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Bad Moving Advice From the Internet (And What to Do Instead)

Social media is a great way to stay connected, but when it comes to moving advice, not everything you see...

Social media is a great way to stay connected, but when it comes to moving advice, not everything you see on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), or Reddit is worth believing. In episode 5 of the podcast Moving Unboxed, presented by 495 Movers, hosts Justin and Andrea rounded up some of the most common moving advice on these platforms that people should avoid. Bad Advice #1 – “Go with pods or hire a couple of guys off Craigslist or Home Depot to keep costs low.” If you’re just moving a couple of pieces of furniture from your basement to your living room, this could be the way to go. But moving a full house or apartment is completely different than just a few pieces of furniture. By hiring people from Craigslist or Home Depot, you’re risking damage to your property and belongings. Plus, you most likely won’t be covered by insurance if something were to happen, and you’ll end up having to pay more to cover damages than you would if you hired a professional moving company. Additionally, people don’t realize that PODS can pose a lot of issues. Most commonly, people are either overspending on additional space they don’t need or not spending enough, and end up paying more than they originally thought. Let’s say someone ordered three pods, and they ended up only needing two. Now, they have to try to get a refund for the third. Bad Advice #2 – “Movers break things on purpose to charge you.” This is flat-out wrong. Reputable moving companies have no reason and no benefit to break stuff. They’re not going to make money off of it. In fact, several companies (including 495 Movers) incentivise their workers based on good reviews. In the circumstance that something does break, most movers offer insurance to ensure the client gets less or equal value of the item that was damaged. At 495 Movers, we go a step further and cover the entire home. So if our team were to cause damage to the floors, walls, ceilings, or fixtures of the home, we would repair them. The same goes for any items in your inventory. That said, not all moving companies will offer you, you know, some level of insurance to protect your stuff. And if they don’t, that’s a red flag, and you probably shouldn’t work with them. Bad Advice #3 – “Pack everything yourself or you’re wasting money.”40% of people moving say the worst part of moving is packing. It’s not selling the house, going to closing, or finding a realtor. It’s packing the boxes. And while this might not seem like a big task with just a one-bedroom apartment, it’s very different when someone is moving a 3-to 4-bedroom home. Maybe you have kids or a career that doesn’t give you the free time to pack. Not to mention, you aren’t covered by items you pack yourself. So if something breaks, it’s on you. You can find companies like us that will offer you, you know, unlimited packing materials and supplies. You just won’t find that out until you pick up the phone and start talking about the potential of what packing would cost, whether you’re doing it or the movers are doing it. Ultimately, it’s always a good choice to explore your options for a professional pack.Bad Advice #4 – “All movers are scammers, and you should just move yourself.”Unfortunately, there are scammers and bad movers out there. But there are also tons of great, honest businesses too! You can never be too careful, so here are a few ways to make sure you don’t get scammed. 
  1. Online reviews: Use your online resources to check online reviews across Yelp, BBB, and Google. Go a step further and make sure the address, phone numbers, and names are the same across these platforms. 
  2. DOT Number: Look up their FMCSA DOT number to confirm they are a registered and licensed business. That’s an easy way to double-check if they are legit.
  3. High Deposits: Typically, businesses will take a 5-10% deposit. That said, there are some businesses that ask for 30, 40, even 50% of the move cost up front.That a huge red flag and buts the mover in control. So if they don’t show up on move day, you could be out that money plus more. 
  4. Low Ball Quotes: If you have those three to five quotes, and you have that one quote that is 40-60% less than everyone else, start comparing the hard numbers. Look at the weight, the cubic feet, and any extra services.
Bad Advice #5 – “All big moves are expensive. Just pick a well-known national name.”When people say select a big national brand name, they are typically referring to brokers, because they have the resources to brand themselves and market themselves nationwide in the US. This includes United Van Lines, Budget Van Lines, North American Van Lines, etc. The potential problem you run into is that you are just feeding yourself into a system that is gonna connect you with the lowest-bidding moving group. And the majority of the time, that means these are the least experienced set of movers. We’ve dealt with customers who fell into this trap where they’ve had their delivery was dropped off, and everything is broken.While not all brokers are bad, since they outsource their labor, there’s no way for them to keep up with or manage any bad or destructive behavior from the moving team they dedicate to the job. Once they sell the job, it’s off their plate.Bad Advice #6 – “Just rent your own truck and hire movers separately.”Any move has a lot of moving parts. You’re trying to sell a home, get the kids into a new school, change doctors and health insurance, etc. By choosing to add another task to your to-do list, you’re making the moving portion longer, more difficult, and more time-consuming. Not to mention taking a risk on the people you choose to hire as movers. Are they going to have all the equipment and materials, or is that something you will have to find and purchase yourself? Do they know about the parking permits? Do they have experience carrying heavy items? Do they know how to navigate a move in an apartment complex? The answer to the majority of these questions is going to be no, especially if you take the risk by hiring a few people from Craigslist. If you’re moving from an apartment complex or rental, you might wind up getting a fine for any damage a team of inexperienced movers make. The majority of the time, these buildings are not forgiving. You’ll get hit with the repair fee, labor fee, materials, admin fee, etc. Or you could get an HOA fine. By hiring a professional moving company, you have several fail-safes like workers’ compensation, insurance, environmental protection, and coverage. They’re going to have all the equipment to cover your carpets and your hardwood floors. Bad Advice #7 – “The cheapest quote is always the smartest choice.”There are so many reasons why this just simply isn’t true. Going with the cheapest quote is always typically bound to a broker-like experience where you pay someone to go out and hire the moving company for you. The majority of the time, you aren’t getting the accountability or skilled labor, which can result in broken or missing items. In other instances, a low-ball quote will be a bait and switch. They get you with a really low number and then end up adding a bunch of stuff along the way and end up being thousands more.One of the best ways to rule these low-ball quotes out is by getting up to 3 different options. For example, let’s say you reach out to three different movers. You receive quotes in the $7-8,000 range from two out of the three movers. Then the third mover gives you a quote for $2,500. That should be a huge red flag that warrants questions to the mover and a thorough inspection of the quote for any hidden fees that they try to sneak in along the way. Look for words like “non-binding estimate, estimated price, starting at, subject to actual weight, final charges may apply.” And any additional fees related to “long carry, shuttle service, stair fees, elevator fees, bulky item charges, packing materials, fuel surcharges, storage fees, etc.” Bottom line, the internet is full of good advice, but there’s also a lot of bad advice out there that people should be aware of. No one experience is the same, and you could end up taking advice from someone who didn’t do their research before and ended up with a bad experience when it could’ve been a great one. Before hiring a mover, take time to compare different quotes, look at their reviews online, verify licensing, and don’t be afraid to ask questions! At the end of the day, you don’t want the cheapest mover, you want the right one. Listen to the full podcast episode on Bad Moving Advice from the Internet on Spotify here. For more moving tips, behind-the-scenes insights, and expert advice, tune in to Moving Unboxed, presented by 495 Movers, wherever you listen to podcasts.

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