A person plans a move, is happy about the new apartment or house, and ends up with a ruined couch, a broken mirror and a bill three times higher than what was agreed. Here is how to check if a moving company is legitimate before you hand it your things, and which moving company scams show up most often.
These are not rare cases. Many people already treat extra charges as normal. But the problem is that being cheated on a move is not just "overpaid a little." It is frayed nerves, broken furniture and sometimes things that simply disappear.
Inflated prices, damaged property, refusal to give documents - the list is long. And the worst part is that most people do not even know how to protect themselves in advance. Most of it can be checked in an evening, before you sign anything.
Start with the license: how to check moving company license
A real mover has paperwork that anyone can look up. It does not matter much whether it is a small company or a big one. What matters is that official records exist and the company's name on them matches the name on the website, the estimate and the truck.
Moves inside Illinois
For a move that starts and ends in the state, the mover needs a household goods license from the Illinois Commerce Commission. Illinois licensed movers put the license number on their trucks, and you can look the number up on the ICC site. If a company cannot give you a number, or the number belongs to a different name, stop there. This applies to local moving within Chicago too, not only to big moves across the state.
Moves to another state
For an interstate move the company needs a USDOT number. A USDOT number lookup is done through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, where you can see if the carrier is registered and active. Our own number is listed on the About page of our company, so you can check us the same way. If you are planning to leave the state, it is worth reading about interstate moving costs and timeline from Chicago before you start calling around.
A real address and real reviews
It is not enough to look at the website and read the reviews on it. You need to dig deeper. It happens like this: you find an ad online, a nice site, reviews look good (spoiler: fake), you call and everyone answers politely. You agree, you pay a deposit... and that is where contact ends. Nobody picks up the phone, the site disappears, the money is gone.
Sometimes a customer pays an advance, and on moving day nobody comes at all. Fly-by-night firms work simply: they build a nice front, collect deposits from several customers in a week and vanish. A month or two later they come back under a new name.
- Google and Yelp listings. Reviews there are harder to fake. Pay attention not to the excited "Everything was great!!!" ones but to middle ratings with specific details: "They were 40 minutes late but worked carefully" sounds believable.
- Review dates. If all the reviews showed up at once in the last month, they were probably bought. If the company is mentioned over 2-3 years with different dates, that is more serious.
- Social pages. A page with live activity - real comments, not purchased followers - is a plus.
- Word of mouth. Ask friends, coworkers, neighbors who they moved with and how it went. Personal recommendations work better than any ad.
You can read what our customers wrote in reviews and compare them with what you find on Google and Yelp.
A normal company is not afraid to show its address, introduce itself and give all its details. If the site has only a phone number and a request form, that is strange. Company-owned trucks with a logo, in decent condition, are also a plus. It means the business is stable and not a crew of drifters in rented vans.
A written estimate and a written contract
Despite the huge number of companies that help with moves, they can be split into two kinds. Some set the price by the time spent on the job - they charge by the hour. Others charge by the weight or volume of the load. Cheating happens with both. Often the customer is handed a contract where part of the extra conditions is written in small print, and the customer has nothing left to do but pay.
You can rule out these tricks very simply: ask for a written estimate. It is better to do this in advance, before moving day, so you have enough time to read the terms at home, calmly, and make the right decision. Decent companies offer to send someone to look at the volume of work, so there are no surprises with the price later. To know roughly what to expect, see what movers cost in Chicago.
The contract is not a formality. It is your protection. It should have:
- A fixed price or a clear hourly rate with the conditions spelled out
- A list of services: what is included and what is paid separately
- Liability for the goods (ideally with the coverage amount stated)
- The time frame of the work
- The company's details and signature
If you hear "Oh, the contract later, let's get loading" - stop. Either demand the document on the spot or look for another company. And one more thing: read the small print carefully. Sometimes "pleasant" surprises hide there, like a charge for the truck standing idle, or a line saying the company is not responsible for damage in force majeure (which turns out to include any scratch). If you are not sure what protection your things have, read our guide to moving insurance and how moving insurance coverage for a business works.
Moving company red flags
Most people sense the catch on some level and still agree. Why? There is no time - when two days are left before you have to leave the old apartment, there is no time to check every company carefully, and you grab the first one with an acceptable price. There is hope - "they can't cheat me, I'll notice if something is off." And there is embarrassment. Many people feel awkward asking for documents and asking follow-up questions. Scammers use exactly that.
A very low quote over the phone
This is the classic. You call a company, describe your things, hear a nice round number. You are happy, you agree. The movers arrive, start loading... and suddenly it turns out the wardrobe is "too heavy," the fridge is "non-standard," every floor above the third costs extra, and packing "was not included." In the end the price doubles. And what can you do? The things are already in the truck, time is running out, the new owners are at the door. You have to pay. If the phone price is far below other quotes, that is a red flag.
A big deposit, especially in cash
A large deposit demanded before anyone has seen your things is a warning sign. The main rule: pay only the company itself, with a receipt. Otherwise proving anything later will be impossible.
No look at your things
A company that names a final price without seeing your things, not even from photos, and will not come for an in-person estimate, is guessing - or plans to "find" extra work on the day. Some operators that find customers online have no business address, no office and no license for this work at all.
Your goods held for more money
A rare but very unpleasant situation. The movers load all your things and then the truck suddenly "breaks down." Or "the driver got sick." Then come the calls: money is needed for a tow, then for a repair. People pay, and in the end pay twice the original amount. Do not give in to manipulation like "We already loaded everything, pay or unload it yourself." That is blackmail.
| Red flag | How it looks | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Low phone quote | Price far below others, extras appear on the day | A written estimate with the list of services |
| Big deposit | Half or all of the money up front, to a personal account | Payment only to the company, with a receipt |
| No look at your things | Final price named without seeing anything | An in-person or photo estimate |
| Goods held | "Pay more or we don't unload" | A signed contract and an inventory before loading |
| No license | No number on the truck, no number in the papers | ICC license or USDOT number lookup |
Questions to ask movers before hiring
Before hiring, ask:
- What is your Illinois license number or USDOT number?
- Is the price fixed or hourly, and what exactly is included?
- Are there extra charges for floors, stairs, the distance from the door to the truck, heavy or "delicate" items?
- Will you look at my things before giving a price?
- How much deposit do you take, and to which account?
- Who is responsible if something is damaged, and how is it written in the contract?
- Will your own crew and truck do the move, or someone else?
Discuss the price only with the office, not with the movers on site. If the crew starts setting the rates themselves instead of their crew lead, that is the first sign of scammers. Also check prices once more by phone and again when the crew arrives. Sometimes the site shows one price and the contract another, and the movers calmly say the site has not been updated in years.
- Large furniture - wardrobes, couches, beds - with a note on their condition.
- Appliances - fridge, washing machine, TV.
- Fragile items - mirrors, glass tables, paintings.
- Boxes with valuables - for example, "Box No. 1 - dishes."
- Photos of all large items before the move. On a phone it takes five minutes, and in a dispute it is priceless evidence.
Making a list of 50 items with a description of each is tedious. But it is worth it. If something breaks, you have proof that the item was whole before loading. If the movers refuse to make an inventory or say "come on, why all this paperwork," that is a reason to think. Jewelry, documents, money and electronics are better carried yourself.
On moving day, be present at every stage. Keep track of the time worked if you pay by the hour. Some crews simply drag out the time - many breaks, three people doing a one-person job - to make the bill bigger. If you notice this, go to the crew lead, and if that does not help, ask for the office number and say you will pay for time actually worked.
If it already happened
If the price was raised right during the move, ask on what basis and where it is in the contract. Get it in writing. If they pressure and threaten, call the police - seriously. If things were damaged, record it: photos, video, a written statement, then a written claim to the company. For a licensed in-state mover you can file a complaint with the ICC, and for an interstate carrier, with the FMCSA. If a company vanished with your money, the chances are small, so leave reviews everywhere you can and warn others.
Ask us for our license number, look it up, read our reviews - then get a quote for your move.
Get a Free Moving QuoteFor a move out of state, the same checks apply, only with the USDOT number - see our long distance moving service for how it works with us.
Maybe it sounds tedious, but it is better to spend half an hour on preparation than a month dealing with the consequences. Most companies probably work honestly. The problem is that it is very easy to end up with the others, especially if you are in a hurry, choose by "cheaper," or just do not read the contract. Make an inventory, photograph your things, check the company, ask for documents.
