While red flags with individual movers show up on moving day itself, red flags with moving companies usually show up earlier, in how the business is set up, registered, and run. Checking these before you ever call for a quote protects you from a much bigger category of problems than crew behaviour alone.
No Verifiable Business Address
A legitimate moving company operates from a real, checkable address, an office, a depot, a storage facility. Search the company name plus “BBB,” short for Better Business Bureau, and see what comes up. A company with no findable physical location is one of the earliest and most reliable warning signs. Source: Aleks Moving
Operating Under Multiple Business Names
Watch for companies that operate under several different names, or whose name on an ad doesn’t match the name on the contract or the truck. This is a known tactic among fly-by-night operators, since it makes it harder for anyone to file a complaint against the right entity once problems start. Source: Aleks Moving
No Reviews, or Reviews That Feel Manufactured
A total absence of online reviews after several years in business is unusual. So is a wall of five-star reviews with no real detail and suspiciously similar wording. Read a handful of the one and two-star reviews specifically, since that’s where you learn how a company handles things when something goes wrong.
An Unregulated Industry Makes This Your Job
The moving industry in Canada has been largely unregulated since the mid-1980s, meaning there’s no province-wide licence specifically for movers the way there is for, say, a real estate agent. Source: Canadian Association of Movers That gap is exactly why company-level vetting matters so much, nobody else is doing it for you before you book.
No Membership With Industry Bodies
Checking whether a company is listed with the Canadian Association of Movers (CAM) is a quick way to confirm a meaningful credential in an otherwise unregulated space, since membership requires adherence to a code of ethics. It’s not the only sign of legitimacy, but it’s a genuinely useful one. Source: Aleks Moving
How Common Is This, Really?
In 2024, the Better Business Bureau logged more than 100,000 inquiries about moving companies and 718 formal complaints against movers, with consumers who reported moving scams losing a median of $754 each. Source: BBB.org Fewer than 10% of victims ever report fraud at all, which means the real numbers are almost certainly higher than what’s officially recorded. Source: Canadian Association of Movers
Vague Answers About How Pricing Works
A legitimate company can explain clearly whether they charge hourly or flat rate, what triggers an extra fee, and how their estimate was calculated. A company that dodges these questions, or gives a different answer each time you ask, is telling you something about how they’ll handle disputes later.
No Insurance or Vague Coverage Details
A legitimate company should explain their insurance and valuation coverage clearly, what’s included by default, and what additional coverage costs. A company that can’t answer this clearly, or claims coverage exists without any documentation to back it up, is a red flag worth taking seriously before your belongings are on their truck.
Aggressive Sales Tactics on the First Call
Pay attention to how a company handles the very first conversation. Legitimate movers answer questions directly and let you take your time deciding. A company that pressures you to book on the spot, offers a “today only” discount, or discourages you from getting other quotes is using tactics more common in scams than in genuine competitive pricing.
The Calculation Worth Knowing
A quick number. Verifying a company’s address, BBB record, and CAM membership takes about fifteen minutes total. Weighed against a median scam loss of $754, that’s a return of roughly $3,000 an hour on your own time. Very few things pay that well.
A Mistake I See Often
People vet the crew that shows up, checking uniforms and vehicles, but skip vetting the company itself before booking. Company-level red flags matter more in some ways, since they predict problems before a single box gets loaded, not just during the move itself.
Who Tends to Get Targeted
Fraud investigators consistently note that students, newcomers to Canada, and seniors are disproportionately targeted by rogue moving operations, often because they’re less likely to have an established network to ask for recommendations. Source: Canadian Association of Movers If you fall into one of these groups, or you’re helping someone who does, it’s worth being extra deliberate about company-level verification.
The Honest Risk
Even a well-vetted company can have an off day or a scheduling hiccup. That’s normal, not a sign of fraud. The difference between an honest company having a bad day and a genuinely dishonest one is how they respond, do they communicate and make it right, or go quiet and hope you don’t leave a review?
Quick Answers
Is a new company automatically a red flag? Not necessarily, every legitimate company was new once. Focus on verifiable details, address, reviews, contract terms, rather than age alone.
How do I check CAM membership? The Canadian Association of Movers maintains a member directory on their website, searchable by company name.
What’s the fastest single check I can do? Search the company name plus “BBB complaints” and confirm the physical address actually exists.
Our team at Gentle Moving operates with a real, verifiable Surrey address and a track record you can check independently, exactly what a company with nothing to hide should offer.
How This Compares to Other Metro Vancouver Cities
Surrey’s rapid growth means demand patterns here can differ slightly from more established, slower-growing cities in the region. Tools and neighbourhoods, Newton, Guildford, Fleetwood, each with their own pace of development, mean the “standard” moving calendar sometimes shifts a bit compared to a flatter, more predictable market. Checking current availability directly, rather than assuming a rule that applies elsewhere in Metro Vancouver applies exactly the same way here, is worth the extra five-minute phone call.
Checking a Company’s Track Record Locally
Beyond national review sites, ask around in Surrey-specific community groups or with neighbours who’ve moved recently. Local reputation is harder to fake than a handful of generic five-star reviews, and it’s often the fastest way to confirm or rule out a company you’re considering, especially for smaller, independent operators who might not have a huge review footprint yet.
What to Do If You’ve Already Spotted a Red Flag
If you’re mid-conversation with a company and something on this list comes up, a vague answer about insurance, resistance to a written contract, don’t feel obligated to keep the conversation going out of politeness. Thank them for their time and call the next company on your list. There’s no cost to walking away at the quote stage, and it’s far cheaper than walking away once your belongings are already on someone’s truck.
The Bottom Line
Company-level red flags are quieter than crew-level ones, no address, no reviews, no clear pricing logic, but they’re just as reliable a warning sign. A few minutes of research before you book protects you from problems that would otherwise only surface once your belongings are already involved.