What to Do If Your Mover Cancels Last Minute?

Despite perfect planning and your best efforts, sometimes, things go unplanned. If your relocation got canceled – and yes, this scenario is actually possible – you must first know the reason why things are not going as planned. Accidents, natural disasters, and extreme weather conditions are only a few examples of why your movers may be justified for canceling your relocation. Even with the utmost professionalism, there are some things they can’t control. Also, some of the crew perhaps got sick or had a family emergency so they couldn’t show up for work, so naturally, your mover may not have enough manpower to do the job. If your mover cancels last minute, you may be able to arrange an easy solution with them.

On the other hand, if your moving company doesn’t show up at all, there may be a completely different scenario – you may be dealing with a scam artist and you’ll have no other solution than to notify authorities. Depending on the reason why your move got canceled, here are a few things you can do when your mover cancels last minute.

Reschedule

This is the least painful option and it’s the best choice in case your mover is unable to conduct your relocation at the agreed time but they are still able to do it later on. Since you already went through the trouble to find a reliable mover, get an on-site estimate, and work out all the specifics, it only makes sense not to stress about postponing but to do everything as agreed, just at a later date. In case it’s possible for you to move at a later date and you manage to postpone for a date that suits you, don’t be shy to ask for a discount – after all, canceling a move is a huge inconvenience and every reputable mover will respect that.

Find another mover

On the other hand, if your moving company is not able to postpone the move for a day that works for you or you’re not up to doing business with them anymore, then your only option will be to find another mover. Now if you think about how much time and energy you spent looking for a trustworthy mover in the first place, you’ll know that finding cheap local movers NYC in such a short term is no breeze. However, there are a few solutions you can go for:

Last-minute moving services

Some NYC movers offer same-day services since they have enough manpower and all the resources necessary to provide such service. While the price you’ll pay for a last-minute move will definitely be higher than the original quote you got, it can be a life-saver so you must weigh your pros and cons before deciding if this is the best solution for you. In case you don’t have to move immediately, then same-day movers probably seem like spending too much money without the need. But if you’re on a deadline and have to move house the same day, then spending a bit extra will probably be worth it.

Another good thing is that you can request your deposit back from a mover that canceled on you and since they’re responsible for you not being able to move on a specific day, you could even request for them to pay the difference in price they quoted and the price your new mover quoted. This all depends on the cancellation policies you agreed to when signing the contract and getting the money may also require you to take the issue to the court, so do keep this in mind as well.

Freight companies

Your second option is to reach out to one of your local freight companies. These companies provide removal services but they only offer transportation of your belongings so you’ll have to find a few helpers to help you with packing and moving heavy items. This is a good solution if you already have your entire household packed but it’s not such a great option if you were supposed to get full-service from a mover that canceled on you. In case you’re moving on your own and you can’t find any friends to help you load the items into the truck, you could also go for a moving labor service – they charge an hourly rate and should be more than easy to find.

Moving containers

Another solution that may work fine in case you have everything packed and you’re able to find a few helping hands is renting storage containers for moving a house. So, reach out to a pod moving company. You should be able to get a moving container delivered to your place in a couple of hours as these companies are usually not on such a strict schedule as regular moving companies are. Moving pods for moving cross-country are a quick fix for your urgent situation since your items will stay safe until you figure out the next step – they may even be able to transport the pod straight to your new home. When it comes to the cost, it all depends on the specific situation but you should generally expect to pay less than you would for a regular moving service.

Storage unit

The last option is renting a storage unit.  In this case, you can go for a short-term storage unit. Again, you’ll need to figure out a way to get your items transported to the storage but on the bright side, storage units are usually pretty affordable so this may be a good option until you create another plan for your move.

Notify authorities

Hopefully, some of the ideas we just considered will help you deal with your trouble. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. If movers that canceled on you are actually scam artists, chances are you won’t be able to reach them at all. In this case, you should notify authorities first and then get down to finding an efficient moving plan. If you learn the hard way that you’re dealing with a fraudulent moving company, contact the police first and then reach out to the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).