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Companies We Endorse
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The following are the only companies officially endorsed by MovingScam.com at this time. Our endorsement is based on the positive experiences of many consumers who have used them. MovingScam accepts referral fees from these companies.
Move your cursor over the headings for a brief explanation of each type of company and then use the links to read reviews of the companies. Click on the company name to go to that company's website.
You Load/We Drive Companies:
Full Service Moving Companies:
- Moovers, Inc.
Read Reviews
Operates nationwide with CA and NY metro offices; cross-country, shorter-distance, and local moves
- Atlas SmartMove
Offers three tiers of service for your move - Ask for your MovingScam discount!
- Suddath Relocation Systems
Read Reviews
Very large, established company operating nationwide with outstanding Florida locations that we endorse.
- Corrigan Moving Systems
Read Reviews
Midwest-based family-owned company with 80 years of experience and highly endorsed Michigan, Ohio, and Rochester NY locations, several of which won United’s 2010 Customer Choice Awards.
- All Star Moving
Read Reviews
Mid-size, long-established; located in New York City
- Shea Moving Corp.
Read Reviews
Small, relatively new; focuses on New York City area
- STS Movers
Read Reviews
Small, relatively new; focuses on Southern CA, Las Vegas, Phoenix
- Bayshore Moving and Storage
Read Reviews
Large, long-established woman-owned company doing local, interstate, and international moves;
focuses on Philadelphia, DE, Baltimore, DC, and northern VA
- Joyce Van Lines
Read Reviews
Large, award-winning, independent 48-state carrier based in CT. Owns Callahan Bros.
- Humboldt Storage and Moving
Read Reviews
Large Boston moving company founded in 1905, doing local, interstate, and international moves.
- Meathead Movers
Read Reviews
Mid-size award-winning company staffed by student athletes. Focuses on San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties and serves other California locations.
- Andy's Transfer & Storage
Read Reviews
Mid-size; long-established; located in Los Angeles, servicing moves from Los Angeles County. An agent for North American.
Auto Transport Companies:
Auto Transport Broker:
International Moving Companies:
For more information on international moving, read this article.
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Wondering how moving companies get away with it?
Here's how the scam works.
Most often, these companies get their clients mainly from Internet web sites that let you enter in your basic moving information, and then send the information to the so called moving companies. The moving companies then compete for your business which in most cases would be a good thing - not so for the moving industry.
At first the people at these moving companies are very nice to you. They give you a low-ball bid, and tell you that your things will be in good hands because "Our people are professionals" or something. It's when the movers actually show up, and it's too late for you to save yourself where things start to go horribly wrong.
One thing I should point out, is that the bids from these companies that I have seen often quote you by cubic footage not by weight. If you get a quote that is priced by cubic footage, that should raise a red flag right away. The reason for this is that if they charge you by weight, they have to provide proof of the weight of your belongings at no charge to you. In fact, as of August 2005, interstate moves based on cubic feet are illegal.
Once the movers show up and most or all of your things are in their truck, they will hit you with the real price of the move. By then it's too late. Your things are on their truck, and they won't get anything off of it without full payment in cash. They will tell you that if you don't pay up, that they will take the truck and sell everything you own to cover the contract. In my case, I put down a $150 deposit, and was told before the movers showed up that the rest of the $1869 would be due on delivery. When the movers showed up, the price jumped to $5012.50, and the movers demanded half of that on the spot or else there wouldn't be a delivery!
And then there is the amount of time that these companies take to actually deliver your things. America's Best Movers took over six weeks to deliver my belongings from Virginia to Nevada. I drove it in three days. During the time that I waited for my things I was not only told lie after lie about where my things were, but I incurred a lot of expenses for things that you need every day... you can only sit on the floor for so long before you need a chair, and try to cook a Thanksgiving dinner without a pan.
These companies break a lot of laws pulling off this scam, but be aware that since Congress did away with the Interstate Commerce Commission in the 1995, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is responsible for oversight of the industry. The FMCSA, however, has very few investigators enforcing the regulations in this industry... and companies like America's Best Movers know it!
Also, demand to see the contract up front. America's Best Movers had a clause on their contract that says you can only sue them in Florida - this is on the contract as the 'choice of venue'. The FMCSA has recently informed me that choice of venue is not applicable to movers and you can file a small claims suit in your local jurisdiction, but you should contact an attorney and speak with them about your options.
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