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Stepping Up to the Plate
By John Bisney,
Director of Public Relations, AMSA
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Companies We Endorse
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The following are the only companies officially endorsed by MovingScam.com at this time. Our endorsement is based on the positive experiences of many consumers who have used them. MovingScam accepts referral fees from these companies.
Move your cursor over the headings for a brief explanation of each type of company and then use the links to read reviews of the companies. Click on the company name to go to that company's website.
You Load/We Drive Companies:
Full Service Moving Companies:
- Moovers, Inc.
Read Reviews
Operates nationwide with CA and NY metro offices; cross-country, shorter-distance, and local moves
- Atlas SmartMove
Offers three tiers of service for your move - Ask for your MovingScam discount!
- Suddath Relocation Systems
Read Reviews
Very large, established company operating nationwide with outstanding Florida locations that we endorse.
- Corrigan Moving Systems
Read Reviews
Midwest-based family-owned company with 80 years of experience and highly endorsed Michigan, Ohio, and Rochester NY locations, several of which won United’s 2010 Customer Choice Awards.
- All Star Moving
Read Reviews
Mid-size, long-established; located in New York City
- Shea Moving Corp.
Read Reviews
Small, relatively new; focuses on New York City area
- STS Movers
Read Reviews
Small, relatively new; focuses on Southern CA, Las Vegas, Phoenix
- Bayshore Moving and Storage
Read Reviews
Large, long-established woman-owned company doing local, interstate, and international moves;
focuses on Philadelphia, DE, Baltimore, DC, and northern VA
- Joyce Van Lines
Read Reviews
Large, award-winning, independent 48-state carrier based in CT. Owns Callahan Bros.
- Humboldt Storage and Moving
Read Reviews
Large Boston moving company founded in 1905, doing local, interstate, and international moves.
- Meathead Movers
Read Reviews
Mid-size award-winning company staffed by student athletes. Focuses on San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties and serves other California locations.
- Andy's Transfer & Storage
Read Reviews
Mid-size; long-established; located in Los Angeles, servicing moves from Los Angeles County. An agent for North American.
Auto Transport Companies:
Auto Transport Broker:
International Moving Companies:
For more information on international moving, read this article.
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As visitors to MovingScam.com know, unethical "rogues" continue to plague the professional moving industry. What's the solution?
One answer is with a better-informed consumer, which is where sites like this one can play an important role. But the other solution would be fully-enforcing existing laws.
When it comes to regulating interstate movers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is the lead agency. Although FMCSA has made a concerted attempt to upgrade its household goods enforcement, it is impeded by limited resources. In 2006 congressional testimony, for example, FMCSA indicated that it had only 12 household goods staff to police an industry with approximately 8,300 companies.
The professional moving industry's national non-profit trade association, AMSA, is trying to fill the regulatory gap in part through better customer information. In 2009, it created the ProMover program, a certification effort to provide customer the assurance they're starting with an honest, reliable company. It has one guiding principle: give consumers a way to separate reputable, professional interstate movers from con artists out to make a quick buck. Qualifying AMSA members are authorized to call themselves ProMovers and display the program's logo.
Under the program, standards for AMSA membership have been expanded to include a check for any felony convictions of the company's owners or officers regarding matters over which (FMCSA, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) or any state consumer protection agency has jurisdiction; verification of company ownership with the appropriate state corporation commission; a check of its Better Business Bureau rating; and a review of each applicant's Web site for improper advertising. Each new applicant must also complete a signatory agreement attesting it will comply with FMCSA and STB regulations and uphold the AMSA Code of Ethics.
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To help consumers identify a ProMover, movers approved for the program are authorized to display this easily-recognizable logo -- a distinctive capital blue "M" that, at a glance, gives customers the confidence and comfort of knowing they and their cherished possessions aren't being "taken for a ride." Look for this "seal of approval" on a professional moving company's Web site, in its advertising and marketing materials and in its Yellow Pages ads. You can also verify a company's participation at http://www.moving.org.
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Read John's previous article: Consumer Information Available from AMSA
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