With the economy as challenging as it is, many people, understandably, want to save money on their move. In an effort to pinch pennies, people generally go to the Internet and hunt for moving companies that will give them a low moving cost estimate . When going this route, it is important to realize that the second line moving companies you find on the Internet, are also out to make ends meet in this economy, and that means he will be looking for ways to make some extra money off of you.
A recent article on relocation.com pointed out some of the lesser known tricks that moving companies are using to raise the price of the move. In this article, I will show you how you can protect yourself from their trickery, by using an honest packing company to help you pack and load.
Greedy, dishonest moving companies will pad the price of the move by giving you a “guaranteed move estimate,” over the phone and then look for technicalities on the day of the move that will allow then to void the agreement and raise the price. One common trick used to void the agreement is the discovery that you are moving more items than agreed upon over the phone. This actually happens in most moves, because no one can remember everything he is planning to relocate. A packing service can help you avoid this pitfall, because they will send a representative to your house, days or weeks before the move, and go through your house room by room categorizing all the items you are planning to move.
Once they’ve shattered the pre move agreement, movers will proceed to raise the bill still further by a series of tricky packing maneuvers. If you tried to pack yourself, movers will find fault with your techniques. They will require that boxes be repacked, and this involves shelling out extra money for packing supplies. Furthermore, they scare clients by threatening to withhold insurance unless they can personally view the condition of every object. This, again, entails unpacking and repacking with the added expense of shelling out money for extra moving boxes, and packing tape. Added to this, many companies will “balloon pack.” That is, they will fill each box half full of packing paper. This increases the cubic footage of your load and will add to the bill.
Packing services will protect you from all of these packing shenanigans. First of all, a professional packing company knows the required specifications of packing that is acceptable to the moving companies. Items packed by a professional packing company never require repacking by the movers, and this will save you from paying for extra packing material on moving day. Furthermore, packing companies do not make extra money from balloon packing. Quite the opposite, the reputation of a packing company is built on the practice of solid tight packing, which cuts down on the cubic footage of your load, and prevents breakage in route. Finally, a packing company will give you a list of all the items you are shipping, their cubic footage weight. This will protect you from being overcharged by unscrupulous moving companies, who would otherwise falsify your cubic footage, and falsify your weight load.
Next time you make a move, consider using a packing company to pack and load and unpack and unload your goods, on both sides of the move. Packing Service Inc. is the name to trust in moving services. They are committed to protecting their customers from moving scam . And will be happy to pack and load your goods on both end of your move.
Grab useful recommendations about the topic of local search optimization – make sure to go through this publication. The times have come when proper info is really at your fingertips, use this chance.
We described in part 1 of this series that thanks to the consumer protection agency, moving companies and shippers, i.e. the householder who is moving, can enter into a binding agreement.
This binding agreement is based upon premove estimations of the weight and cubic feet of the household goods being transported. Once this agreement is made and signed on , both sides are bound. So at least theoretically, if during the move the moving company discovers that the goods take up twice as much space as planned, they cannot raise the price of the move. However, many times, companies will raise the price. And even in many instances were they have signed a binding agreement. How can moving scam companies do this?
In part two of this series we will look at regulation 375. 403 Part a5. This regulation reads as follows:
(5) If it appears an individual shipper has tendered additional household goods or requires additional services not identified in the binding estimate, you are not required to honor the estimate. If an agreement cannot be reached as to the price or service requirements for the additional goods or services, you are not required to service the shipment. However, if you do service the shipment, before loading the shipment, you must do one of the following three things:
(i) Reaffirm your binding estimate.
(ii) Negotiate a revised written binding estimate listing the additional household goods or services.
(iii) Agree with the individual shipper, in writing, that both of you will consider the original binding estimate as a non-binding estimate subject to ยง 375.405.
If you exam the fine print of this regulation, you will quickly see that there are many ways the fraudulent moving company can use this wording to trick the unsuspecting shipper into entering into an agreement for far more than the original price. Let us consider one scenario. The mover informs the shipper that his packing does not meet up to standards, and he will not insure or guarantee that the belongings will arrive safely unless the shipper permits him to repack some of the goods. This prospect of his goods being damaged frightens the householder who readily agrees to allow the mover to repack certain items. Now unknowingly, the shipper has required additional services, and the mover is no longer obligated to honor the estimate. The mover will then jot down the extra space that is required on the form, and will ask the homeowner to just sign the form acknowledging that the loading was completed.
The mover is careful not to use any language that will alert the shipper to the fact that the moving cost is now rising considerably However note that 5(iii) says “agree with the individual shipper in writing” which he did. The fine print, on the form the shipper signed, no doubt referred to the formula that will be used to calculate the extra cost, however this is rarely if ever seen by a shipper eager to move. The moving bill will now jump considerably.
There are so many fine regulations, that the homeowner is encouraged to protect himself by hiring an honest Packing company, who will give a moving cost estimate Packing Service Inc.com is a packing service dedicated to protecting consumers from moving fraud They not only help you pack, they will help you find an honest and safe way to transport your good to the new location.
Find competent experiences about car finance calculator – welcome to your personal knowledge pack.
Truth is stranger than fiction, and nothing illustrates the dangers of fraudulent moving schemes better than a real story. Go to http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=776372. and read about what happened to Tyrone Kelley. Tyrone’s family was victimized by what police call a “shakedown scheme.”
This family was lured by an online moving estimate that seemed like a great price. But after the company took control of their life long belongings they were informed that the price had tripled. Supposedly the weight was more than estimated. Because of loopholes in the law, there is little the police could do. The investigation that was made showed the weight slips had been falsified. The police found that the victims belongings weighed 1,000 pounds less than what the movers had claimed. When, months later, the belongings were returned by court order, anything that said glass or fragile had been crushed or kicked in.
Moving scams like this go on because of loopholes in the law which makes it difficult to prosecute. “We don’t have jurisdiction over loss and damage claims, nor do we have enough resources to really put a stop to the majority of the fraudulent moving cases that are out there,” said Dave Longo of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in a phone interview
The best way to protect yourself, when moving is to use the services of a Packing company An honest company will give you a fixed packing and moving cost estimate for the packing, honest weights and cubic feet figures, and will educate you about finding safe transport companies. When you look at the before and after packing pictures on the Packing Service Inc.com , you will understand the benefits of using a packing service to pack your precious belongings.
Packing Service Inc. provides expert loading, packing and crating services in New York and Florida. They’re an honest packing company dedicated to fighting moving cost scam. If you will be moving to and or from the New York or Florida area, talk to them about using their services, do the driving yourself, or get their advice about finding an honest transport company.
Grab practical tips about local search optimization – dig into hyperlinked publication.
RSS FEED
