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Consumer Protection when Moving

Consumer protection services can help assert your rights after the fact but much of their value lies in their publicly accessible data bases.  These are  full of useful, usually up to date information consumers can utilize  before a purchase to avoid problems in the first place.  Problems may still occur but some can be solved faster through the use of the Net vs yesteryear’s necessities of playing phone tag,  waiting on snail mail, paying user fees, red tape and under-staffing all of which led to prolonged conclusions.   Having said this, bureaucracy is here to stay.  Best to play it wise and place your money on the safest bet by utilizing all the information now available at your fingertips.

As the consumer, you are your own first first line of defense against the dangers of purchasing services or even just surfing the Net.  Most Browsers offer add-ons and plug-ins that offer information on each link of the search results page you’ve queried.  Check your browser’s Tools and your Options to activate these services.  Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few choices you have quite a few resources available to make your final choice.

The engines themselves police business activity to a certain level by placing embarrassing links on the offender’s SERPS (search engine result pages).  I’m no expert but these negative results seem to have a punishment built in by the engine’s ranking system;  hit links stay up.  Correcting service and product issues - quickly -  is paramount to small businesses on the Net.  Whether or not this a fair practice to businesses is of no regard to the companies behind the Search Engines who simply want the most clicks on a given page as possible.

There’s numerous sites and blogs dealing with moving scams.  The quality of the information varies greatly from site to site.  Some sites or blogs are simply broker sites who guarantee their movers are the honest and reliable ones.  Perhaps some are telling the truth but nevertheless have a profit motive behind them.  There are numerous review sites for every industry that hope to catch a big fish relying on what they call “consumers rights” and “free speech” but openly admit nothing they print is verified nor can they be held accountable.  These sites, in my opinion, are looking for trophies to attract hits and increase revenue through higher returns on their advertisements.  Legal but hardly ethical nor fair and not something I would rely on for accurate information.

On the other hand, one site in particular; Movingscam.com deals with helping people find honest long distance movers.  This site is an enormous compilation of information.  The author was scammed himself and took it upon himself to help others avoid the same mistakes he made.  This site appears to be a honest resource when researching your potential Interstate movers.  If you’ve got the time, this gentleman has the resources to help you find a quality mover.  The site features a forum for continuously updated information and grains of salt for readers viewing the plethora of “review sites” where anonymous “reviews” can be posted (which seemingly cannot be defended).

There are other sites that might be of some help if you’re quick enough to dodge around the advertisements. 

The Federal and State governments have taken actions to help guide consumers down the right path.  The Federal Citizen Information Center offers services too numerous to detail.  Some of their conveniences include annually updated free Consumer Action Handbooks, also available as PDF downloads, complaint forms, third party referrals and can point you in the right direction for fair dispute resolution services.

Your second line of defense as a consumer includes protection organizations such as the BBB and the CPA.  The BBB exerts a comforting presence for the consumer with their data being accurate and readily available, especially helpful on local moves.  Half a decade ago the BBB’s database was somewhat difficult to access in my opinion and required some tenacity from the consumer.   The BBB’s influence on consumer trust based on businesses practices is quicker and more reliable than ever as the Net has grown to equal and surpass traditional advertising venues, ie; thick books with yellow pages (not so thick these days).   The BBB took to the Net like a fish to water.  The Net has become the place to shop and a good thing for the careful consumer.  The BBB has a long tradition of holding consumer’s trust in helping them choose businesses based on their BBB Rank.  This Rank is based on the company’s history,  quality of service and follow up service when necessary.  Moving is risky and any moving company doing business will encounter problems on occasion.  How the business handles adversity shows their character or lack of.  A business cannot buy an A or B ranking, they must earn it.  Hopefully the new ranking system in the works for movers will be completed soon and be allow even more faith in the BBB ranking system for movers.  On or around 11-18-2010, all BBB Mover members were demoted to a confusing “non-ranked” category.  They may have devised an even more accurate system, time will (hopefully soon) tell.

The State’s Attorney run Consumer Protection Agencies offers publications, online complaint capability, interpretations of laws that are somewhat comprehensible,  and arbitration services.  Check with both States Attorney’s mover laws (State moving to and from) to make certain you’re getting a fair shake on both ends.  A mover might hesitate to skirt around the law for profit if made aware they’re not dealing with a dimwit.

In some states movers can hold a lien against a consumer’s goods for monies owed while other’s won’t allow it.  The mover can and sometimes does drive off with your belongings, headed to storage.  You certainly don’t want this, penalties, storage and handling fees along with redelivery costs will amass to huge sums well in excess of the disputed price that started the horrific scenario.  I don’t think 911 will do much for you here but your states attorney might.  Better to steer well clear of these operations and the Net offers a dizzying array of helpful resources to do just that.  When moving to another state learning the laws of the land is a necessity and this link here can give you a headstart.

If you’re in a situation where you feel you’re dealing with a mover who is not playing by the State’s laws, 911 might be able to help.  In my experience though, most Local Police have little knowledge of moving laws so be persistent and try to get a Sergeant on the scene.  An officer with more time under his or her belt might not automatically dismiss your situation as a civil dispute and therefore out of his/her jurisdiction.  Be forewarned though, police officers do know theft of service/refusal to pay is against the law and could result in an unpleasant surprise.  I’ve seen that happen.   State Police generally have more experience with moving laws.   In some states for example, and this is so general which is why you need to check each state, you are only required to pay the agreed upon price plus a percent above (ie; 10%) and have whatever period of time that state stipulates to pay the remainder.  Having this printed out ahead of time wouldn’t hurt in a scenario where a mover is threatening to leveraging your belongings against a grossly inflated bill.  While you’ll read a lot of these horror stories and be stressed out the entire time your possessions are in your mover’s hands, scenarios like this are not that common if you’ve taken the proper precautions.  DO deal with an established mover.  DO check out their history through all the means above and whatever other means you may come across.  An article I ran across, written by Nkiru Askika Oluwasanm,  is both entertaining (unless it happens to you) and true;  posted here.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

Benjamin Franklin

Apologies for all the Spam in the last week. I recently switched Hosts and didn’t realize my Spam-guard was deactivated in the process. It’s amazing how fast those suckers can get in and post without authorization, bastages. :/

How to count your stairs, or more accurately how your movers are likely to count them was covered in some detail here in “How many steps in a flight”. Another important and often overlooked detail necessary for accurate estimating is how far the movers will need to carry your goods to their truck. Many people assume this is the same distance that they park and access their dwelling. While it may be, oftentimes it’s not. The movers are driving a truck that’s in excess of 30 feet and sometimes even longer. Movers cannot necessarily access the same way as their customers.  Keep in mind that if the movers cannot park where you had initially hoped, other factors can possibly come into play such as staircases and immovable obstacles.  Make certain to convey any additional flights of stairs and obstacles to your estimator beforehand for your best price.   Long carries can make a significant difference on the final bill as it can be even more time consuming than stairs. In order to get an accurate estimate then, one needs to figure where their movers truck can legally park. I stress legally too because I’ve run across customers more daring than I.   Sometimes a shortcut might cut off a long carry, but do keep in mind that the movers will have to carry and/or dolly items through the shortcut making it impossible.  It’s best not count on shortcuts but they might be a pleasant money saving surprise on move day if feasible.

Making sure to get this correct is yet another assurance that your bill will be as estimated. Other times however, the distance is not easily determined and a common example occurs when elevator situation was not properly accounted for by the customer. Remember that the distance is, the total distance that the movers need to carry the furnishings, boxes etc. This is not the distance from the elevator to the door, but also the distance from the elevator to the dock downstairs as well! (now this is where it can become frustrating for both the mover and customer) Some buildings loading docks are underground or otherwise situated where the truck cannot get close and there can be another added distance not initially accounted for.  They will have to carry your belongings this distance and incur charges.

I cannot stress the importance when getting a flat rate quote to count the distance* from your upstairs (or down) door to the elevator, then from the elevator downstairs to the dock. If everyone’s lucky, that’s where the truck will be, if denied access though, then count from the loading to where the truck can reasonably be expected to park. This can oftentimes be a football field sized carry or more in some downtown Highrises where the parking is at a premium and property lines, streets, other buildings etc govern available space when built. While adding all these factors will increase the estimate substantially, it can be far less than a move-day surprise for the movers, always is. Extra time surprises can often require late arrival discounts for their next customers and schedule flip flops that cost time and money.   Any good mover will spot an honest attempt at a fair estimate and breaks are often given with this along with missed steps.   (Of course this last statement is no guarantee but an honest attempt is like a breath of fresh air!)

* “count the distance” the way the movers do. This is to count each step and divide by three. Of course this will vary somewhat the idea is that the average length of a normal stride is about three feet, counting your steps then dividing by three gives you a fairly accurate estimate of distance in feet.

It took me quite a while to find a postable copy of this one, which supposedly was a cover for one of the more popular magazines of the time, shortly after WWII. I could be mistaken about that though as I’m not nearly old enough to know personally. I have seen this picture in a number of mover’s offices across the country, a sort of inspiration I suppose. Inspiration perhaps, or maybe more along the lines of the compulsion to look a little too closely at a tragic accident. The question is, is this the mover’s dream come true, or a hell on earth… I shudder to think of the damage claims filed in the following weeks.

One thing for certain; in this present economy, when even some of the older and well established franchises aren’t safe, this would be a dream come true. I can hear it now, “but you advertise same-day service!”. Illustrates the old phrase nicely; “when it rains, it pours”.

Stumble It!

This blog is to provide information and tips about moving in general and the east coast has been my place of business for some time now.   The goal of this blog is to promote integrity and honesty in the moving industry and an insider’s view for consumers. Like minded professionals are encouraged to participate. I’ve been in this industry for longer than I care to remember since turning a summer job into an intense and interesting profession close to two decades ago.   I would appreciate comments and questions to make this a useful resource.

In addition to hopefully creating a useful resource, this blog is sure to teach me something about this great and even sometimes free resource available in the Net. The Internet is growing to be the major marketing venue for businesses and commerce in general.  Being self-educated on the Net,  creating this blog is foreign territory for me to explore, and may even net some potential reward. If nothing else, in the form of experience.

On to the blog….Allow me to reiterate that I’m qualified to help anyone moving in the near future whether or not they have had problems with movers in the past. I’m not interested in blogging any specific company’s actions or perceived slights.   Company names on any negative comments will not be posted.   Any company that’s performed a good service would certainly appreciate a good report though and those will be posted.  The fact that some companies practice deceit willfully is unfortunate for the rest of us.  I would guess that at least seventy percent of the local industry is made up of honest and competent individuals.

Got a question or want some tips? This is free mover’s consultation from an experienced mover,  with no recommendations which mover to use.  Hopefully some movers themselves will post too which might prove interesting and even educational. Movers themselves and supervisors comments will be greatly appreciated. Another great source of info would be estimators and anyone else in the business that has a helpful comment or two pertinent to moving.

Thanks for reading this, wish you luck and hope your next move is a smooth one.

I appreciate your patience, thanks.