Best Movers List

Congress Protects Movers at the Expense of Consumers

Joseph Enoch writes a great article for ConsumerAffairs.com about how consumers are still "held hostage" by interstae movers.  According to Enoch:

The SAFETEA-LU Act, enacted in 2005, by the Governemnt Accuntability Office (GAO) put in place more stringent licensing requirements for interstate movers and increased state authority. However, states are still not given authority to regulate interstate household goods movers and there is no indication that any state has taken advantage of the limited authority the act provides, according to the GAO.

Meanwhile, although the FMCSA has increased its efforts, the agency is precluded from resolving individual complaints and has no authority to force moving companies to do anything after the move has begun.

As a result, consumers who move from one state to another are still being ripped off.

Moving companies continue to quote one price and then jack it up after crossing a state line, if you don't pay, your possessions are held hostage by the moving company.  There are very few protections for consumers once you cross the state line.

According to the article, one consumer claims she paid $1,400 deposit and $1,400 when her stuff reached california via credit card, then the movers demanded another $3,500 in CASH! 

Clearly the Department of Transportation needs to develop a better controls...

Small Movers find Niche in Online Auctions

Trying to sell Big Stuff in Online Auctions?  Furniture, Appliances, Home Excercise Machines or other Household Items?  What about those shipping costs?  Shipping costs on these items, can kill an online auction, which is one of the reasons sites like LiveDeal.com have started to profit on local auctions.

But what if you still want the national audiance for bidding on your ads?

A handful of moving specialists have started to offer solutions, they offer the careful handling of a mover with the low pricing of a freigh shipper.

TSI is one such specialist. The company will ship items that are too large for carriers like FedEx or DHL and too small for movers. “With over 18 years in the industry, we’ve developed strong business relationships with a variety of eBay and other auction house shippers,” says TSI President Chris Smith. “We are able to offer discount pricing on shipping 1-10 large items nationwide for both consumers and small business owners. And we make sure that they get efficient and cost effective service.”

For large item shipping, TSI provides inside pickup and delivery by a two-man crew, who will take care of preparing your large items for transport. Smith says, “You give TSI the list of items to be shipped and we’ll provide an exact price quote without hidden charges or surprises.”

To find out more about TSI’s Large Item shipping service, visit TSI on the web at www.transitsystems.com.

Finding a Reputable Moving Company that won't Scam You

Michelle Singletary, a personal finance columnist for the Washington Post, wrote a great article entitled "Beware Of Movers Who Take You For a Ride" where she talks about the high stress and high expenses of moving.  She then goes on to explain about some of the moving scams and steps you might consider taking to avoid getting scammed by your moving company.

"The really serious complaints are rogue movers or scam movers," says David Sparkman, vice president of communications for the American Moving and Storage Association, which represents the interstate movers. "These people are thieves who are pretending to be movers."

The classic moving scam is when a moving company will give a low estimate to pack up someone only to substantially hike the quoted price once the items are loaded on the trucks. If the consumer doesn't pay the new price, the belongings are held hostage. Last year about 15 percent of consumer complaints filed against movers involved hostage goods.

Read the full article...