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Anyone who makes a long distance (interstate) move has certain rights. Knowing these rights can help protect you from unscrupulous and careless movers. Protectyourmove.gov (brought to you by the FMCSA) has a comprehensive list of all your Rights and Responsibilities, but here is a quick overview to help you get started:

• Movers and Brokers should tell you if they are one or the other and should be registered with the FMCSA.
• Know the different types of moving estimates: Binding vs. Non-Binding.
• Know what your mover is liable for and the types of insurance available to you.
• Know what paperwork a mover needs to provide you with.
• Know how the billing process works and your responsibilities to pay the moving charges.
• Make sure to thoroughly discuss the pickup and delivery details with your mover.
• Learn about the proper way to resolve disputes with your mover.

Every mover on 123Movers has been prescreened to ensure that they have the proper licensing and insurance. It is very important that whatever mover you choose, you validate their credentials to make sure they are qualified to legally move you. Use these resources to help you with your research - 123Movers Local Movers Guide and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for Long Distance Movers. Another way to judge a mover's credentials is checking their affiliations and reviews. Who a company is associated with can be an important measure in how you judge that company. For Movers, AMSA (American Moving & Storage Association) is the largest association they can be a part of, and they hold their members to a high standard of ethics in order to help protect your rights (AMSA gives a "ProMover" credential to their most trusted group of moving companies). You should also check how your mover ranks on other popular websites such as BBB and Yelp.

A Broker is a company that acts as a middle man between you and the moving company that moves you. When you deal with a Broker, you do not personally chose the mover - they do. Typical problems associated with a Broker are; They may book you with a mover who is not licensed. They may give you one cost estimate and the actual mover gives you another that is completely different from the first. They may not actually find you a mover and let you think that one was booked. In order to protect you from this, 123Movers does not work with any Brokers. Learn more about the differences between Brokers and Movers.

One of the first pieces of information a mover will try to give you is their estimate for your move. There are different types of estimates (Binding vs. Non-Binding) and it is important to know the differences between the 2. It's also important to scrutinize the estimate if it appears too high or too low. Too high and maybe they are trying to rip you off. Too low and maybe they are setting you up to raise the price on the day of the move. When you use 123Movers to find a mover, each mover will try to give you the best deal possible because they know they are competing with other moving companies for your business.

One concern everyone has when hiring a mover is, "What if they break my stuff?" Well, the good news is that you have options to protect your belongings. When it comes to moving insurance there are 3 options you can choose from. The cheapest (it's free) and most basic option that comes with every move is "Released Value" insurance which is issued by your mover. Here, your mover will be responsible for 60 cents on every pound they move for you. For example, if they break a $1,000 flat screen TV that weighs 30 lbs., they would pay you $18. This is by far the least protective of the 3 options. The 2nd option, and more expensive option, is "Full Value" insurance which is also issued by your mover. As its name implies, this insurance covers the full value of your belongings. Your 3rd option is "Third-Party" insurance which is purchased from a specialized moving insurance company. They can offer you various levels of additional coverage, as high as the total value of your shipment. To learn more about the different types of moving insurance, visit our Moving Insurance Guide.