Moving Company Website Red Flags

image courtesy of thebookdesigner.com

There are a lot of ways to find a moving company. The best way is through a personal referral, but sometimes that's not possible. There's also review sites, but some of those must be taken with a grain of salt. Trade organizations (AMSA, MMA) are also good resources.

Then, there's a good old fashioned internet search. So, you type in your search terms and a whole host of websites pop up in the results. If you go to any of these websites here are some important pieces of information you should be on the look out for .

- Rates
Does the moving company make its rates available on their website? If not, beware. All Massachusetts moving companies need to have a tariff with all of their rates on file with the Department of Public Utilities. If this tariff doesn't appear on the moving company's website you can always check with the DPU, but if they don't bother to post the information themselves, there's a good bet they're not on file or the tariff is out of date.

- Photos
Are there photos of the actual movers and the company's trucks? Or are there stock photos of trucks and warehouses with maybe a Photoshopped logo? A lot of moving companies just starting out can't afford to own their own trucks and that's doesn't mean they are disreputable or unlicensed. However, the company should not set out to deceive you with photos either.

- Licenses, Tariffs, etc.
Check the website to see if the company lists its license number. If the company is Massachusetts based this number will be called a MDTE number. If the company offers interstate moving those license numbers will be called DOT and MC numbers. Both of those numbers can be researched through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (specifically here). It is federally required that all interstate moving companies listed their DOT number on all written/printed material, so this is a very important piece of information

- Trade Organizations
Almost without fail, reputable moving companies belong to their trade organizations. Locally, that's the Massachusetts Movers Association. Nationwide it is the American Moving and Storage Association. There are also more general business organizations like the local Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. Just because a moving company does not belong to one or even all of these or similar organizations does not make them bad or disreputable, but it should inspire further research.

- Address
Look up the address the company lists as their place of business. Is it shared by many other moving companies? That could be a sign that the entity operates under several business names or d/b/a's, which could have an effect of the way the business(es) are run. If the listed address is just a residential location, that raises other questions.

- Insurance
Is information about the company's insurance listed somewhere on their website? If not, and you're considering hiring them, double check with the company. A good moving company will have insurance on their trucks and for cargo. Workers compensation insurance is not required, but its always a good idea and is often either provided for the workers by the company or the movers provide their own.

- Name
This is more for craiglists postings. If there's an ad with a phone number but no other identifying information (company name, e-mail address, website, etc.) beware. That almost definitely means an unlicensed, uninsured mover.

How an Interstate Move Works - the Paperwork

There is a ton of paperwork involved with interstate moving. Here's a run down of what there is and when you get it.

- Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move
A customer received either when we come out to do an on site estimate or we send it by mail. This booklet gives customers information on everything from estimates to disputes to full value protection. It can also be found online.
- Ready to Move?
This pamphlet is also given to customers either when we come out to do an on site estimate or it is sent by mail. It gives the customer tips on moving and contains a condensed version of some of the information found in Your Rights and Responsibilities When you Move.
- Estimated Cost of Services
This piece of paper is a formal estimate from us or any other moving company. It outlines all charges, including packing if that is being done by the moving company. Intelligent Labor and Moving will either mail this after a customer has accepted the estimate we've sent by e-mail someone will swing by the customer's current residence to have it signed. Estimates are good for 60 days.
- Order for Service
This document is a customers acknowledgment that he or she would like Intelligent Labor and Moving (or any other moving company) to complete his or her move. Estimated costs are outlined again. The customer must also declare the value of the shipment and select a deductible amount. As with the "Estimated Cost of Services" we will either mail it or swing by a customer's house to have the document signed before the move.
- Uniform Household Goods Bill of Lading and Freight Bill
The Bill of Lading also lists the estimated charges and declaration of value. It contains much of the same information as the "Estimated Cost of Services" and the "Order for Service." This document is filled out during the move.
- Household Goods Descriptive Inventory
The movers use this document to list your goods and their condition upon their arrival at the origin address. Every item is given a number and the condition is checked and noted again upon arrival at the destination.
- High Risk/High Value Inventory
This is much the same as the "Household Goods Descriptive Inventory" but for items that fall into specific guidelines. High value items are considered by the government to be currency, coins, jewelry, silverware and silver service sets, crystal, figurines, furs, object of arts, computer software programs, manuscripts, comic books, baseball cards, stamps, and other collectible items or rare documents that have a value in access of $100/pound (language courtesy of Milburn Printing). There are other stipulations listed on this document. It is important for customers to read and understand what high value means. This document will be filled out at the load, if at all.
- Complaint and Inquiry Sheet
We give this sheet to the customer at the beginning of their move. It outlines how to go about making a formal complaint or inquiry against Intelligent Labor and Moving and what happens after one is filed.
-Document Acknowledgment
This is a document created by us that a customer has to initial at the end of the move stating that he or she has received all of the above listed documents.
- On Site Estimate Release
If a customer lives within 50 miles of our warehouse and tells us they do not want an on site estimate for their move we require him or her to sign this document. It release Intelligent Labor and Moving from responsibility regarding the requirement as well as the accuracy of the information provided. This document should be signed at the beginning of the move or earlier.

Phew, that's a lot of paper. All of it needs to be signed by the customer. In most cases the customer also gets to keep a copy for his or her records. If you have questions about any of it let us know.

How an Interstate Move Works - the Estimate

If you're looking to have us give you an estimate for an interstate move - during the summer we stick to New England and NYC, the rest of the year we will go up and down the Eastern Seaboard - give us a call or shoot us an e-mail to let us know.

Once you've contacted us we'll want to give you an estimate for your move. If you live within 50 miles of our warehouse we are federally required to do an on site estimate. We would do this for interstate move anyway because it gives us a better sense of what's going on, but it is also the law. If you'd rather not have us come to your home or you just don't have time you can say you don't want an on site estimate. In that case, we'll either have you answer our questionnaire through e-mail or we'll go over the details of your move over the phone. We will also have you sign a piece of paper that states you were offered an on site estimate but did not want one. That covers us in case of a federal audit. Either way, we will provide you with a booklet called "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" and a pamphlet called "Ready to Move?" as required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

image courtesy of http://www.cpatrucking.com/tag/fmcsa

If you do not live within 50 miles of our warehouse we'll get the details of your move through the e-mail questionnaire or over the phone. For instance, if you are moving from Portland, Maine to Cambridge, Massachusetts we would not travel up to Maine to do an on site.

Once we have taken and/or received the details of your move we will work up an estimate. We take into account all the same things we do with a local move - travel time, labor time, stretch wrap, etc. - but also interstate specific things like gas, tolls, hotels (if necessary), etc. Once we've done all the math we send you an e-mail estimate with the flat rate that we're offering you. If you are comfortable with the flat rate we've sent you then we book you (assuming the days you wanted are still available).

This is technically an informal booking according to the federal government. To make it formal in the eyes of the law we send you some paperwork to sign and return to us. The first is an Estimated Cost of Services, which details the estimate we've already sent you by e-mail. The other is an Order for Service. The Order for Service and all the other many documents associated with an interstate move will be detailed in another post. Stay tuned!