Shopping on the Internet for movers is risky business. Why is it risky?
Because unless you do your due diligence in researching your prospective mover you may be booking with an on-line Load Broker. What is a Load Broker? A Load Broker is a company that books your move on the Internet and then brokers it off to another carrier to haul your move from origin to destination. These Load Brokers appear to be legitimate, because you can find them on the Internet, and they have good websites. These Load Brokers quite simply farm your load out to anyone that’s heading the direction your shipment is travelling. They lack Infrastructure such as Dispatch, Customer Service and Insurance Coverage found with legitimate van lines.
Why is this risky? It is extremely risky because the most important concern you should have is do I have insurance coverage on my goods? When a load is brokered out you have no control over who may be covering your goods. Also you cannot be certain that they will even show up to load your move or deliver it.
Buyer Beware!
Have you ever considered who will cover the cost of replacing your goods in the event of an accident, fire or theft? Chances are it will not be the final broker carrying your goods and you will have great difficulty collecting insurance coverage from the Load Broker.
What’s even worse with Load Brokers is that they will often give your load to van line drivers. These loads are then hauled by the van line driver illegally and are not registered with their van line. This procedure is known as “Bucksheeting” and is an illegal activity; and most importantly occurs without insurance – your goods are not covered under the van line or hauler’s insurance policy.
Make sure you research your prospective mover – if they are a Load Broker, don’t risk everything you have by booking with them because their price is cheaper. A bargain price usually means something is missing from the service and in this case it’s insurance coverage.
Don’t forget the best source for researching your prospective mover is the Canadian Association of Movers at www.mover.net or contact them by phone at 1 866 860 0065.
