How to protect your belongings and your money when hiring movers or moving brokers

Summer is moving season, but before you hire a mover, we have a warning to protect your belongings - and your pocketbook.

Horror stories about moving companies are all too common. In 2022 the Better Business Bureau received more than 15,000 complaints.

"It makes you feel enraged that they would do this and try to take advantage of someone," said Tom Romano of Morrisville, Bucks County, back in December 2021.

That's what the Romano's told us about their experience with a mover. It turns out, unbeknownst to them, they hired a moving broker who assigned their job to a moving company with an 'F' rating at the BBB.

"Some of the stuff is my father's, some of it is my mother's, my sister's ashes...it's just heartbreaking," said Nancy Romano back in December 2021.

The Romanos told us the mover was holding their belongings hostage, demanding the couple pay more money. Federal authorities say similar complaints doubled during the pandemic and that scenario is just one of many common complaints.

"Some satisfy their customers almost all the time, others really struggled to strive to satisfy even 50%," said Kevin Brasler of Consumer's Checkbook.

Consumer's Checkbook also found huge price differences.

"Some companies charge two, even three times more than others do for the exact same work," said Brasler.

But you should also be on the lookout for low-ball estimates and hidden fees.

"Get several price quotes in advance. Get written price estimates...they should include how many workers are going to be doing your move. It should include about how many hours they think your move will take. If it's a local move, what their hourly rate is, whether they're going to charge for travel time," said Brasler.

It's best to have the company see your things in person before providing an estimate.

For a local move, ask the mover to cap its estimate to give you a not-to-exceed price. And be very careful when searching online. A lot of the listings aren't for actual moving companies.

"They're for moving brokers and sometimes for scam artists," said Brasler.

Moving brokers don't do the actual work of moving, they find companies for you. But as the Romano's learned, if something goes wrong:

"Often you have to go back to the moving broker who's already taken all your money and may not be so interested in helping you at that point," said Brasler.

Before hiring an interstate moving company or broker, make sure it's registered with the Federal Motors Carriers Safety Administration. There you can also see the company's complaint history.

Movers who operate within Pennsylvania are required to be licensed by the Public Utility Commission.

In New Jersey, movers are regulated by the state Division of Consumer Affairs.