Secret trackers and hidden cameras show how movers could rip people off (Marketplace)

Had an old boss tell me one time:
"Do a GOOD job for someone and they'll tell 10 people"
"Do a BAD job and they'll tell 100"

It might be cheaper to rent a i haul and pay friends or family to drive your stuff and even fly them back home to ensure your stuff gets moved safely. And any truly important papers and jewelry need to ride with you at all times!!

I worked for a moving company in Belgium for 9 years. I learned everything in the business. From packing boxes, assembling Ikea furniture to getting a grand piano out of a 12th floor window with a ladder truck and safely taking it to Ireland. I drove people's stuff all over the continent and never once was it based on weight but by volume. An average 3 bedroom home equalled a 30 cubic metre truck and we knew how to pack everything in to use each square centimetre. We worked from 0700 until the job was finished. One move from Belgium to England took me 28 hours straight. No sleep and I was expected to work the next day. We never ripped people off, we never stole anything and if something got broken, it came out of our wages. I kid you not. We were really careful. It was sometimes the worst job in the world and it certainly wasn't the best paid. I just don't understand the mentality of companies who operate in this shady fashion. Self defeating.

I had a mover do same to me. Charged one figure to start the job. But when we got to destination, they wanted 400% more in payment or they will leave with my goods. I told them to leave because I never pay blackmail money. Thank God I had boxed my important documents and items into 4 boxes which were in my car. So I really did not care about losing everything else. I went into the house and closed my front door. After 2 hours, the van driver knocked on my door and released my products into my house. I paid exactly what we started with which was £600.

I’m a mover and do local and out of state moves and trust me the best part of my job is when I arrive at the customers house and do the walk through with the customers, they ask me what they can do to help and I tell them to sit down and pick up their feets and relax.. because moving can be a stressful thing. Also I always ask if there are valuables that need to be secured and if they want me to secure it for them so I’ll only be the one responsible for them. But welcoming the customers home after the delivery is priceless because all they have to do is relax and know that everything they own was delivered safe. And that feeling is what makes me get up the next day to do it all over again 😊

NEVER EVER EVER EVER Send your important papers or jewelry items with a moving company!!! These are items that should ALWAYS BE kept with you on your person at all times…

I'm glad my country has laws against this sort of price gouging.

In Sweden, we have a "purchase of service" portion of our consumer law that states: a quote agreed upon, through text, verbally, or otherwise, is a legally binding contract.

So, if a company quotes $1000, that's their estimate of what their service is worth. Once the customer agrees to the quote, it's considered a legally binding contract. Another portion of our consumer laws outlines quote/price deviation. It states that the end cost can't differ from the quote by more than +-15%. This means that the company is now legally allowed to only charge the customer $1150 maximum for the service with an agreed upon quote of $1000.

I was going to hire movers when I moved from Florida to S.C. Almost every moving company I read reviews about had a lot of negative reviews. I decided to move myself. I lived in a three bedroom house, had a large tool shed and utility room where my washer and dryer was. I'm not a young woman either. I packed up my house and hired three guys to load the largest and newest Uhaul truck. I also had to tow my vehicle but I picked it up at the Uhaul dealership. Just me and my two dogs drove here to S.C. and even though it wasn't exactly pleasant, I didn't have to deal with a moving company.

Expose them all

Disgusting. And that poor woman who lost all that precious time .. I hope these companies will be hit very hard.

I’ve been in the moving business for over 35 years, was part owner of a large national branded company and currently own a small commercial company.
I will say the MOST IMPORTANT thing for consumers to do is get at least 2 -3 estimates and NEVER accept a phone estimate. If the company will not come to your home to perform a visual inspection/ estimate, DO NOT HIRE THEM. NEVER, NEVER accept a phone estimate. NEVER HIRE A BROKER…hire a reputable company with brick and mortar. So many scammers out there hurt the industry as a whole.

Even for the recognition Brian gets, his skills is so underrated at least by most tech fans in general. I mean I get that there is stamina and all that involved in things like he does but being able to stand so far away and have the ability get the information needed with high speed as expected to hit it perfectly with a paddle just over the net is extremely impressive.

I rented my own U-Haul and moved stuff out myself with my dad and brother. Nice to know I avoided getting scammed. Best decision for my moving.

I itemized mine, filled out the forms, and when the movers tried to extort ‘tip’ of 10% (on a $4k move from Dallas to Seattle) because he was giving me a ‘discount’, I gave them the same $100 tip I was going to and told their company I was not happy about that. Then they tried to change the numbers and I emailed them a copy of the original contract. It’s a good thing I printed a copy, because once your stuff is picked up, the original contract is no longer online! How convenient.

We still haven’t found our butcher block full of expensive knives. I think we’ve gone through every box. They’re probably gone.

I own a moving company myself and seeing this just breaks my heart! I would never be able to live with myself doing people like this! Absolutely not!!! I pray that all of these people get the justice they deserve!

My mother moved six months after my father passed away. The moving company stole around $80,000 in jewelery, watches, computers. Her father and grandfather were jewellers and many pieces were made by them. One of the items was her engagement ring. The only other time I have seen my mother so upset was when my father died. The moving company were never held fully accountable. Another family were robbed by the same company, the same weekend. Never, ever give movers access to valuables. Keep them locked up separqately, off site on moving day and transport them yourself. Insurance did not cover the full loss as mum never thought she would lose everything. Even if insurance did cover it, Most of the items were of sentimental value (including family history and genealogical work stored on laptops). There is no replacing those things.

As a professional mover this makes me cringe to my core and extremely angry. Customers ask if theirs anything they can do to make the process faster because I am always the type to save customers as much money as humanly possible! These people need to be prosecuted for their sketchy mover and money grab tactics. Disgusting.

Watching this makes me feel great that I rented a 26 ft Uhaul truck for $125, and myself and 2 friends (God bless them, true friends will help) moved all the big stuff we had in one trip. It took less than 10 hours from picking up the truck to dropping it off, and that included a trip to a furniture store to pick up our new couch. It was a local move, but still…It was easy to load and unload with the built in ramp. Anything smaller we moved with our vehicles.

It angers me to see how there are minimal protections in place to prevent such operators from being licenced. Many of the Marketplace stories expose gaps in legislation and law enforcement agencies lack of interest (e.g. stolen cars exported overseas) to do anything about these wide ranging issues. Oh Canada....

Thank you for exposing these scammers!