Pressure and Scams Around an Older Person's Move

Moving is one of the times when somebody is most exposed: strangers in the house, a lot of decisions, unfamiliar paperwork, and a legitimate reason for large sums to change hands. Most people in this trade are honest. The ones who are not concentrate on exactly these circumstances.

Just-In-Time Moving is licensed in Utah and carries general liability insurance. Here is what to watch for, including when the company being assessed is us.

Check the company is real

A verifiable business address, a landline, a company name that matches the paperwork, and a website that has existed longer than a few weeks.

For any interstate move, a mover must be registered with the federal regulator and have a USDOT number you can look up. For a move within Utah, check the company is properly licensed and insured, and ask for the certificate rather than a claim.

Be wary of a company whose paperwork uses a different name from the one that quoted you.

Warning signs on the quote

A large deposit demanded up front, particularly in cash, by wire or by gift card. Gift cards are never a legitimate payment method for anything.

A quote given over the phone with no questions, or a refusal to put it in writing.

A price far below every other quote. That is usually a number that will change once the load is on the truck.

Blank or partly completed paperwork, signed on the understanding it will be filled in later.

Pressure to decide today. No legitimate estimate expires this afternoon.

Other people who turn up

Downsizing attracts unsolicited callers offering to buy antiques, jewellery, coins or tools, sometimes arriving unannounced during the move.

Nothing valuable should be sold to somebody who came to the door. Get a second opinion on value first, from somebody with no interest in buying it.

Practical protections

Have a second person present for quotes and paperwork, and say plainly that decisions will be made together. That alone deters most of it.

Keep documents, cash, jewellery and medication with the family rather than on any truck. Photograph valuables beforehand. Pay by a method that leaves a record.

And take the time you need. Anybody unwilling to let you think is telling you something.

Call (435) 862-3080 or email office@movingjustintime.com.