Is It Safe To Hire Movers From Craigslist?

Technological improvement over the last several decades has brought a number of drastic changes to our lifestyle – the widespread use of the Internet being, without a doubt, the most influential and consequential one of them all. New forms of entertainment, commerce, research, and communication have become readily available through the power of the online network. People living halfway around the globe, detailed information on every topic imaginable and all kinds of required services are now just one mouse click or finger tap away.

So, it comes as no surprise that more and more people are working and studying from the comfort of their homes, completing online transactions, selling and buying things via specialized websites, etc. It is only logical then that when faced with an imminent relocation, many home movers tend to use popular sites, such as Craigslist, to look for reliable and affordable moving help. Craigslist can be indeed a good place to find bargains and hire cheap moving services without the added stress of dealing with tons of paperwork and various organizational procedures.

Hiring moving services from Craigslist, however, hides certain risks, so you are strongly recommended to weigh your options and carefully evaluate the benefits and hazards of using Craigslist movers before making your final choice.

Pros And Cons Of Using Craigslist Movers

Finding movers on Craigslist is really easy, but it may just as easily turn your moving experience into a real nightmare:

Advantages Of Hiring Movers On Craigslist

There are plenty of important things to take care of when organizing your forthcoming relocation, so you’ll probably want to get everything done as quickly and easily as possible. Besides, you will be certainly looking for an efficient way to make your move affordable and stress-free.  Craigslist seems to be just the right place to do so:

• It is convenient. Craigslist is designed entirely around convenience. You get in the site, run your search, find whatever you’re looking for, and make a deal. Simple and easy as that. All you need to do when an ad catches your eye is to contact the person who has posted it and discuss the details. You can actually schedule your move within minutes! There will be no lengthy inquiries, no strangers coming to your home for visual surveys, no boring paperwork to deal with. Hiring movers on Craigslist is quick, easy, and convenient – what else could you ask for?

  

• It is affordable. Craigslist is the perfect place to strike a bargain. You can easily find cheap moving help on the site, as many people on Craigslist are willing to offer their services for a much smaller amount of cash than the big moving companies in order to gain competitive advantage over them;

• It is mutually beneficial. Many of the people who list ads on Craigslist do so out of need to supplement their income. So, when using their services, you are actually helping folks from your area – students, unemployed persons, and other people with budget constraints.

Despite all these points of favor, however, hiring movers from Craigslist can be rather risky.

Disadvantages Of Hiring Movers On Craigslist

Here are some potential problems to be aware of if you are considering Craigslist movers:

• Scammers – while many of the movers who advertise on Craigslist are good and honest people, there are also unscrupulous frauds posting on the site. Scam artists and rogue movers will take advantage of any chance to rip off credulous customers and disappear with their money or drive off with all their earthly possessions;
• No consumer protection policy – Craigslist is a free ads site that takes no responsibility for fraud or inaccuracy on the part of the advertisers. If anything goes wrong, you will have no protection or recourse available;
• Anonymity – anyone can post on Craigslist, claiming whatever they want. You have no idea who you are actually dealing with when using the site, however enticing a certain ad may be;
• Invisibility – it is really difficult to research the movers you have found on Craigslist, especially when it comes to individual persons offering moving help. And even in the case of a moving company, all you get is a short, tempting ad that contains no specific information. It is exactly what con artists need – a chance to be invisible.

All in all, Craigslist can be a great place to find cheap moving services, as long as you are careful enough and know how to avoid possible fraud. Yet, experience shows that hiring movers from Craigslist works only when moving short distance and relocating items without great monetary or sentimental value. If you are moving across the country, however, or if your relocation involves valuables and sensitive items, it is highly advisable to use the services of a reputable moving company that is properly licensed and bonded. This way, your belongings will be properly insured in case of an accident and you will be more confident about the favorable outcome of your relocation endeavor as it will be handled by qualified and experienced moving professionals.

Reasons Why You Should Avoid Hiring Movers From Craigslist

When looking for Craigslist moving services you are very likely to come across unqualified, uncertified, and uninsured movers, or even worse – rogue movers:

Nonprofessionals

People offering moving services on Craigslist often lack the professional training and knowledge required to do a good job. They have neither the skills, nor the experience to handle delicate and fragile items or heavy furniture and large household appliances. In most cases, they don’t even have the appropriate equipment to complete the job in a safe and efficient manner. So, even if your chosen movers are honest and well-meaning people, they can do a lot of unintentional damage because of incompetence.

Have in mind that organization is also below the desired level when using movers from Craigslist – sometimes, to such an extent that the arduous relocation process may come to resemble a comedy show (that is, if everything turns out fine in the end, of course).

Scam Movers

Craigslist moving scam has been rapidly spreading during the last decade. Unwary Craigslist users are easy prey for rogue movers. Many of them are actually happy that there is little to no paperwork involved when hiring movers on Craigslist. What they forget, however, is that the seemingly boring and intimidating movers’ paperwork is intended to define clear rules and conditions of the relocation process in order to guarantee protection against moving scam.

How can you rest assured in the honest and competent approach of your chosen movers if there is no signed contract, no insurance or bond to hold them responsible for their actions? In case your possessions get damaged, lost or stolen, even the police may not be able to help you as you will have no evidence against the fraudulent movers – they can just make false claims about your agreement and avoid liability.

SEE ALSO: Common moving frauds

Unreliable movers

Whether it is incompetent movers or rogue movers, you are very likely to find Craigslist moving companies rather unreliable:

• Insincere – the enticing ads on the website can easily mislead you into believing that you will be offered expert services at low rates. The movers, however, may not have been completely honest about their charges or the quality of their services. You may have to deal with:

  

– an untrained and/or careless moving crew who will ruin your moving experience and cause severe damage to your items and your property;

– undependable movers who will appear late on Moving day (or will not show up at all), will arrive in a smaller moving truck than you need, or will not have the right equipment to perform the required services in a safe and efficient manner;

– con artists who will come up with a deceitful way to steal your money or your possessions;

– much higher final costs because of some alleged extra services or unforeseen difficulties;

– various last-minute fraudulent attempts such as: you ask for 2 movers, but they send 3 instead and tell you it’s the only team available that day; they have a 4-hour minimum charge and you need to pay the whole amount even if your relocation takes only 2 hours; their rates go up for the weekends but they only tell you so when the job is already done; etc.

SEE ALSO: How to deal with bad movers

• Uninsured – many Craigslist movers will not assume liability for your goods while in their custody. Your shipment won’t be insured and you won’t be compensated for your loss if any of your items get stolen or damaged during the moving process;

SEE ALSO: Types of moving insurance

• Vandals – incredulous as it may seem, there are some so called movers on Craigslist who are only interested in gathering information about your new home and getting familiar with the environment, so that they can easily break in at a later time to steal your valuables.

To sum it up, Craigslist movers may be cheaper and easier to deal with than reputable moving companies, but you get what you pay for! Skimping on quality moving services, however, is definitely not a good idea when it comes to the relocation of your prized possessions – it may easily result in lots of headaches and plenty of wasted time and money.

How To Avoid Moving Scams On Craigslist

You can safely use Craigslist and other similar sites if you learn to recognize the red flags of possible moving fraud and manage to steer clear of suspicious companies or individuals. Here are some simple tips that will help you protect yourself from Craigslist scam movers:

1) Research your chosen movers – it may not be very easy to investigate the movers you find on Craigslist, but being cautions will definitely pay off. You can ask around for opinions and feedback from people who have worked with them in the past; you can investigate the company’s online presence – its website, its social media profile, moving reviews left by previous customers, etc.; you can ask for credentials and verify them; you can even pay an unexpected visit to the company’s office; and so on;

2) Familiarize yourself with Craigslist’s Scam Tips, Scam Reports, and Personal Safety Tips. If you happen to come across any moving scam on the website, make sure you report it before anyone else falls victim to the fraud as well! You can find more details on the topic here;

3) Never pay up front – if you pre-pay for anything, you risk never hearing from your hired movers again – they can simply disappear with your money. Any demands for large deposits or advance cash payments should make you reconsider your choice and cut off your dealings with the suspicious movers before it has become too late;

4) Pay attention to warning signs – generic images and stock photos, vague descriptions, lack of precise information (especially contact information), uncharacteristically low offers, over-the-phone estimates, and other similar red flags should put you on your guard and prompt you to look for a more trustworthy moving company;

SEE ALSO: How to avoid moving scams

5) Discuss all the details in advance and sign a written agreement – request a written estimate for your move and as about any extra services you might need, unforeseen conditions that may occur, possible difficulties during the relocation process, and any other details related to your move before making your final choice. Make sure you sign a written agreement that explicitly states all the terms and conditions of your relocation, as well as the movers’ rates and charges for each specific service you have required. Needless to say, you must never sign blank or incomplete documents.

SEE ALSO: Fundamental questions to ask when hiring a moving company

So, to be safe when using movers from Craigslist, you need to stay alert, plan ahead, and confirm everything in writing. It is also a good idea to have a backup, just in case.

Remember that you have better alternatives to using Craigslist when you need to find reliable and affordable movers for your forthcoming relocation. You can always ask friends and family for recommendations, read moving reviews, select an accredited and trustworthy moving company through BBB, fill in a moving quote and get contacted by several reputable companies to choose from, etc.

SEE ALSO: How to choose a moving company in 31.5 steps

So, what do you think? How do you know who to trust? Is it safe to hire movers from Craigslist? Share your opinion in the comments below!

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