You may think you are working directly with a moving company, but in reality you could be working with a moving broker. A broker is an entity that works as a middleman between you and the actual mover. You speak with the broker and the broker hires a mover on your behalf.

Here are some of the inherent risks with using a moving broker:

  • A broker may hire an unlicensed mover on your behalf without you ever knowing. As a matter of fact, most of the time you don’t know anything about your mover until they arrive at your home. They may not even be particularly experienced, resulting in an unqualified mover being responsible for your belongings.
  • The price a broker quotes you may be widely different from what the movers quote you on moving day. Particularly dishonest movers will load your stuff onto their truck, then tell you the price – a higher price from what the broker quoted you – and will not deliver your stuff until you pay.
  • The broker may not even be able to book a mover for you. In a worst case scenario they might not even inform you of this, letting you think that you have a mover ready to go on moving day.

So in order to protect yourself from the risks of using a broker, make sure to always ask the company you are speaking to if they are a mover or a broker. You can even use their license number to look them up and see what “status” they have (mover or broker).

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