When she decided to move from Lincoln Park to Dallas, Dana Bernstein was determined to have a better experience than when she moved to Chicago.
“It wasn’t horrible, but it could have been a lot better,” she said.
Bernstein was lucky. She didn’t wind up in a protracted battle with the mover, and her belongings weren’t held hostage. A new breed of con artists, known in the moving industry as “rogue movers,” uses that tactic, among others, to get more cash from hapless consumers.
According to Larry Smith, president of Glen Ellyn Moving and Storage Mayflower, rogue movers are the traditional fly-by-night operators, who have expanded their reach through Web sites and advertising.
“They don’t have an established reputation, and they really don’t have a local presence in the area that you’re moving from or to,” Smith said.
If you want to avoid hiring a rogue mover, you have to do plenty of homework. Bernstein started her search in the Yellow Pages.
When Bernstein called some of the listings to check them out, the phone numbers went to companies other than those listed, she said.
Once she found the names of a few companies, she made her fingers walk a little further. Next stop: the Internet.
At movingscam.com, consumers can scroll through a long list of moving company names that are on the Web site’s “black list,” and read complaints consumers have posted. The Better Business Bureau (bbbonline.org) also updates its online database on moving companies as complaints come in.
“Sometimes we update the database several times a day,” said Steve Bernas, director of operations for the Chicago region, who noted that the Bureau received about 1,300 complaints on Chicago-area movers last year.
Other sites that provide consumer information include national and state moving and storage trade associations, like moving.org, the site for the American Moving and Storage Association, or the Illinois Mover and Warehousemen’s Association (imawa.com).
Also check whether the moving company is licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission (http://www.icc.state.il.us). The site provides information on the number of complaints against a mover as well as how many moves the company performed last year.
After narrowing her options, Bernstein invited four companies to visit her apartment and give her a written estimate. The mover she finally chose ended up working out well.
Smith said consumers should get at least three in-person sales consultations, which can last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. “The movers should give you a complete estimate of the goods that are to be moved, and you and the mover should have a good understanding of the services that are to be provided by the moving company” and what the consumer is going to do himself.
On the day of the move, you should receive a bill of lading, Smith said. “The estimate and final agreement is then transferred to the bill of lading, which is the legal contract for the move. Not only should you check the price, but you should make sure the dates and services to be provided are correct.”
One mistake consumers often make is taking the low bid.
“There’s a great price offered on the phone. And [the company] confirms the great price when they get to your house. And all of a sudden, after your stuff is on the truck, it’s thousands of dollars more than you anticipated,” Bernas explained.
Another mistake is not carefully checking your belongings right after the move. If you find damaged goods a year after the move, it’ll be a lot harder to put in a claim with the insurance company, Bernas added.
Finally, be sure to get everything in writing and keep a copy of all your documents. If it isn’t in writing, don’t believe it.
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Edited by Lara Weber (lweber@tribune.com) and Victoria Rodriguez (vrodriguez@tribune.com)
