Wisconsin's Weekend Morning News
DATCP's Michelle Reinen on What to Watch Out For When Hiring Movers
[MUSIC PLAYING] Well, nothing's more stressful than moving. And when you are under stress, that's when you make those mistakes. Joining us is Michelle Ronan. She's our consumer expert from DebCap. And Michelle, what's the first thing to do when hiring a moving company? Well, you want to check them out. That's the first thing. Be sure that you're dealing with a legitimate mover and not some scammer out there. And you want to be sure that you are validating that they are legitimate. And things you look for is a deposit. If you're required to put one down, have a written agreement in place. Because otherwise, they may never show up. And they may load your belongings into their truck and then disappear if you haven't vetted them and know that they're legitimate and have that written agreement again. So I can't stress enough checking out that moving company and talking to friends and family to see who they use is going to be a great way to find a mover. Now, what if you do have them come out and they give you a really low estimate? Can that be a red flag? You probably want to get a second opinion because that is most definitely a red flag. If they're undercutting all other prices, you need to understand why. Are they a brand new company and they're local? So you can be a little bit more confident with that low price or are they just a scammer trying to get your money and will never show up? And again, you want things in writing because you want to make sure your estimates are actually covering all the belongings and that you both have an understanding of how much you have to move. You may say a one bedroom apartment and for some that's so much furniture and for someone else that's going to be twice the amount of goods. So you need to have some clarity on that. And let's give that consumer protection hotline in case you're running into any problems. 1-800-422-7128.