My brother moved across the country.  His personal property was "held hostage" by a national moving company.  They wanted thousands of extra dollars to complete delivery.  He didn't even know where the truck with his stuff was parked.   

He paid the extortion fee; when the truck arrived my brother had a deputy sheriff waiting.  But the deputy said there was no crime being committed and there was nothing he could do.

  I have heard other similar stories.  I would never use a national chain to move my stuff.

- - - When we moved from Florida last January, I remembered that story (and others); we did it largely DIY.   We rented Penske Trucks and got friends to drive them.  We did pay local muscle to do the heavy loading and unloading.  

I've hired movers twice but only reputable local companies that I know. I would never hire a moving company because of the cheapest rate... just like you shouldn't choose a real estate agent for the lowest commission. The "cost" of using a cheap service can be very high!

One of the "stinkiest" industries around. You really have to know whom your dealing with and know what the exclusions are. I've moved so many times I do know all the questions to ask.

The pain of moving is something I have avoided for many years.

Yes, I was just told by a friend that a moving company charged an elderly women in a complex for 6 hours work for a 1BR apt. at 600 sq ft.

I also have to say that the guys that moved my dad across country didn't charge enough packing all his useless junk he insisted on keeping. So it can go both ways.

Buyer beware.  I dont have any personal experiences here recently but it does make sense to fully vett those who you chose to work with.  and I do acknowledge that it is harder that it should be.  

I have heard terrible stories from people (clients) regarding their moving experience. 

Last time I moved, it was local and I moved just about everything myself.  Had the guys who worked for us at the time move the big items.  Was easier then, since I needed to buy all new furniture anyways.

I have never had a client use a moving company when they moved to Florida. They sell most of their furniture and furnishings and either ship the remainder via UPS/FedEx/etc or rent a truck.

My favorite story was a single man who relocated here for early retirement. He told me he sold everything except his television, bar and golf clubs "because that's my life". I like that approach!

I used to have someone I trusted and used and recommended.   Their business grew and now they are just asshats.  I don't get what happened to good customer care in service industries.  I certainly don't recommend them anymore.

If you get the wrong movers, like "ALL MY SONS, the cost of moving, although extraordinary, is small compared to the cost of replacing your damaged items. We would have been better off donating our furniture and buying new.

Some years ago, when my daughter moved; her grand piano was held hostage. They demanded cash, or they would leave the piano in the street at night in a new city.

I never recommend movers!

We do not look forward to our next move. Our big challenge is to eliminate all of the stuff we do not need.

Stress and Excitement are very similar reactions, and often dependent on how you look at the situation.

All part of the process, some work through it, others get mired in it.

Material possessions are seldom worth moving, best to let go of the old and find some new stuff when you arrive at your destination.

It's why I have a legal service I pay for monthly just to review documents.

Hire wisely is what I say.  Best to be referred to a local company that is very trusted and mindful of customer satisfaction

I too have had buyers let me know their moving company were complete rip-offs.   Broken furniture, lost furniture (how does THAT happen??), and over charging after they already gave them a bid.

Do your homework and lots of it when hiring a moving company. Best to go with local companies based on trusted recommendations. When moving a pied-a-terre from Miami to Connecticut, we used a POD - loaded it ourselves with some help (used packing materials from Home Depot), locked it and it arrived at our home untouched in about a week. We had a few weeks to unload before the Pod needed to be returned. Very happy with that experience. Moving kids used U-Hauls.

Fraud and Phishing has been a major problem since the inception of the internet.  These unscrupulous people continue to be more creative.  Falling for one of these scams is easy to do for the most cautious of us.  We are truly helpless.

Interstate moving companies have an ablsolue license to STEAL.
They can give any estimate they want. I mean any.
Why? Because the ALL have a 'weight' provision that says what the scale says it what you will really pay. 
I did have some movers to whom I made directed sellers but when I compelled them to sign the contract that limited their fee to no more that 15% above their estimate they all ran like rats. They are all RATS.
IF an interstate mover is reading this, hit me up and I'll send you business if you start making an effort to make a good faith estimate.
Today I refer sellers to packers (UPS store)  and use PODS. Better in every way. And I can offer my client a discount.