MoveNaraHow to check a mover before you hand them everything you own
The moving industry has a scam problem with a well-known shape: a too-good price, a small deposit, and then your belongings held hostage for a bigger number on move day. Vetting takes fifteen minutes and removes almost all of that risk.
In the United States
For a move across state lines, look the company's USDOT number up on the FMCSA site. Then read their recent 1-star reviews. The FMCSA lookup shows the company's registration, insurance status, and complaint history. A mover doing interstate work without a USDOT number is not a maybe; it is a no.
In Canada
Check the company on the Canadian Association of Movers list, and check your provincial consumer registry. Then read their recent 1-star reviews. In Ontario, the truck should also carry a CVOR number. Provincial consumer registries list businesses with unresolved complaints.
Read the 1-star reviews first
Five-star reviews all sound the same. The 1-star reviews tell you how a company behaves when something goes wrong, which is the only thing you are actually buying.
- Disqualifying patterns: belongings held until an extra payment, surprise charges on move day, no-shows with no callback.
- Ordinary noise: a scratched table with an apology and a payout, a crew that ran late in a snowstorm. Every mover has some of these.
- Watch the dates. A company that changed hands two years ago is a different company from its old reviews.
Red flags that end the conversation
- A quote well below every other quote. Too-good-to-be-true pricing usually is.
- A price over the phone with no survey of what you are moving.
- A large cash deposit, or pressure to book today.
- No physical address, or a truck with no company name.
Questions
What is a USDOT number?
A registration number issued by the US Department of Transportation. For moves across state lines, look it up on the FMCSA site to see the company's registration, insurance, and complaint record.
How do I check a moving company in Canada?
Check the Canadian Association of Movers list and your provincial consumer registry. In Ontario the truck should carry a CVOR number. Then read the company's recent 1-star reviews.
What is the most common moving scam?
The hostage load: a lowball quote, your goods on the truck, then a demand for more money before delivery. Written binding quotes after a survey, and a vetting check, are the defense.
Your dates change the order. MoveNara puts every step above on your calendar, next to the other services, and tracks what's actually confirmed, not just requested.
It's free. Start my Move Map. We never sell your contact info.