If a moving company requires a large warehouse, move to another company. When you pay with cash, there's no evidence of a transaction. So if your things don't move, or worse, you don't get them back, you have no proof that you ever paid for the service. Yes, most moving companies will gladly accept cash upon delivery. On the other hand, moving companies should never require payment in cash, especially if you have already agreed on another payment method.
The short answer is YES, you pay moving companies after the move. Accredited moving companies will NOT require cash or any major deposits before you move. If you pay in advance, you have no control over when you'll see your belongings again. When you pay, use a credit card to help you combat any fraudulent activity. Please note that the payment method must be clearly specified well in advance in the moving contract.
Accredited moving companies will accept several payment methods, such as cash, bank check, or credit card. If any item is lost, destroyed, or damaged while in the custody of the moving company, the moving company will repair the item to the extent necessary to return it in the same condition as it was received by the moving company, or will pay you the cost of those repairs; or it will replace it with an item of the same type and quality, or will pay you the cost of such replacement. If potential carriers are hesitant about payment or make statements such as “we'll take care of it at the time of delivery”, kindly cross them off your list. While it's okay to pay a reasonable amount of money as a deposit to a company that you've already researched and made sure is legitimate and reputable, you should never pay a moving deposit that's too large to a moving company you don't know anything about. As a general rule, suspicious moving companies and internet brokers are much more likely to demand deposits than legitimate moving companies.
In reality, a moving deposit is a moving company's insurance policy under which it will receive some type of compensation for the lost opportunity if a customer cancels the move too soon and too late for the moving company to do anything about it. Accredited moving companies accept any major credit card, and you should always pay moving companies with a credit card, not cash. Most moving companies don't require deposits, but if one of the companies you're considering does, that's not necessarily a red flag. When relocating from one house to another one of the questions that may concern you is when to pay moving companies, before or after the move. It is important to remember that paying with cash does not provide any evidence of transaction and therefore if something goes wrong during your move there is no proof that you ever paid for the service. That is why it is recommended to use a credit card when paying for your move as this will help protect against any fraudulent activity. If you've thoroughly researched your moving companies and hired a reputable and experienced company, a 10% deposit may be reasonable.
It goes without saying that you have to pay moving companies for their work, that is, for all the services they have provided you according to your mutual agreement (the moving contract). If you let the moving company pack them up, you're paying excessive prices for boxes and other packaging materials, not to mention time and labor. On the other hand, if a potential moving company informs you that it requires a deposit of 25% or 50% or the full amount in advance, there is no doubt that that should be a decisive factor. We hope it won't be necessary to ask your card issuer to issue a chargeback but it will give you an opportunity to fight back if a serious problem arises with the moving company. In conclusion, when paying for your move make sure to use a credit card instead of cash as this will provide evidence of transaction and help protect against any fraudulent activity.
If potential carriers are hesitant about payment or make statements such as “we'll take care of it at the time of delivery” kindly cross them off your list. Most moving companies don't require deposits but if one of them does make sure it is reasonable and not too large.
