Move Advocate
Your movers must release your shipment when you pay what you actually owe.
Federal law has said so for years. Almost nobody is told, which is exactly why the moving industry keeps getting away with it.
Is this happening to you right now?
If your belongings are on a truck and someone is demanding money you never agreed to pay, start here.
- What to do when movers won’t deliver your belongings The 110% rule, what you actually owe, and the six steps to take today.
- Should you pay the extra money to get your things back? The honest answer, and why paying under protest waives nothing.
- Can you call the police? Why they usually decline, and what actually works instead.
Federal hotline 1-888-368-7238 ยท 8am to 8pm Eastern, weekdays
Before you hire a mover
- How to check if a moving company is licensed and insured Reading a USDOT record properly, and why valuation is not insurance.
- Red flags in a moving quote Eight warning signs, all of which appear before the truck arrives.
- Moving broker or carrier: how to tell the difference The distinction behind most moving disasters, and how to check.
- How to spot fake moving company reviews Including the AI-generated ones, which no longer read as fake.
Understanding your estimate
The pricing method on your estimate decides your legal rights. It is the most important line on the page and almost nobody reads it.
- Cubic feet or weight: which estimate protects you Non-binding estimates must be weight-based. Cubic feet must be binding.
- Can a moving company legally charge more than the estimate? What they can add, what they cannot, and the rule about loading.
Delivery and damage
- How long does a moving company legally have to deliver? There is no fixed deadline, and the 21-day figure is misread constantly.
- Movers damaged your furniture: how to file a claim The nine-month deadline that ends most claims before they start.
Fighting back and getting your money back
- How to file a complaint with the FMCSA What filing does, what it does not, and how to write one that lands.
- How to dispute the charges and get your money back Chargebacks, deposits, stopped checks, and why cash leaves you nothing.
- How to write a demand letter to a moving company The six parts that make one work, with a template you can copy.
- Can you sue a moving company? The Carmack Amendment, the two deadlines, and which court hears it.
- Your mover stopped answering. How to track them down USDOT records, registered agents, and the companies behind the company.
Also worth knowing
- What is a hostage load, and how does the scam work? How these operations are built, and why enforcement rarely catches them.
- Who regulates local movers inside one state? FMCSA does not cover intrastate moves. Here is who does.
Why this site exists
Joseph Harper spent nearly 20 years working inside the moving industry. He watched carriers hold customers’ belongings hostage, watched brokers disappear after taking deposits, and watched families discover too late that nobody was coming to help them.
He founded Move Advocate to end that. Having worked on the inside, he knows where moving companies are vulnerable: the licensing records they hope you never check, the federal complaint channels they quietly fear, and the pressure points that turn a stonewalled claim into a refund.
The complete field guide
The articles here cover the tactics one at a time. Moving Scam Secrets is the full playbook: every tactic, the paperwork that protects you, the documentation that wins claims, and the steps that turn a stonewalled dispute into a refund.