A lot of seniors get taken advantage of by moving companies. In this segment, Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to avoid moving scams.

Sean says, "A lot of people think that everything on the Internet must be cheap, safe, and good. All those are wrong assumptions. Websites [can be] completely made up, the five star reviews that been posted on the website are completely fake. By the way, I just filed two complaints with the FBI about all those five-star fake reviews that are posted by all of those people. It's a major issue, and seniors are booking with those people, who collect a 35% deposit on a long-distance move, and after that, they sell the job to someone else. It's always go back to the basics. You must ask for in home estimate to protect yourself.

"When they offering you an online binding estimate, forget about it. If it's not in writing, it's not an estimate. So what's happening? Because nobody came and visited, they claim later, oh, based on your information, it was only 10 boxes, but now you have 40 boxes. Stay away from a situation like this."

Regarding cubic feet vs weight, Sean says, "Everybody can [put items] in a truck and spread it to different cubic feet. I can put it in 200 cubic feet, or 300, or 500, that's what [a non-legit] company is doing. Do not move with any company who charges by cubic feet. There is a reason why the state department, the military, and state agencies use weight. If you have any question, you're not sure about anything, you can ask for a reweighing, which should be free. Visit the scale house, watch the first and second weighing."

Learn more:

• Jordan River Moving & Storage on AFE
• Jordan River: Call 877-611-0808 or visit https://jordanrivermoving.com/

Hear more:

• Senior moving podcasts on AFE
• Moving to senior living podcasts on AFE

Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network. Check out our affiliate podcast: Alzheimer’s Speaks.