Professional Moving Companies Websites – Fact or Fiction?
A website is an opportunity for a business to promote its services, products, corporate citizenship, etc., to the global community. An attractive website is a vital marketing tool that when constructed correctly, leads to an increase in consumer traffic and hopefully sales. Many businesses spend an enormous amount of money and time to build as well as maintain their websites. As a business owner, I can confidently say for myself and many other business owners, we want a website that inspires a consumer to make contact and hopefully purchase services and/or products. Many reputable businesses’ websites accurately represent their businesses however, there are way too many commercial websites whose sole intent is to mislead the consumer.
The moving industry is one industry saturated with misleading websites. Websites make it so easy for criminals to pose as anything they want including professional moving companies. Have you ever visited a moving company’s website that seemed really great? It had raving testimonials, a move calculator, and a great color scheme. It is like meeting the “prince charming” of moving company websites. Unfortunately, sometimes prince charming doesn’t fulfill all of his promises. Websites are a great launching point for consumer research. They allow consumers to gather information so they can make well informed moving decisions. Some professional moving companies have great websites. But you can’t believe everything you read on every moving company website, even if it looks good. Many websites claim to be professional moving companies but they really aren’t. Don’t let yourself fall victim to these online scams. The following are moving tips that will help you navigate moving websites in order to find quality services.
Things to consider when reviewing a moving company’s website:
1) The terminology
How does the mover refer to themselves? Are they a van-line? Vanlines operate multiple tractor trailers and/or moving vans and should have USDOT (United States Dept. of Transportation) authority to move across state lines. If a moving company website says it’s a vanline, look around for pictures of numerous trucks with their logos and information. Find out which vanline they’re representing. For example, AMWAT is an agent for Wheaton World Wide Moving and those logos are displayed on our websites’ front page.
Also, consumers should pay attention when they call a moving company and how that moving company answers its telephones; beware of companies who answer their telephones, “moving company” and/or “movers”. Reputable business owners are all about promoting their brand and what a perfect opportunity to promote one’s brand when answering the telephone, “AMWAT Moving Warehousing & Storage”.
2) Movers’ Registration and/or Credentials
Look for the moving company’s movers’ registration number and/or credentials. Different states have different regulations. In the state of Florida, this registration means an intrastate moving company is allowed to move within the state. Since AMWAT is a Tallahassee moving company, our Mover Registration number allows us to move customers within the state lines of Florida. AMWAT’s movers’ registration number is IM# 1026. Moving outside of state lines, or interstate moving, requires USDOT registration. It is illegal for a moving company to move your personal belongings across state line without this registration. AMWAT’s registration number is USDOT# 1377633. If this number isn’t posted on a moving company’s website, it’s a red flag for a scam.
3) The Address
Is the address displayed on the website? Use Google maps to locate the facility. Be sure there is a brick and mortar building at that address. Some moving companies will allow customers to come by and check out the facility. This is a good sign because it shows openness and honesty on the part of the moving company. Professional moving companies will have nothing to hide. Some moving companies have pictures of their facilities posted online as well. Also, check out their social media pages for pictures. You want to make sure the moving company has an established web presence online. This is a great indicator of their legitimate existence.
Quality moving services are hard to find. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad people who claim to be something that they’re not in order to make money. The key here is becoming a well-informed consumer. But there are professional moving companies out there that keep the consumer in mind. Always do your research. Follow your gut. If something seems off with a moving company, take your business elsewhere.
Visit www.protectyourmove.gov for great moving advice.
Visit https://www.protectyourmove.gov/related-sites/state-search.htm to search for contacts regarding movers’ registration.
Visit https://amwatmovers.com/legal/rights-liability-registration/ for more information about your rights.
AMWAT is a moving and storage company in Tallahassee, Florida. We provide local, commercial, and international moving services; as well as warehousing services such as receiving, inspections, and distributions.https://amwatmovers.com/moving-company-contact-move-estimate/
Moving companies do offer a wide range of services for individuals who want to shift their house or office from one location to a new one. They assure safety for your property while moving them from one place to another. But this is right. With the web offering these types of opportunities, we, users, must be careful on choosing which company should we hire. Very helpful post.
The best way to find a dependable movers! Thumbs up!!!
Really liked what you had to say in your post, Consumers Beware: Moving Companies Misleading Websites | AMWAT Moving Warehousing Storage, thanks for the good read!
— Lane
http://www.terrazoa.com
Thank you!