BEWARE of Internet Moving Company Scammers

A recent Mercury News article tells of a situation that is far too common all over the country. A moving company was advertising very low rates on their website and then charging much higher rates after the relocation was complete. This type of bait and switch pricing scam is common with a lot of shady movers all over the country. In this case, the dozens of complaints received by the District Attorney's Office contributed to the arrest of 5 people involved in this scam.

In some case, the movers held people's belongings hostage until the exorbitant bills were paid. This company was caught and punished, but there are many more out there who still haven't been caught. If you're looking for a moving company, there's nothing wrong with doing your research online. In fact, it's the best way to find movers. But be wary of movers with prices that are too good to be true, or moving companies without a trusted name behind them. For example, if you are looking at a mover who is an agent of a nationally trusted name like Allied Van Lines, you can be confident that this company is licensed, insured and legitimate. And don't be afraid to give the company a call - just from talking to them you should be able to tell if they sound like they know what they're doing or if they sound shady and dodge giving you direct answers. Finally, a good moving company will usually come to your home to do an estimate before giving you a price for your move. If you're getting a price online, it's usually going to be a non-binding quote.

IL Tax Cuts Bad for Business, Good for Moving Companies

The state of Illinois has been facing some tough times and a whopping #13 billion budget deficit. This week it was announced that our state tax rate for companies will increase from 4.8% to 7% as the corporate tax. As a result many businesses are going to have an even more difficult time staying afloat. Although this is supposed to be a temporary tax increase for the next 4 years, there's no way to know if it will at some point be voted into permanency. And in any case, 4 years is a long time for a struggling business. Today's CNN Money article on the Illinois corporate tax hike describes this situation best.

This new tax hike, along with the increase in the personal income tax rate, is causing many Illinois businesses to consider packing up and moving across the border to neighboring Indiana, Wisconsin or Iowa. In the words of John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, "It means the best growth business in the state of Illinois will be moving companies."

Moving companies have had their own struggles in the past couple years due to the slow housing market, so a little more business from companies moving out of IL is always welcome. On the other hand, when companies move out of the state, that may mean less business for movers in the long term.