Protection When Moving

Where to find it before and after the move

Protection when moving is a priority for the consumers. Moving is risky and both the clients and the moving companies want the job to go smooth. However, problems happen and today there are numerous organizations, association and websites existing to help protect the consumers.

“How will I protect myself from possible damages or dishonest movers? What to do and where to look in order to protect myself?” These are question that many clients ask themselves when they start researching for a moving company. Moreover, the moving industry has an overall bad reputation, thus it’s understandable why some people get scared and defensive when dealing with moving companies. That reputation though has its deep roots from long time ago when there were not enough rules and regulations. Now times are changing as there are many government, state and not-for-profit organization and associations that work to protect and educate the consumer.

Federal and State Moving Agencies

Nowadays, Internet has become The Place to shop and find useful information. The quality of the information though varies greatly. There are numerous sites for reviews on moving companies, yet many are not reliable. Most times you would think that a website is trustworthy because it’s on the first page of Google, but once you start browsing, you will be surprised by the irrelevancy and overwhelming advertisements. Therefore, your first line of defense should be the federal and state agencies. The US Department of Transpiration is the first place a client can go to find quick and useful information. On their website customers can read about rules and regulations and find a lot of valuable links. The most important one is protect your move, which will lead you to the index page of https://www.protectyourmove.gov/  a must go to website when about to move. State regulatory bodies are the commerce commission or the respective state moving association, as each state has one. In Illinois that is the Illinois Commerce Commission . However, one of the biggest in the US is the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) where you can find not only protection in case of moving scam, but all about the moving industry. Visit their website http://www.moving.org/ to find out which moving companies are AMSA members and ProMover certified.

Better Business Bureau

Another reliable agency that a consumer can turn to is the Better Business Bureau (BBB). BBB is a comforting resource of protection for the consumer as it offers accurate data and reviews on all moving companies bearing the badge. Businesses are not required to be members of BBB, but with the time the bureau has become an authority and a sign for trusting a company.  The BBB has devised an honest ranking system and a moving company cannot buy an A or B. BBB grading system depends on sixteen elements such time in business, volume of complaints and unresolved complaints. You can read about all ranking factors here.

These agencies are just some of the places customers can find information and protection before and after the move. On their websites consumers can find trusted movers or ask for arbitration in case of any problems. BBB and AMSA can definitely help you resolve a moving related issue. Researches have shown that moving companies that are members of certain reputable associations have much higher ratings and better reviews on moving reviews websites.

In the next article, we will talk about reliable moving reviews websites where you can read real reviews of moving companies and check out ratings based on customers’ experience.

Please let us know if you have any questions.