Having to deal with the stress of moving is enough of a trouble for anyone. What you want is to have your things moved quickly, safely and affordably with as little trouble possible. As a result of it, you can then focus on things necessary to make your transition. Dealing with fraudulent movers happens more often than one might think. So, it is important that you know how to choose professionals that can help you, instead of scammers that will cause you stress and troubles. In case you are moving from another continent to Canada, pick international movers Canada as your reliable partner to help you with your move.

How to avoid dealing with fraudulent movers – 3 important tips

When you start looking for moving companies in the Ontario area, have our tips in mind. As a result, the chance of dealing with fraudulent movers will decrease, and your satisfaction will increase. There are ways that you can recognize scammers so that you can avoid them altogether.

License maketh the professional

Many of the fraudulent movers are amateurs who take out ads, with great promises of cheap transportation. While them being amateurs doesn’t automatically make them frauds, the lack of licenses is an issue. The first issue with amateurs without licenses is that they don’t trust their business model enough to invest into getting licenses. Getting licenses isn’t cheap and it puts them under the supervision of the authorities. Secondly, licensed professionals are liable to complaints or lawsuits.  So, if they are unlicensed they have less to lose if they go ahead and try to pull a fraud. So, that is the first thing that you need to check before entering into any type of price negotiations.

Check out the online reputation of the movers

Any reputable moving business will have a place to leave a review, as they value their customer feedback. Getting customer feedback helps moving companies get better but also as a way to promote. So if you are checking out a moving company online, be vary if they are missing a review or comments section. Try using their name in a popular search engine to see if anyone has left any reviews on another site or forum. When dealing with fraudulent movers after the fact, people often go online to leave a bad review. This way it prevents scammy movers getting any more business, and helping other people avoid getting scammed.

Getting an estimate over the phone or the internet

Probably one of the reasons you want to hire professional help is because there are many obstacles to overcome when moving your things. Here is a list of common issues:

• Your things need proper protection
• They are too heavy for you to carry
• Passages and doors are narrow
• There isn’t an elevator, so things need to be carried by the stairwell
• Parking space is hard to find, etc.

So dealing with these things presents an issue for movers. The only way they can deal with them properly is if they are aware of them ahead of time. And the only way to get aware of them is to come and scout the location. So this is the reason why when someone offers you a quote over the phone or the internet is cheating on you. Each of these things can significantly impact the cost of a move. And to get you an exact moving quote a moving agent needs to make assessments ahead of time. Otherwise, you will be most likely get one quote over the phone, and completely another when the move is done. And that is where you don’t want to be, dealing with the fraudulent movers.

You have made a mistake of hiring a bad company.

If you have just realized that, and hopefully haven’t paid any money yet call them now and cancel them immediately. Take a look at what local movers Ontario offers and they will do their best to help you on short notice. Unfortunately for you, it may be too late to take any precautionary measures. So as you are reading this article the damage may have already been done.

Your items are broken or missing

When something unexpected has happened to your items that is when the moving insurance should kick in. When dealing with fraudulent movers their regard for your things is non-existent. With professional movers, this option of insurance comes included. If you were scammed, you will have to find another way to get back the value you lost.

Your scheduled delivery was late

If your delivery was late, try calling your moving company immediately to find out what happened. Since you might not be dealing with the professionals, it might range from an honest mistake in delivery planning to a downright robbery. It is best to stay calm and check the nature of the problem. As a result, you will want to ask for compensation for the costs that the late delivery might have incurred in the meantime.

The price you got is over the estimate

If this happened, you need to do is to stay calm. Acting emotionally and aggressively might seem like a proper response, but acting like it might hurt you in case you need to sue. All estimates are in fact just that, an estimate, and so there might be a valid reason for the price change. If you got scammed don’t pay any money. In case the movers are demanding money to release your things, offer to call the police. That way you will have a legal outline of the facts in case you need to go to court.

So, when dealing with fraudulent movers you have a few options. First, try talking to them and resolving an issue with them peacefully. You can mention that you will give them a bad review, issue a formal complaint or sue them need be. You might persuade them just by talking to them to come to an agreement.

In the end, even if you come to an agreement, you should probably leave a review to warn any future customers. If there was a review that you saw beforehand, you wouldn’t be in this situation.

You should file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau as they will help you deal with scammers.
Finally, if you need get a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the company. You might want to avoid going to trial over a trivial matter, as trials are costly and can take a lot of your time. But in case that you feel that you deserve justice and that the value isn’t insignificant, don’t hesitate to sue.