7 Steps to File Complaint Against a Moving Company
When you hire a moving company, you’re trusting the company with your valued possessions. Unfortunately, things can sometimes go wrong. When this happens, the logical next step is to file a complaint against the moving company. However, you might be unsure of how to proceed!
Once you’ve documented your complaint, you should contact your moving company directly to resolve the issue. If this fails, you’ll be able to take your complaint to various bodies, including FMCSA, BBB, and AMSA. It is also possible to take the moving company to a small claims court.
In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about filing a complaint against your moving company. From documenting your complaint to resolving it, we’re going to outline all the appropriate steps that should be taken when filing a complaint against a moving company.
Filing Complaints Against Moving Companies
When you file a complaint against your moving company, you’ll need to document your complaint. When documenting this, you’ll need to list your specific issues for complaining. However, many consumers are unaware of what stipulates grounds to file a complaint.
For this reason, it’s important to know when you should file a complaint against a moving company. Before we look at the process of filing your complaint, let’s briefly consider the most common reasons homeowners file complaints against moving companies!
#1: Late Pickup/Delivery
In your agreement with your moving company, pickup and delivery dates will be stated. When this is dishonored, you have the grounds to file a complaint against the company.
#2: Items Damaged In Move
Perhaps the most common reason for these complaints are items that have been damaged in the move. Once the moving load has been delivered, you should inspect your items to ensure that they have been damaged in the move.
#3: Items Lost In Move
Another reason to file a complaint is when you notice items have been lost in the move. This is also why it’s crucial to properly label/number your boxes to keep track of them yourself.
#4: Rogue Moving Company
Many homeowners have struggled with rogue moving companies.
Typically, these companies provide a quote and then proceed to pick up your items.
However, the company then holds the items until another fee is charged.
This is grounds to file a complaint!
#5: Unexpected Charges
If your final invoice from your moving company includes charges that are not stipulated in your agreement, you should file a complaint.
#6: Poor Service Delivery
Poor service delivery from your moving company is also grounds for a complaint. For instance, a company that works slowly on purpose to increase your hourly charges. However, this could also refer to companies that fail to pitch at all!
What To Do Before You File A Complaint
There’s something important you should do before you file a complaint against your moving company: check your agreement. When you booked your moving company, you would’ve signed an agreement with their terms and conditions.
There’s an important reason to check this! In this contract, your moving company will likely stipulate the process to follow when filing a complaint. In many cases, there is a certain timeframe wherein customers must submit their claims.
The agreement you signed may also state the maximum amount that can be claimed. Of course, you’ll want to be aware of these details before proceeding with your claim. Once you’ve verified this, you can proceed with the complaint filing process. We’ll outline this below!
How To File A Complaint Against A Moving Company
By now, you’ve determined you should file a complaint against your moving company. How far you need to take your complaint depends on your reasons and agreement. Some may find a resolution at step two by contacting the company, while others may need to proceed to step seven, which is going to small claims court.
Step 1: Document Your Complaint
When filing a complaint, you’ll need to document your specific issues. When doing this, ensure you include all relevant contact details for yourself and the moving company. This should include name, address, and surname.
In addition to this, you must include your mover’s USDOT and MC numbers. Finally, you need to write up a detailed description of your reason for complaining. This will likely be for one of the reasons we discussed earlier.
Step 2: Contact Your Moving Company
Once you’ve done this, you should contact your moving company. You should then attempt to resolve the issue directly with them. Many consumers are able to achieve quick and effective results by contacting the company directly first with their complaints.
Step 3: Write Reviews
If you’re unable to reach an agreement with your moving company, a negative review might be the perfect nudge in the right direction. Moving companies are aware that consumers now use the internet to research companies. A negative review regarding your complaint may help you resolve the issue faster with the company.
Step 4: File Your Moving Complaint With FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
If you’re unable to reach a satisfactory resolution with the moving company, you should proceed to file your complaint with FMCSA. If you want to file your complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, you can visit their official website.
Step 5: File Your Moving Complaint With BBB (Better Business Bureau)
If you still have not resolved your complaint, you should file it with the Better Business Bureau. Once again, this can be done online by visiting their official website. Once your complaint has been lodged, BBB will contact the moving company within two working days, and the company will have fourteen days to reply to the complaint.
Step 6: File Your Moving Complaint With AMSA (American Moving And Storage Association)
If you still haven’t resolved your issue, don’t lose hope! Your next step is to file your complaint with AMSA. To do this, you can visit their official website and digitally file it. You won’t be charged for filing a complaint with AMSA, so it’s worth it to take this extra step to resolve your issue.
Step 7: Go To Small Claims Court
If you’re dissatisfied with the results of your formal complaints to the moving company and formal bodies, there’s one final step to try.
Of course, that would be taking the moving company you used to a small claims court, where your complaint can hopefully be settled.
If you decide to take this route, you’ll need to consult with a legal professional to proceed.
Conclusion
In this article, we explained everything you need to know about filing a complaint against a moving company. From documenting your issues to the possibility of small claims court, we covered it all. With these steps, you’ll be able to resolve your dispute in a timely manner!
For more articles like this, visit us at Transport Executive.
References
- https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/NCCDB/Home.aspx
- https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complaints/file-a-complaint/get-started
- https://www.moving.org/home/moving-101/after-you-move/submitting-a-complaint/general-complaint-form/
- https://www.move.org/file-complaint-moving-company/
