With tens of millions of U.S. citizens relocating every year, moving complaints are quite common. Granted, they are rare enough but things do go wrong from time to time, warranting a customer complaint. Things can go missing, damaged, and your moving company might illegally charge you for some services. That is why it is in your best interest to avoid all of that by choosing one of the best movers for your relocation. You can do so easily by utilizing the services that Verified Movers offers. But if you happen to need to file a complaint nonetheless, all you need to do is read this article and everything will become clear.
Who do you file a complaint to?
The first thing about filing a complaint is knowing which organization to file it to. There are two major organizations that most customers file complaints with:
- FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- State regulatory/enforcement agency
However, before you start filing the complaint itself, you may want to make sure that filing one is absolutely necessary. If you spent more than 30 minutes being on hold only to be hung up, it is not exactly a reason to file an official complaint. Basically, if you are dissatisfied with the customer service or similar, you may not want to file a complaint. You only do so if your mover broke the terms and conditions that were agreed upon in a legal contract. An example of this is that the mover promised your items to be delivered within 15 days for $2,000 and wants to charge you more after the relocation or delivers items at a later date.
Another thing that you will want to do, aside from filing a complaint, is to leave a customer review on popular review sites. This will help prevent other customers from having an experience similar to your own. Most people look at state to state movers reviews South Florida and base their decision on them. By telling them what might happen to them, you might be preventing someone else from getting a headache. You may also want to leave a review if you had a positive experience with a mover, for much the same reasons. Customer reviews drive the economy these days, after all. If we all did our part, it would become much easier to find ideal companies and products.
That being said, if you really need to create a complaint against your movers, there is a simple 4-step process to follow.
4-step process to file a complaint
- Documenting
- Checking the contract
- Contacting your movers
- Filing a complaint
Once you realized that your movers breached the terms of your agreement, and want to file a complaint, it is time to start the process.
Step one – Documenting your concerns
At this step, the most important information is names, places, and dates. You will need to provide simple information such as your and your mover’s name, address, and phone number, as well as pickup and delivery address, your mover’s USDOT and MC numbers, as well as a detailed description of your concern. Make sure to double-check all the information, as even a small error can lead to a delay or halt in resolution.
You can usually find the USDOT and MC (Motor Carrier) numbers right on the website of your mover. Alternatively, you may ask them about it and they should have no qualms providing these numbers for you. All Wisconsin long distance moving companies are obliged to clearly show their numbers, as they are public information. As a last resort, you can check all of these numbers with FMCSA on your own.
Step two – Checking the contract
After you get the documentation right, it is time to prove that your movers violated the terms and conditions of your contract. To do so, you will need to carefully examine and understand the contract, then find the infringement. An example of a violation is when a moving company provides you with a binding quote for, let’s say, $2,000. And then charges you $2,500 at the end due to additional costs along the way. It is even possible that these costs were justified. But that is still a violation of the contract, as your movers bound themselves to a specific price.
When filing a complaint, you will need to show that there was a clear violation of the terms in the contract, meaning that you need to have bills from your movers that differ from those in the contract. Basically speaking, you need to have proof. For example, if your Washington long distance movers did not provide you with a written estimate, you don’t have a case, simple as that. For every infraction, there needs to be proof for the authorities to act. And it is on you to provide them with that proof.
Step three – Contacting your moving company
Before you can file an official complaint with the FMCSA or state regulatory agency, you need to get in touch with your movers first and file a complaint with them. The reason for this is that, in most cases, the moving company will apologize and remedy the situation. Most of the time, it is a simple misunderstanding or an honest human error. No one wants to get an official complaint filed against them, after all. But if you are not happy with the answer, you are free to move on to the next step.
Step four – Filing the complaint
If your moving company did not offer you a solution, it is time to take matters into your own hands. Filing a complaint with FMCSA is relatively simple. However, FMCSA only deals with complaints that involve interstate transport. If your relocation was completely within your state, you will need to send your complaint to your state’s agency.
The agency you need to file a complaint to depends on where you live. If you live in Wyoming, for example, you file to the Department of Transportation. In Alabama, the same complaint goes to Public Service Commission. While it varies from state to state, the principle is much the same.