Main Topic:   Planning a move can be very challenging and stressful. While most moving companies treat their customers fairly, there are some who take advantage of consumers by engaging in dishonest practices.

 

The Low Estimate Pitch:
Some moving companies deliberately give consumers a low estimate for the cost of their services. The consumer agrees to the price, but on moving day, the company revises their estimate to a much higher price. The consumer is left with no time to find another company on short notice and ends up going with the higher price.

BBB advises consumers to be wary if a moving company offers to give them an advance estimate without viewing their home or the items which will be moved. Most reputable companies will conduct an on-site visit so they can offer consumers a better approximate moving estimate. These estimates should be in writing and can be binding (the mover guarantees the price prior to the move) or non-binding (the mover estimates the price and provides final charges after the shipment is weighed).

The Hostage Scam:
Unfortunately some moving companies have engaged in holding a consumer’s items and refusing to deliver them until a higher rate is paid. With their belongings already loaded and locked in the company’s truck, consumers feel forced to pull out their wallets.

Many consumers go to the Internet to find moving companies. They hunt for the best deal through a moving broker. Brokers are a third party and do not actually handle the moving of goods. The moving broker business is not in itself a scam. But if a problem arises with the move, it may be difficult to resolve since the broker and moving company may start blaming each other. 

 

If a consumer feels they are a victim of a moving scam, in addition to contacting BBB, they can file a complaint with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) if their move was within the state of Texas. If the move is across state lines, complaints can be made to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). To review the reliability report of a moving company, visit www.bbb.org. 

 

The most often seen mistakes made by consumers is that they tend to take the lowest bid and they fail to check the moving company out with BBB.

 

 

Most of us take summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has again surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen. In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Sometimes they even ask for credit card numbers. Give out any of this information and bingo! Your identity just got stolen.