cheat you, you can take steps to protect yourself from being scammed. Stage one of the moving scam, is the completion of the packing list, and the "moving cost estimate.' This estimate is given over the phone, and is usually made before the moving company ever sets eyes on your house or belongings. The most important point to remember is that a dishonest movers will want you to underestimate the cost of the move. Their telephone salesmen are trained to make you feel comfortable. No one can remember ahead of time, everything that needs to packed away in boxes for a long distance move. But the moving broker will tell you not to worry. Any items you forget to add to the list can be added on the day of the move. Then, on the moving day, before packing, the movers will have you sign the contract. Then they will pack your belongings, and the extra items will inflate the cost of the move. Each of the three major ways in which movers pad expenses corresponds to the three legitimate expenses for a long distance move. Long distance movers are entitled to charge you by the weight of your belongings, by the cubic feet your belongings take up in the moving truck, and to charge you for packing and shipping materials that you use. On long distance moves, you will not be charged for the labor. The cubic foot charge is easily padded. As noted above no one can remember every item he plans to move on a long distance move. Additionally, on the day of the move, dishonest movers will pack items loosely so they take up more space. Extra cubic feet will be charged at a higher per cubic foot price, all serving to inflate the volume. Dishonest movers have multiple techniques to increase the measure of your belonging weight. Before packing they must go and weigh the truck. They will weigh the truck on an empty tank of gas. After packing they will tank up, before heading to the weigh station. The additional gas will add pounds to your load. In a moving truck, a full tank of gas can weigh 433 pounds. At 1.00 a pound for the move, this can add up to an additional 400 dollars. Movers also make money off the sale of packing supplies. If a consumer informs the mover that he wishes to use his own supplies, he'll be informed that his boxes or shipping material are substandard, and if he won't use the company's professional boxes the company won't take responsibility for any items broken on the move. When the consumer agrees to use company supplies, he will be charges 20-40 for each box and its padding, a considerable sum for a long distance move. Finally, companies will pad the bill with "hidden charges," detailed in the fine print of the contract. If the company has to carry items more than 50 feet from the building they will charge an additional $50-$150 per 50 feet as a "long carry charge." Customers living above the ground floor must pay between $50-$150 dollars per flight of stairs. If the moving company has to use an elevator, there will be a one time fee of $50-$150 dollars. One way to protect yourself from %LINK1% is to hire a trustworthy company to do your packing, and hire a container company to transport belongings from state to state. Packing Service Incorporated, of Florida, is a packing company, dedicated to protecting consumers from %LINK2% Their web site offer many tips on how to avoid being scammed, and contains links to other web sites dedicated to informing the consumer about the dangers of moving scams.

Article Source: http://www.seoserviceprovider.com/articles

Packing Service Inc. is a packing service dedicated to protecting its customers from moving scams. They provide guaranteed flat feemoving packing cost estimates They operate in many areas and provide New York Packing Services Miami packing services

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