After more than 30 years in business, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has never wavered in its commitment to providing exceptional customer service. In fact, the brand's focus on transparency and consumer advocacy has resulted in an impressive 96 percent customer referral rate.

With National Moving Month kicking off TWO MEN AND A TRUCK's busiest season (from May to September), the brand has compiled tips for customers to avoid moving scams, which are on the rise.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK CEO Jon Nobis's first tip to find a legitimate moving company is to look beyond face value when researching online reviews.

"The number of Google reviews a brand has makes a significant impact on the customer's decision-making process, but what most customers don't know is that some moving companies pay or falsify their online reviews, which is against Google policy," said Nobis. "This lack of authenticity in online reviews makes the process of hiring a trustworthy, reliable mover even more difficult for consumers."

Nobis notes that TWO MEN AND A TRUCK differentiates itself in the industry by hiring a third-party company, Bazaarvoice, which verifies that every review on our local websites is valid and authentic. Unfortunately, there is no way to verify the integrity of reviews across the internet, including those on Google or Yelp.

"As a brand, we are laser-focused on transparency and building trust, ensuring that our customer experience is world class," said Nobis. "Because moving scams are on the rise, we've taken these measures up a notch and are committed to further developing our customer service initiatives with the launch of new technology-focused solutions that make booking a move easier for our customers."

And reviews aren't the only online issue that negatively impacts consumers. People searching for a moving company will see many advertisements from lead or data aggregators that want the user to think they are a moving company. Usually, these websites are hard to differentiate from legitimate professional moving companies because they often come up first when searching online. There are many websites that exist solely to collect information from moving customers and then resell the personal details.

"It's important to make sure that you are requesting an online moving quote directly from a moving company that you are intending to work with," Nobis said. "It can become very frustrating for a customer who believes they are submitting a moving request for a specific company and then three or four moving companies follow up with phone calls and emails. Customers need to be careful during their research phase to ensure they're only providing their personal information to companies they're interested in moving with."

Nobis's other tips include:

• Review Credentials: Is the company licensed and insured? Does it have a physical location in addition to its online presence? What rights do you have if something goes wrong on the move? Have friends and family had experience with the moving company?
• Get a Full Breakdown of Fees: What extra fees exist? Is a deposit required? Is it refundable? Does the company do free quotes?
• Ask About the Moving Crew: Are employees hired and paid directly by the moving company? Or are day-laborers used? What is the training process?
• Communication Process: Do they have a customer service representative available for phone calls? What hours do they operate?

"It is important for consumers to do their research when hiring a professional mover," said Scott Michael, President & CEO of the American Moving & Storage Association.  "Not all websites are accurate, so you need to protect yourself and your possessions by investigating the companies you are considering entrusting with your move."

ABOUT TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®
Headquartered in Michigan, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the largest franchised moving company in North America. Currently, there are more than 375 locations and 2,900 trucks operating in 44 U.S. states in addition to Canada, Ireland, and the UK. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has performed more than 7 million moves since its inception in 1985 and has seen consistent growth dating back to December 2009. In 2018, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked TWO MEN AND A TRUCK as one of the top 500 franchises in the U.S for the 24th consecutive year and ranked the company No. 1 in the moving/junk removal category for the third year in a row. In 2017, the company also made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for the fourth time. Each location is independently owned and operated. For franchising opportunities, visit franchise.twomenandatruck.com.