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2009
13
Dec
Moving is not only a stressful experience, but it can also be an expensive one when using a professional moving service. While a small studio apartment move across town may only involve charges of $750, a 4-bedroom home moved across country can easily top $20,000. With that amount of money involved, it’s a good idea to be aware of additional charges that may be added to your final moving total, and to prepare by either budgeting for them in advance or avoiding them altogether. This article walks you through some of the most common ones, as well as offers some ways to avoid them.
NOTE: It may be too late to dispute the charges once the movers have arrived at your destination, in that most moving companies insist on being paid in full before they move a single box or piece of furniture into your new place. Be sure to get an estimate in writing beforehand and mention each of these fees specifically.
Surprise Fee 1: Accessorial Charges
What It Means
Some moving companies tend to group a number of different fees together into one category rather than going to the trouble of listing each one out, which makes it difficult to dispute. These services could include a number of different things, including packing and unpacking, taking apart or re-assembling furniture, making an additional stop at a storage unit for pick up or delivery, keeping the movers waiting, etc.
How to Avoid It
Plan your move ahead of time, eliminate unnecessary services, and be ready for the movers when they arrive.
Surprise Fee 2: Advanced Charges or Fees
What It Means
These are fees for which the movers have paid a third party, or “advanced” funds for. A classic example would be if the movers had to bring in additional help to move a grand piano, or professional workman to disassemble a mantle. Because the movers had to pay someone on your behalf, you have to reimburse the movers.
How to Avoid It
Take care of additional services in advance before the moving company arrives, and pay third parties directly. If nothing else, it should save time and confusion on Moving Day and eliminate any mark-ups the moving company is charging.
Surprise Fee 3: Appliance Service Fees
What It Means
If you need to have your movers either disconnect appliances from your old place or reconnect appliances at your new place, some movers may charge you for this.
How to Avoid It
There are two primary solutions for these fees- either negotiate them being eliminated from the charges or arrange for someone who knows what they’re doing to take care of it for you.
Surprise Fee 4: Auxiliary Service
What It Means
This is usually “moving speak” for the fact that the movers can’t easily get their moving truck near your old place, either because of parking issues or because there isn’t enough clearance for a large moving truck. It may require the moving company to use a smaller truck and then transfer the items to a second, larger truck.
How to Avoid It:
If the potential issue is parking, you need to make arrangements well in advance of your Moving Day to get neighbors to be willing to move their cars that morning. If your home, however, is located with a long, narrow driveway, for example, you may have to negotiate this one.
Surprise Fee 5: Elevator Carry/ Flight Charge
What It Means
Not surprisingly, these fees apply to those moving either to or from a location with multiple floors. The difficulty of moving belongings up and down stairs or fitting them into elevators can result in these fees being assessed.
How to Avoid It
You need to establish with your mover in advance what exactly these charges may be, and if steps you can take (like reserving the elevator in an apartment building) can get them reduced or eliminated.
Surprise Fee 6: Expedited Service
What It Means
Despite its name, your move may not be so much expedited as it might be just provided with a guaranteed delivery date. Just including that date in the contract might result in this fee.
How to Avoid It
The only real option you have for this one is being flexible with your arrival date and packing enough essentials to take with you to avoid needing your belongings sooner.
Surprise Fee 7: Linehaul Charges
What It Means
Linehaul charges are fairly typical on long distance moves, and are calculated based on the total weight of the items you’re moving and the distance you’re traveling.
How to Avoid It:
Unfortunately, this might be the one fee where you have little room to negotiate. Your only options are to budget in advance and be prepared.
Knowing about these 7 potential surprise fees should put you in good shape to reduce your moving costs to an absolute minimum.
Don’t miss out! Use this link for more FREE moving tips on moving, relocation, movers, and your change of address. One of our most popular articles is our Address Change Guide, including tips and tricks on making the process easier. Also, please visit our Moving Tips and Checklist Blog, which publishes the very latest moving information. These resources are filled with articles, tips and advice on your move.
Good luck with your move!
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2009
7
Dec
Moving scam companies are always on the lookout for new techniques to scam the public. Here’s one that didn’t quite work.
A homeowner was making a regional move from CA to WA. He wanted to save a few bucks, so he chose a mover who gave him a low online move estimate.
The company required him to put down a half deposit. But then he began researching the company on the Internet. He checked their BBB rating, and decided to cancel the move. He called the manager, who said it would be no problem. He faxed a cancellation letter, and in the meantime booked his move with a reputable company.
But to a moving scam company, that was in the business of forgetting promises they had made, this homeowner’s decision to cancel his move meant nothing. So a few days later, the owner got a call from “a moving company” to confirm the day of the move. He assumed it was the new company.
“Come moving day, and a bummy unkempt man showed up at the man’s doorsteps. He starting cussing, smoking and throwing cigarette butts on the ground. And then he started with the moving scam routine, ‘it’s going to cost more because of this, and because of that.’ As soon as this resilient would be victim found out this was not the new moving company, he called S., the manager of the scam company. But now, S. denied ever having talked to the man or ever having received any faxes canceling the move.
Was this just a case of innocent forgetting? Could anyone be so brazen as to try and continue a move after it was deliberately canceled? The ability of scam movers to forget promises is so legion, that it is doubtful he forgot. What is more likely is that he was looking forward to making money on the move. So when the man canceled, he figured maybe the man would regret, that he would rather just get the move over with, and S.’s truck could show up, get control of the goods and do his moving scam thing, i.e. raise the cost of the move to double the original moving cost estimate. and then hold the goods hostage until he got paid. Further evidence of the scammer’s intent is provided by the fact that the scam company did not give their name, when they called to fix the moving date. It’s a good thing for the homeowner’s possessions that he saw through he rouse. Had the scammers been successful in poaching the move, then in all likelihood his goods would have arrived at the destination in the same condition as the driver’s “bummy, unkept garb.”
In this instance, however, the scammers were up against a resilient, not very gullible homeowner. He may have been taken in initially, but not for very long. By the time the scammers came to pull their stunt, he had already contracted with reputable movers, and wasn’t going to let them touch his belongings. The move went off without a hitch, clean truck, no hidden cost surprises, no late delivery, no hostage load. The story has a happy ending, and leaves in our mind an indelible chiaroscuro tableaux. We see the bummy unkempt scam driver, throwing around cigarette butts, cursing and demanding more money, contrasted by the kempt honest decent mover, who came with his well equip truck, superior equipment and made the move without a hitch.
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2009
15
Nov
Consumer regulations concerning state to state moves require moving companies to give one of two types of moving cost estimate They must give either binding estimates or non binding estimates before the move. If they make the estimate non-binding, then they are obligated to determine the weight of the goods being transported, and based on that estimate and a fixed company tariff they must determine the cost of the move.
Although the move estimate process is spelled out exactly, many moving companies find ways of tricking the customer when it comes to weighing his goods. The following tips, presented in a discussion on an internet anti-moving scam bulletin board may help consumers recognize when they are being scammed.
An interesting discussion about the weighing process was initiated on an anti-moving scam bulletin board by a man whowas told by two companies who came to his house that his belongings would weigh in the neighborhood of 8,000 pounds. The company, which actually moved his belongings claimed they weighed closer to 13,400 pounds. As a result of the increased weight, the cost of the move rose significantly. The discussion on the anti-scam bulletin board quickly turned to the weighing of the moving truck.
Moving trucks must be weighed at an official weigh station before and after loading up with a customer’s belongings. The difference between the two weight tickets is taken as the official weight of the customer’s goods. Unfortunately, from time to time, movers will weigh the truck on an empty tank and then reweigh the truck with a full tank plus the customer’s goods, adding extra pounds illegally to the load. Beyond that there are additional details that wary consumers can look at.
Scam companies often pick up goods using a rental truck. If you believe you have been scammed, consider if the amount of goods the company is claiming you are moving could have fit into the smaller rental truck. [spin]
[spin] Since movers weigh their truck before and after picking up your load, make inquires about the average weight of the model truck the mover was using when he picked up your load. Next, get both weight slips from the company that moved you, they are obligated to hand them over. Look at the weight of each axle. Compare the weight of each axle of the empty truck with the “tare” weights provided by the rental company. Make sure the number of axles matches the truck that picked up your goods. Get the “gross vehicle licensing ” weight of the rental company’s most popular truck. Next find out from the weight ticket details about the weight station.
If after all this, you really believe you have been scammed, you should contact the weight station and try and find out who was on duty the night the truck carrying your goods was weighed. See if he remembers if the truck was full of gas or not. Consumers also have the right of reweigh, and you should check to make sure you were given that right
To really protect yourself before a move, use a packing company. A packing company will pack your belongings safely and load them on the truck or shipping container of your choice. Packing Service Inc. of Florida is an honest packing company, which is opposed to moving scam. On the day of the move they will provide you with a complete inventory list of your items, along with their cubic height and weight. This list will protect you from being cheated by unscrupulous movers.
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