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What You Need to Know About: 5 Crucial Things
Yellow Pages Ads – Anyone can advertise in the Yellow Pages, it doesn’t mean that they are licensed or insured – so, don’t believe everything that you read. If a mover includes his license (DOT or ICC) number in his ad, check it out first. (For interstate movers, you can find out this information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at their www.protectyourmove.gov website).
The Internet – Just like yellow pages advertising, when a mover has a web site, it doesn’t mean that the mover is licensed or insured; it only means that he had enough money to pay for the site – so, don’t believe everything that you read. If a mover includes his license (DOT or ICC) number in his ad, check it out first. (For interstate movers, you can find out this information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at their www.protectyourmove.gov website.) Some movers even display the logo of the BBB or AMSA without authorization – so check first.
Moving Brokers – Most brokers (especially those that operate on the Internet) do not own trucks or warehouses like traditional movers. Instead, they operate by collecting a deposit from you and then arranging for your move to be handled by one of their affiliated (often unlicensed) movers. The deposit they collect will be based on their guess of how much you are going to move based on a survey that you provide. (If the mover won’t come to your home to survey your furnishings before preparing your estimate, be prepared for an unpleasant surprise when the estimate turns out to be much lower than the actual charges.) Usually you will not have the same consumer protection when you use a broker as with a traditional moving company. And, after the broker collects your deposit, you may find it difficult to get him interested in helping you in the event of a claim or dispute with the mover that he has arranged for you.
Deposits & Cubic Foot Rates – AMSA professional movers generally don’t require a deposit before moving you, and if they do it is generally just a small “good faith” deposit. However, some scam movers or Internet brokers frequently require a large deposit. So, if a mover you are considering requires you to pay a big deposit to “hold your dates” or to insure “prompt service” choose another mover. Also, the recently revised consumer regulations do not allow movers to require you to pay for your move before you move, instead, payment is due at delivery, when the truck arrives at your new home.
The principal governing industry tariff (list of services and prices) specifies that interstate household goods rates should apply based on the weight of your shipment (and that the weight should be determined on a scale that has been certified by an official State agency). If the mover you are considering using tells you he is going to base your charges on the number cubic feet in your shipment (which means that there’s no way for you to verify the amount you are going to be charged), you may want to choose another mover, as very few professional movers base their pricing on a cubic or linear method.
The AMSA – the AMSA is a non-profit organization that acts as a clearinghouse for matters relating to consumer protection, information and arbitration. AMSA is not a governmental agency and we do not have the authority to order refunds or reimbursements for damages, force a settlement or provide legal service; however, we do routinely remove movers from our membership that show a repeated pattern of consumer abuse. We provide a mover referral service and we certify certain of our members that have demonstrated a high level of customer commitment.
| REMEMBER – Get more than one estimate and watch out for low-ball movers! If a mover you are considering tells you that he can move you for an unrealistically low price – be careful. It could mean he will suddenly remember some extra charges once your shipment has been loaded on the truck, the doors have been padlocked and he is ready to drive off into the sunset with all of your worldly possessions. Or, if a mover you are considering refuses to provide you with an in-home estimate and tells you he can provide an accurate estimate over the phone without ever seeing your home and your furniture – choose another mover.
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Courtisy of the AMSA. The American Moving and Storage Association is the trade association representing more than 3,000 professional interstate moving companies.
Additional information, move resources and advice from the experts is available from AMSA’s website www.moving.org.
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