Questions to ask before a deposit or move date is locked.

Updated evidence / September 21, 2026

Before a deposit or move date is locked: test what your quote actually promises

A useful quote checklist should leave you with documents you can compare and questions the company has answered in writing. Before paying a deposit or committing to a move date, work through the checks below. The FTC guidance covers hiring for local and cross-country moves; the federal estimate and broker requirements discussed here apply to interstate moves.

Start by identifying who is making the promise. FMCSA distinguishes a mover, which transports your belongings, from a broker, which arranges transportation. For an interstate move, both must be registered with FMCSA, and brokers must use registered interstate movers. Ask the quoting business to state its role and identify the company expected to perform the move. If it is a broker, request its list of movers and ask whose tariff—the schedule of rates and charges—supports your estimate. FMCSA says broker estimates must use the transporting mover’s tariff. Record any carrier assignment that remains unresolved before booking.

Next, establish what the estimator actually reviewed. FMCSA says an interstate estimate should follow an actual or virtual inspection and include transportation, accessorial, and advance charges; a rate quote alone is not an estimate. Ask for the inventory associated with the price, then check easily missed spaces such as closets, a garage, or storage areas. As a practical review method, mark each correction directly on your copy and request a revised version. A useful question is: “Which inventory version did you price?” That gives you a specific document to compare with the belongings you intend to send.

Ask the company to identify the estimate as binding or nonbinding and explain the difference for your shipment. FMCSA describes a nonbinding estimate as an approximation rather than a guaranteed final cost; actual weight, services, and the mover’s tariff can affect the final charge. A binding estimate also needs a defined scope: added belongings, added services, or unforeseen access conditions can require a new estimate. Before accepting, ask which changes would trigger revision and how the replacement document would reach you. Keep this federal guidance qualified to interstate moves rather than assuming the same requirements govern every local booking.

Build a short change log instead of relying on a broad assurance that everything is included. This is a suggested comparison tool: make three columns labeled “assumption,” “what could change,” and “written answer.” For example, record whether your packing will be finished, whether a listed cabinet needs disassembly, or whether an item may be removed from the shipment. Ask the estimator to explain how each scenario affects the quoted scope. Send the same scenarios to every company under consideration. Otherwise, two similar totals may answer different questions, and the cheaper-looking document may leave more decisions unresolved.

Treat the deposit discussion as a separate booking decision. The FTC flags cash demands and large advance deposits as scam warning signs, but its guidance does not establish a universal deposit ceiling or refund entitlement. Ask the business to document the amount, recipient, purpose, and cancellation terms before payment. To make a vague refund answer concrete, propose a scenario: “If I cancel on this date, what amount would you return?” Also ask what happens if the company changes the agreed date. These are requests for contract clarity; the answer should come from the written terms, not an assumed industry policy.

Review dates and damage coverage with the same care as the total. The FTC advises against signing documents with missing prices, dates, signatures, or other important information, and recommends asking what coverage costs and what the mover pays for damage. Request the coverage explanation before choosing an option. For scheduling, ask whether each written date represents a firm commitment or a window, then ask the company to resolve inconsistent wording across documents. Keep the completed versions together so you can locate the accepted price, schedule, and coverage without reconstructing a telephone conversation.

Finish with a document reconciliation before authorizing payment. As an editorial review method, put the estimate, inventory, booking terms, and written answers side by side. Highlight any disagreement: a different business name, an older inventory, a missing service, or a date that appears only in an email. Ask for one consistent set of documents and preserve the earlier versions separately. Your decision point is whether the company has resolved the questions that matter to your booking. An unanswered question about who will arrive, what is priced, or what the deposit secures is a reason to keep the review open.