An Open Letter to New York Area Consumers
About Rogue Operators and How to Avoid Them
Presented by the Moving Information
Bureau
A Public Service of Long Island
Moving & Storage Association
Television stations in the New York metropolitan area love to present
exposés about rogue operators who rip off the consumer by offering a low estimate
then demanding an exorbitant fee at the end of the move, and finally hijacking
the consumer's household goods when he refuses to pay.
Unfortunately, these exposés
provide only a partial public service for they usually fail to tell the consumer
how to avoid the mistakes that bring the rogue operators to the consumer’s door
in the first place. Worst of all, their horror stories reflect on the entire
moving industry and all its members who have been in business for years in the
local community, working hard to maintain a good reputation.
Consumers themselves often are of their own worst enemy, because they fail to
check the rouge operator's credentials and are impressed only by his low estimate, which
usually turns into an outrageous bill at the end of the move.
The consumer often doesn't check the
operator's performance record with the BBB.
They don't check the N.Y. State DOT to find out if he is licensed as required by
law, or if he carries Worker's Compensation Insurance, also required by law, to
protect his employees against injury or the consumer against personal injury
lawsuits (many rogue movers are not on the DOT’s "scope" and can break
the law without getting caught).
The consumer also doesn't check into the fact that
the "mover" may be
operating under two or more business names and using a fictitious address to
make the consumer think he is located in the local community when in fact he may be
based 60 or even thousands of miles away. The cost-conscious consumer only wants to know how cheap
the mover is, and that's the surest way to get ripped off.
The consumer's best protection against the
rogue operator in the New York area is to select a
mover who is a member of the Long Island Moving & Storage Association, known
as LIMSA. This organization was established in 1933 to build consumer confidence
in the moving industry and to protect consumers. Its members must meet strict
performance standards, be duly licensed by the N.Y. State DOT for local moves
and the U.S. DOT for interstate moves. Members must also carry all required
insurance coverage, and finally, they must adhere to LIMSA's strict
code of
ethics, which is designed to assure the consumer an honest, cost-efficient move.
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Moving & Storage Association
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