The Better Business Bureau receives roughly 13,000 moving-related complaints a year. Reading through the patterns shows the same playbook over and over: lowball estimate, no on-site survey, unmarked truck, hostage shipment at delivery, demand for cash. Every one of those moves got booked because the customer didn't recognize the warning signs in the first sales call. Below is the field guide.
- 01
The lowball bait
Tells. An estimate dramatically below every other quote you've received — sometimes 30–50% lower. The mover insists on phone or email-only quoting, refuses an in-home or video survey, and presses you to commit fast.
Defense. Never sign without an in-home or video walkthrough survey. Get at least three written estimates and treat the cheapest by a wide margin as the most likely scam.
- 02
Hostage shipment
Tells. Truck arrives at destination, then the mover refuses to unload until you pay charges that weren't in your written estimate — additional cubic feet, fuel surcharges, 'long carry' fees that didn't apply.
Defense. FMCSA regulation caps additional charges. For non-binding estimates the mover cannot collect more than 110% of the original amount at delivery. Pay the 110% under protest and file a complaint at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov immediately.
- 03
Bait-and-switch on weight or cubic feet
Tells. Estimate is given in cubic feet (a meaningless metric for federally-regulated moves) instead of pounds, or the mover refuses to weight the truck loaded and empty. At delivery the bill is dramatically higher than the estimate.
Defense. Federally-regulated household-goods movers are required to bill by weight. Insist on certified weight tickets — empty (tare) and loaded (gross). Refuse cubic-foot pricing for interstate moves.
- 04
Cash-only demands at delivery
Tells. Mover insists on cash, money order, or postal order at the time of delivery. Won't take credit cards or business checks. Refuses to provide a receipt.
Defense. Pay by credit card whenever possible — chargeback gives you leverage. Get a receipt on the bill of lading specifying paid in full.
- 05
The unmarked truck
Tells. A rented truck (Penske, U-Haul, Budget) shows up instead of a truck with the company's branding and USDOT number on the side.
Defense. Federal regulation requires the mover's USDOT number to be displayed on every commercial vehicle they operate. Refuse to load on an unmarked truck.
- 06
No on-site or video survey
Tells. Mover refuses to conduct an in-home survey or even a guided video walkthrough, then quotes you a binding price 'sight unseen.'
Defense. Reputable interstate movers always insist on a survey. Anyone willing to skip it is either scamming you or planning to renegotiate the price at the truck.
- 07
Last-minute 'additional charges'
Tells. On move day, suddenly there are charges for 'long carry' (truck couldn't park close enough), 'shuttle' (had to use a smaller truck), 'stairs', 'elevator wait', or 'piano fee.'
Defense. Get every accessorial charge listed and priced on the original written estimate. Per FMCSA: any charge not on the estimate is challengeable.
- 08
Refusing to provide a written estimate
Tells. Verbal quote only, or 'estimate will be finalized when we load.' Mover insists on getting started without paperwork.
Defense. Federal law (49 CFR 375.401) requires every interstate mover to provide a written estimate before performing any service. No estimate = no move. Walk.
- 09
The phantom address
Tells. Address on the website is a residential apartment, a UPS Store box, or a different city than where they say they operate.
Defense. Cross-check the address against the FMCSA SAFER snapshot. Reputable movers have real, persistent commercial addresses with sustained warehouse footprints.
- 10
Generic name, no logo, no history
Tells. Names like 'Premier Long Distance Movers' or 'National Moving Solutions' with stock-photo websites, no logo, no employees pictured, no history.
Defense. Search the company name + 'reviews' + 'BBB.' Search the principal's name (often listed on the SAFER snapshot) for prior complaints under different company names — license-shopping is pattern #14.
- 11
Aggressive upfront deposit
Tells. Demands 25–50% deposit weeks before the move, often by wire transfer or non-refundable means. Pressures you to commit before getting other quotes.
Defense. Reputable movers either ask no deposit or a small one (≤$200) by credit card. Refuse wire transfers. Refuse to commit before getting at least two more written estimates.
- 12
Storage extortion
Tells. Goods arrive but mover claims you weren't reachable, and now they're in 'storage' — for which you owe per-day fees. Refuses to deliver until storage and 'redelivery' fees are paid.
Defense. Document every contact attempt. The mover is required by 49 CFR 375.207 to attempt delivery on the agreed date and to make at least one storage attempt before charging. Storage charges can only accrue under specific conditions; most are challengeable.
- 13
Ratings-bombing legitimacy
Tells. Suspiciously perfect 5.0 ratings on Yelp/Google, all posted within a recent narrow window, with similar phrasing. Few or no detailed reviews on industry-specific sites (BBB, MovingScam.com, MyMovingReviews).
Defense. Look for distribution of ratings over time, photos, and detail. A scam operator can buy a hundred 5-star reviews in a week. They can't fake a five-year history of nuanced reviews on multiple platforms.
- 14
License-shopping (the name rotation)
Tells. When a complaint volume gets too high under one DBA, the operator dissolves the company and reincorporates under a new name with the same principal, same warehouse, same phone number — but a fresh USDOT.
Defense. Search the principal's name and the company address for prior business names on the FMCSA SAFER 'company snapshot' history field, on Better Business Bureau, and on state corporation registries. License-shopping is the most sophisticated of the fourteen patterns and the hardest to detect — but a 12-month-old USDOT is the canary.
If you're inside an active scam
Call FMCSA at 1-888-368-7238 for hostage-shipment situations. File a complaint at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov and contact your state attorney general's office.