How to Research BBB Accredited Long Distance Moving Companies

When you’re planning a long distance move, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by choices. Every website claims to be reliable, yet reviews often tell mixed stories. That’s where the Better Business Bureau (BBB) becomes one of your strongest research tools. The BBB helps customers verify a company’s trustworthiness, complaint history, and business practices in one place.

National Van Lines has been helping families move long distance for nearly a century, so we know how important it is to choose a mover that’s accountable and transparent. The BBB offers an unbiased view of a mover’s reputation, helping you make a confident decision before booking.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What BBB accreditation means for moving companies
• How to check if a mover is BBB accredited
• How to read and compare BBB ratings
• What to look for in BBB complaints and responses
• How to use BBB research alongside other tools when choosing movers

What Is the Better Business Bureau (BBB)?

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a nonprofit organization that helps consumers find trustworthy businesses. Founded more than a century ago, it was created to promote honesty and transparency in the marketplace. Today, the BBB tracks millions of businesses across the United States and Canada, giving customers a place to research companies before they buy or hire.

Each business listed with the BBB has its own profile, which shows details like how long the company has been in business, how it handles complaints, and whether it’s earned accreditation. The BBB also gives every company a letter grade, from A+ to F, based on reliability and responsiveness.

For people planning a long distance move, the BBB can be especially helpful. It separates companies that play by the rules from those that might not. When you’re comparing movers, the BBB provides facts that go beyond marketing claims, so you can make a confident choice backed by verified information.

What Does It Mean When a Moving Company Is BBB Accredited?

When you’re trusting a mover with everything you own, you want proof that they’ll follow through. That’s what BBB accreditation provides. It shows that a moving company has been reviewed and approved by the Better Business Bureau for meeting specific standards of trust, fairness, and accountability.

Accreditation isn’t automatic. A mover must apply, share business information, and agree to follow the BBB’s code of conduct. This code includes being honest in advertising, communicating clearly, responding to customers promptly, and resolving issues when they come up. Companies that earn accreditation have shown they’re willing to be transparent about their business practices.

It’s also important to understand that accreditation is not a paid endorsement. The BBB does charge an annual fee, but that payment doesn’t buy a rating or special treatment. It simply helps fund the BBB’s consumer protection programs and dispute resolution services.

For customers, this verification process means peace of mind. If something goes wrong during your move, you know there’s an independent organization that can help you file and track a complaint. When a company is BBB accredited, it’s agreeing to stay accountable not just to customers, but to the BBB itself.

How to Check if a Moving Company Is BBB Accredited

Once you understand what BBB accreditation means, the next step is learning how to verify it. Many movers mention accreditation on their websites, but the only way to be sure is to check the BBB directly. This quick process can help you confirm a company’s credibility before you sign a contract or hand over a deposit.

Follow these steps to verify BBB accreditation:

1. Go to BBB.org and type the mover’s full legal name and location. Include the city and state to avoid look-alikes with similar names.
2. Open the correct business profile. Match the logo and city, then click the company name to view full details.
3. Look for the BBB Accreditation seal and letter grade. The seal confirms accreditation status. The grade, from A+ to F, shows overall reliability.
4. Check the “Accredited Since” date. A longer accreditation history can signal steady performance over time.
5. Verify contact details. Compare the phone number, address, and website on the BBB profile with the mover’s own site. They should match exactly.
6. Watch for brokers or copycat names. If anything is off, search again or call the company to confirm you have the right profile.

This extra research step only takes a few minutes but can save you major headaches later. An accredited mover will always have a clear, matching listing across all platforms, and they’ll be proud to point you to it.

How to Read and Compare BBB Ratings for Movers

When you search for a mover on the BBB website, one of the first things you’ll notice is a letter grade next to the company’s name. This rating ranges from A+ to F and gives you a quick look at how a company performs in areas that matter most: honesty, reliability, and responsiveness.

The BBB doesn’t hand out these grades at random. Each one is based on several factors, including:

• How many complaints a company receives
• How quickly and fairly those complaints are resolved
• How long the company has been in business
• Whether it’s transparent in its advertising and operations
• Any government actions or unresolved disputes on record

If a company earns an A+ rating, it means they consistently meet the BBB’s top standards and respond to customers in a timely, professional way. A B or C rating doesn’t necessarily mean a mover is bad, but it’s worth digging deeper to see what’s behind that grade.

For example, imagine two moving companies:

• One has an A+ rating with a handful of complaints, all resolved within days.
• The other has a B rating with fewer complaints, but several went unanswered or took months to close.

Even though the second mover had fewer issues, the first one clearly handled its customer concerns better. That pattern of responsiveness is what the BBB looks for, and it’s what you should look for, too.

If you’re comparing multiple movers, pay attention to the trends. Does one company seem to repeat the same problems? Do customers mention poor communication or missing items? Small differences in BBB ratings can reveal big differences in accountability.

Using BBB Research Alongside Other Comparison Tools

The BBB is one of the most trustworthy resources for evaluating a moving company, but it shouldn’t be your only one. A complete picture comes from combining BBB information with other sources that confirm licensing, service quality, and customer care.

Here’s a quick way to compare the main tools:

 

After reviewing these, take a few minutes to connect the dots. A strong moving company will check every box: valid licensing, consistent positive feedback, and a clean BBB record. When all those factors align, you know you’re choosing a mover that values reliability and transparency from start to finish.

How BBB Research Leads to Better Moves

Over the years, customers have relied on many ways to find trustworthy movers, from word of mouth to online reviews. But the BBB remains one of the few sources that still puts accountability front and center. It gives customers a way to see a company’s history, not just its promises.

Today, using the BBB to research movers can make a major difference in how smoothly your relocation goes. When you understand what accreditation means and how to interpret ratings and complaint patterns, you’re better equipped to spot movers who communicate clearly, resolve issues quickly, and take their reputation seriously.

You just learned about how to use the BBB to more thoroughly research long distance moving company choices. As you gather your options, you’ll want to ask the right questions to make sure you choose the best moving company for your exact needs. Learn more in our blog about what questions to ask before choosing long distance movers.