[See our BBB grade here]

That’s right folks…we have a B+ grade with the BBB. Not too shabby.

How come we don’t have an “A” you ask? Hahaha…very good question. And the answer is very simple.

We don’t have an “A” simply because we are not card carrying members of the BBB. Yep, that’s right. The only reason U-Save Moving and Storage doesn’t have an “A” grade with the BBB is only because we have not paid hundreds of dollars to be an “accredited member” of the BBB.

If and when we decide to pay for membership in the BBB our grade will raise to an “A”. But until then you’ll just have to settle with our ABOVE average “B+” grade.

So now you know that even the BBB thinks that U-Save Moving and Storage is a great moving company.

Want to learn how NOT to fall for a moving scam?

Want to know how to verify if your mover is licensed and insured or not?

Want to know if they are who they say they are?

Just for you, I have created a series of videos call “20 Questions To Ask Your Mover That Guarantee Moving Success.”

With this video series you will all the questions that you should ask, all the questions you should have asked and the questions you didn’t even know that should be asked.

All the videos are a minute to three minutes in length so you can get everything you need in the shortest amount of time, because your time is just as valuable as mine. And the videos are more than just what questions to ask, they are also an explanation of WHY should be asking these questions.

Want to know what the questions are?

Well this what you will learn in this video series:

1. Is the moving company a real mover or brokerage?
2. Who is your contact and their email and phone number?
3. How is the cost of the move determined?
4. How do they price additional services?
5. What is “valuation” and how does effect the bill?
6. How is the moving estimate determined?
7. What is the exact full name of the company?
8. How long the company has been in business?
9. What is the company’s address, website and email, and why that’s important?
10. Do they lease or own their own moving trucks?
11. What type of moving vehicles do they use?
12. Are they licensed and insured?
13. What is the actual coverage of their insurance?
14. What are their USDOT and state license numbers?
15. Do they have references and where you should be able to find them?
16. Are they members of the BBB, Chamber of Commerce, etc?
17. Are their estimates “binding” or “non-binding” and the differences?
18. How much are your discounts?
19. Do they give discounts for seniors, students or the military?
20. What other questions should you ask?

As you can see these are powerful questions, and if answered properly will help your determine if they are a legitimate moving company or not. But know the questions are is only half the battle, knowing why you are asking these questions guarantees moving day success.

You will need a password for this video series. To get it all you have to do is email me contact@usavemovingandstorage.com and I’ll send it to you FREE of charge.

Hope these help you.

There are really good movers and then there are the really bad movers. Sometimes is is very difficult to really know the differences between the two. That is why I have so much information available for free for you about moving companies.

This article was found because my friends at Moishe’s Moving posted it on their Facebook page. It is a fabulous article and I really thought that I should share it with all of you. It answer most of your “What if…?” questions. I hope you like it:

The Top What-If Questions Asked by People Moving
How to Fight the Fears About Moving

By Diane Schmidt, About.com Guide

Just before a move I always doubt our decision; usually, it’s too late to back out (although, I’m a firm believer it’s never too late). These doubts come from my own fears of the move not working out. Find out what the common “What if?” questions are then face the fear to see that if even the worst happens, you’ll be okay.

* What if the movers don’t show up on moving day?

This is the most common fear when you’ve hired movers to move you. I’ve never actually had it happen, but friends did and they were moving an entire house across the country on a very tight time line. If this does happen, first try to get in touch with the driver of the truck to see if he or she’s been delayed. If the movers simply refuse to move you, get out your list of the moving companies you had previously interviewed and call each one to see if other arrangements can be made. If you’re moving during the off-season, movers might be able to move you on short notice, but if you’re moving across the country, this will be almost impossible.

If movers are unable to accommodate your move for that day, book it for the next day or as soon as possible. To avoid potential time issues, that is having to move out on a specific day because others are moving in, make sure when you’re scheduling your move that you allow time for these kinds of delays. If possible, arrange your move-out day two days in advance of the drop-dead date. This will ensure that you have time to deal with these kinds of issues should they arise.

* What if the truck I reserved from the rental agency loses my reservation?

This just happened to a friend of mine who’d reserved a moving truck months in advance. She managed to find another agency with a truck available the morning she needed it, but that was pure luck (and a lot of phone calls).

Again, have a back-up plan. Know which agencies have trucks available for that day by calling a few days before your move. Keep a list with telephone numbers and prices. Also, find out where you’ll be picking up the truck since some agencies may require you to drive a long way first, cutting into your move time.

* What if the people (friends and family) I asked to help me move, cancel?

This is always difficult, in particular if you’re counting on friends and family rather than paid help. I always keep a list of movers handy, local people who do local moves. If they aren’t busy on a move, often they’ll help you for a fee, just make sure you let them know that you don’t need their truck. The other option is to call up your friends two days before the move to confirm that they are definitely helping out. Always offer dinner or drinks or both afterward just as extra incentive.

* What if our new home isn’t ready to move into on the day we move out of our old home?

This happened to us once. We ended up having to pay the movers to load and unload our stuff into storage for a few days until the new place was ready. We insisted that our landlord pay for the storage fees, simply because it was her error. She agreed.

It’s always a good idea to build this kind of contingency plan into your budget as well. Adding extra money to the budget allows for such errors to occur and for you to have the funds to amend them. While storage isn’t cheap and paying movers to move it twice adds up, at least your things will be safe and secure while your new home awaits.

* What if the movers don’t arrive with our things on the day they’re supposed to?

This can happen if you move a long distance. Movers have to give you a move in window of time in which they’ll arrive, so make sure that’s written into your contract. Ultimately, if the movers are late, there’s not a lot you can do except continue to call the moving company on a regular (daily at least) basis then wait. If you feel the company is not being straight up with you, then you should contact the BBB and report the problem. Let the movers know that you’ll be reporting them if your things don’t arrive soon.

* What if after the move I find some stuff missing?

It’s important when you move in, that you play an active role in checking off your items as they come through the door. Using the household inventory sheet, check each item to make sure it’s there. If you’re missing a box or an item, don’t sign the waybill or make sure the item is clearly marked so the company can try to trace the item. If the move truck is sharing moves between a few households, your item may have ended up at another home. It’s up to the company to trace the item and to pay for replacing it. Just make sure you have adequate insurance and that you report missing items as soon as possible; at least three days within the move.

A lot of new reports are coming out of Florida about their statewide sting of rogue movers. And if you notice many of these seem like they are good and upstanding movers, but if you notice these people are just out and out criminals.

Now you need to understand, many of these companies were targeted by the police because they had numerous complaints about their illegal services.

So yes, there are many companies out there that are not licensed and insured but get few complaints and these companies are left alone. So do you your research. If you use a rogue mover make sure you check them out and view their complaint history with the BBB or with the state you are in.

Here is the article:

Moving company owner charged in statewide sweep

April 03, 2010 5:18 AM
Jeff Barker
Daily News

TALLAHASSEE – The owner of Good Moves Moving Company was among those charged in a statewide sweep targeting unregistered movers.

Randy Stokes, 54, the owner of the Fort Walton Beach-based business, has been charged with operating an unregistered moving company, according to a Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services press release. Stokes had previously been issued a written notice from the Division of Consumer Services telling him his company needed to be registered.

Nine other moving company owners across the state were also charged in the sweep, which ended Thursday night. The businesses were identified by consumer and industry complaints.

The department set up operations where officers portrayed citizens who needed to move, according to the release. After deals were completed, the owners were charged.

Florida law requires moving companies to register with the department before they conduct business. Owners must show proof of liability insurance.

Failure to register is a misdemeanor violation, with a maximum penalty of one year in prison and up to a $1,000 fine.

A list of the other owners charged in the sweep

Denzel Lockley, 27, the owner of Red Truck Moving in Tallahassee.

Modestus Germain Fevrier, 33, the owner of Express Moving Solutions out of Jacksonville.

Azad Basar Sahbudak, 31, owner of Atlantis Moving & Storage in Jacksonville Beach. The department is pursuing other legal action against this moving company because they were notified on two previous occasions that they needed to register with the Department. They were also previously fined $1000.00 and $5000.00, which they have failed to pay.

Derrick Maurice Wilhite, 41, who worked with Sahbudak was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on a local warrant charging him with felony criminal mischief. He was taken to the Duval County Pre-Trial Detention Facility in lieu of a total bond of $5,003.00.

Jordan Seth Speisman, 28, owner of UF Mover Guys in Gainesville.

Fredrick Williams Pohl, 33, owner of GatorSaver Movers also in Gainesville.

Geary S Adams, 55, co owner of Furniture World Moving Service in Okeechobee.

David Dawson, 33, owner of Urban Movers in Sarasota.

Kevin B. Pierre, 38, owner of Pierre Byers Moving in Pembroke Pines.

More often than not the perpetrators of moving scams are licensed and insured moving companies, and the majority of those come from the national vanliners. It is unfortunate but true.

I did an informal study a while back where I investigated the complaints of moving scams that were on the internet. I took these reports and looked into the moving companies that were said to have committed these scams, what I found shocked me! I found that almost 80% of the moving scam complaints were not committed by unlicensed and uninsured moving companies but licensed and insured ones…scary huh? Of those, I found that 75% were committed by nationwide vanliners…And Bekins Van Lines was at the top of the list.

Bekins Van Lines or Bekins Moving Company is a national van liners with offices (or hubs) in every state. What these specialize in is moving people across the country. They have set up their operations similar to a franchise. A local moving company becomes and authorized agent for Bekins and they sell Bekins moving services in their state and/or region. Bekins can factually go all over the world to move you. This not a bad business model.

However, Bekins is the worst company out there and should be avoided.

IN going online and googling Bekins I found that not one of the consumer rating websites rate Bekins very high. While Bekins do have their fans and fair share of positive ratings they have far more negative ratings.

J.D. Powers and Associates, a leading consumer rating agency, rated Bekins as one of the worst companies several years in a row.

Many of Bekin’s authorized moving company agents have horrible ratings themselves, including bad BBB reports. The authorized agent for my state of Michigan that operates out of Fraser is a prime example. I personally know that they are being sued by one company for name infringement and yet sued another company for the very same thing. Talk about “talking out of both sides of your mouth.” And I personally know that they spend THOUSANDS to make sure that they have a good BBB report. Yet the BBB freely admits that they have the highest amount of complaints of any moving company in Michigan and far above the normal for a company of their volume…so what does that say?

So in my opinion I would never use Bekins Moving Company…instead I would maybe Mayflower or Movex.

Have you ever wanted to comment on the service you had with your movers, good or bad?

Unfortunately most moving companies do not have a website where you can leave comments about your service. And in fact I advise you not to use any mover that doesn’t have a website. (websites can be made for free these days so there is no excuse not to have one.) But even the moving companies that do have a website, most often than not, there is no place to leave comments about your service. And this is unfortunate.

Testimonials are powerful. Many of you will decide to use a moving company just because of the good reviews that you find of them online. Testimonials and reviews help build trust for moving companies; and any moving company not actively campaigning to get as many as they can and publish them far and wide are shooting themselves in the foot.

After every move that I do I ask if the customer was happy, and if they were (which is usually the case 98% of the time) I have them write a few words about there experience. Lately I have been getting videos of them saying on camera what they experienced. You can see all my testimonials on this website. Just go to the “testimonials” category and you can see hundreds of them. Or just click the videos off to the right and see and hear what a few of my recent customers have to say.

But in lieu of mover not asking for the testimonial or review where can you go to leave a review? Where will it make the most impact? This is the question.

Yelp

Yelp is a website designed just to leave reviews of businesses. All you have to is sign up and start reviewing.

There are people on Yelp that have made careers going into businesses and using their services just so they can review the business. It sounds like a horrible career choice but it does happen. Thing about Yelp is that it ranks very high on the search engines. So if you write a review of XYZ MOVERS that review will show up very early in the search engines for others to see.

Yellowpages

The Yellowpages as we know it: the big, bulky book is outmoded and going the way of the Dodo bird. Everyone is using the search engines to find businesses. Yahoo is partnered with Yellowpages so you can find those companies with internet listings ranking quite high with Yahoo. The thing about the internet listing for Yellowpages (and Yellowbook, Superpages, etc.) is that they have a place where you can leave reviews the moving company that you used. You can leave up to 5 stars for the movers that you chose.

Google

I love Google. As a business person Google makes it so easy for me to have everything I need to create, run and manage a business. They provide all the tools I will ever need. One feature which I am sure that you are familiar with is Google Maps.

Type in the keyword you are looking for like: “professional movers” or “reliable moving” or “movers in (your city)” and a bunch of listing s come up right next to a map. By clicking on those listings you will find a profile page provided by that business of choice. What you may have not known is that that listing page gives you the option to not only read reviews but to leave them as well.

In my opinion, this is one of the best places to leave a review of the moving company that you used.

Yahoo and Bing

Yahoo and Bing also have map listings of businesses. However it is not as easy for business to get a listing on these sites as it is for Google. But like Google; Yahoo and Bing offer a place where you can leave reviews of your chosen moving company.

Ripoff Report

If you go to ripoffreport.com you will find hundreds of reviews left by people like yourself that have used various businesses. However, unlike all of the places mentioned above, you will only find bad reports here. So if you have had a bad review then this may be the place to leave your review; and trust me you will get action if you leave a review here. These show up very high on the search engines and make quite an impact.

But be warned, these reports NEVER disappear. They will always be available to everyone later on down the road.

Of course there are dozens of other consumer review sites out there but none as accessible as ripoffreport.com.

BBB

The Better Business Bureau or more commonly known as the BBB is also another place where you can leave a review. However more often than not and reviews of businesses that are left are usually negative. But you can leave positive reviews for business there as well.

I personally don’t like the BBB because they can be so easily bribed and manipulated by businesses. I know because I have done it.

Despite popular belief the BBB is NOT government operated. Its a ruse. It is a franchise like McDonald’s or Burger King. It is owned by someone to make money, and they make their money by charging businesses that are signed up with them fees for their “services”. If you have a bad BBB report all you have to do to fix it is pay out money to have it fixed. Its really that simple. So I can’t trust the BBB reports at all.

FaceBook

Does your mover have a FaceBook page? It does!? Cool. Do they have a tab where you can leave reviews? If so then leave a review.

You can leave a review of up to 5 stars. What I love and hate about this is: as a consumer I can leave a review knowing that it can never be deleted. So if I leave a bad review then it will be seen forever. As a business person, I hate this. I like to control what is being said about me. Personally I am not afraid of bad reviews and I welcome them as it helps me improve for the next time, but I also know my competitors can leave fake reviews for which I cannot delete. So it is a double edge sword for the business person.

Your moving company doesn’t have a FaceBook page? Doesn’t matter because you can still leave a review on your own Facebook page.

Angie’s List

Many people use Angie’s List to review moving companies and other businesses. The problem with Angie’s List as compared to Yelp is that you have to pay a monthly membership fee for it.

I know that I am not going to dole out hundreds of dollars a year just so I can read a review of a company or two, especially when I can do that for free with Yelp, Google or the other places mentioned here.

The plus point however, is that it is far more reliable than the free places. So if you find a good review of your chosen moving company then it is probably a good chance that it is a good company.

So there you go. Several places that you can go to leave comments and reviews of your experience with your moving company. So whether you are leaving a good comment or a bad one you have choices to be heard and have your count (unlike the presidential elections.)

But I caution you: If you leave a bad comment for any moving business make sure you do it when you have cooled down, and only report the facts. If you leave and angered filled terse review it will be looked upon as if you are the crazy person. Angry people never tell the truth.

Reviewing your moving company and the experience is easy. It only takes a little of your effort and time to do it. If you have something nice to say then please say it. It means so much to the people that work so hard. Of course if you have had a bad experience then you also are obligated to make sure that is know as well.

So no matter what your experience is or was it is always best to leave a few words for the next down the pike to hear what you have to say.

Lastly, you are always free to leave any reviews of your experiences with your moving company with me on this website. I welcome them all. the bad, the ugly and the Great. I will published them unedited for the world to see if that is what you want. Of course you can tell that you don’t want it published and I will honor that as well.

Thank you and good luck with your move.

It is quite easy to rumor monger and spread horrible news about the moving industry. I too am guilty of this to a degree. The moving industry has provided me a very comfortable living and I love to move people and interact with them. It is one of the greatest joys of my life. So bashing movers and the moving industry pains every time I see it done or that I do it myself.

Although it is usually a painless process, moving companies, for the most part, are very professional and courteous. They do strive to give the best service they can. Sure there are bad apples, and I will continue to find these guys out and expose them. But there is wide chasm between bad movers and a bad move.

Check out this article and understand what I mean:

Most who hire movers have no major incidents; taking some precautions will help avoid a ‘gotcha’

By JOHN EWOLDT
McClatchy-Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS — “What an idiot I was,” said Kim Schmid. Even 22 years of experience as a litigator didn’t prevent her from making several costly mistakes during a move from south Minneapolis to Edina, Minn., this year. In the flurry of activity when three trucks and five movers arrived, she signed papers saying that she did not want supplemental coverage for damage to her possessions. “I assumed negligence was covered,” she said.

It’s a mistake that many consumers make, hoping that everything will arrive in one piece. Unfortunately, Schmid watched as her dining room table crashed from the edge of the moving truck to the asphalt. Later that day, Schmid asked her mover, Local Motion of Eden Prairie, Minn., to deliver the damaged table to nearby EuroNest in St. Louis Park, Minn., to be repaired.

Schmid didn’t realize that without the supplemental coverage she was covered for only 60 cents per pound per item. Since the table weighs about 100 pounds, she can collect no more than $60, even though the repair bill was $400.

Damaged furniture is one of the common complaints about movers at the Better Business Bureau. Nationwide, the number of complaints to Better Business Bureaus jumped from 3,800 in 1997 to 9,200 in 2007.

Besides furniture damage, other common complaints include movers arriving late and charging higher than anticipated fees, said Barb Grieman, vice president of the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota.

Schmid got four bids to pack up all her household items, store them for two months, then move them after her remodeling was completed. Allied’s bid was about $8,000. Local Motion provided a phone bid after asking questions about each room. She chose that bid because it was not the least or most expensive.

Schmid regrets that her mover did not inspect her house before providing a bid. Local Motion’s bid range was $4,000 to $4,800, but after packing, storing and moving were completed, the price rose to nearly $6,000, said Schmid. Local Motion will do in-home bids at a customer’s insistence but rarely finds it necessary, based on historical accuracy, said Matt Meyer, the mover’s regional vice president.

Meyer said Schmid’s final cost reflected changes she made, not an inaccurate bid. Schmid added two weeks of storage, and she also asked Local Motion to pick up and deliver furniture from Durr Ltd. in addition to delivering her stored items to her new place in Edina, Meyer said.

“We accommodated her request for the new items, but we had to go back to the warehouse to get more pads,” which added time and expense, he said. Local Motion also took the damaged table to EuroNest for repair at Schmid’s request.

Schmid confirmed the add-ons she requested (two extra weeks of storage and pickup and delivery of additional furniture), but she doesn’t believe that the extra labor and storage should be nearly $1,500. As for the 100-pound dining room table that the movers dropped, Schmid paid for the repairs. Because she refused additional coverage, she’ll get about $60 from Local Motion.

Local Motion, incidentally, gets an “A” rating from Angie’s List. Twin Cities Consumers’ Checkbook gave the company an average rating. Sixty-eight percent of customers surveyed (97 subscribers) rated Local Motion “superior” for “overall performance.” The company has an “A-” rating from the Better Business Bureau.

When choosing a mover, consumers can take steps to ensure quality and eliminate miscommunication. Check with your local Better Business Bureau for complaints. To find out if a mover is licensed, call your state department of transportation or consumer affairs.

The Better Business Bureau, or better known as the BBB, is a non-profit organization that operates as third party overseer of businesses. Many of you reading this have a high regard for the BBB and this is warranted. The BBB has done quite a lot to protect you, the consumer, from frauds and scams.

However, the BBB is far from perfect. There are flaws in the system; and if you know about these flaws you can better arm yourself against the fraudulent companies out there. And knowing how to read a BBB report is your first tool.

While you should definitely look at the BBB as a source of great information about a company it should not be regarded as the be-all end-all of any decision.

One of the best tools that the BBB gives us, is the BBB report. It is full of a lot of useful information and if one really utilized this report to its maximum there would be a greater chance of success with the company.

So lets take at look at the BBB report.

What report grade really means:

This the first thing that you see when you look at the BBB report, and like I said this is where many of you end.

Normally, you just take a look at the rating and call it good, only to find out that the company was not good at all, and this is why you need to know how to read the report.

What the rating means is that the company has fulfilled its obligations to the BBBs specifications. As you will see later on, that does not mean that the company is a good one.

What is the difference between accredited and non-accredited businesses:

One of qualifications is whether a company is accredited or non-accredited. An accredited company means that the company has a paid membership with the BBB. A non-accredited company means that it does not have a paid membership with the BBB.

The BBB is completely voluntary. One can elect to be a member or not. No company can be forced by the BBB to follow its standards or guidelines. So a non-accredited company chooses not to be a member, but it still may follow its standards and guidelines if it so chooses.

But, to get the better grade with the BBB you must be a member.

Different types of complaints and which ones you should be concerned with:

There are many kinds of complaints that one can file with the BBB about a company. They can range from a company not fulfilling is warranties to being rude; from breaking things to out-theft and fraud.

Here are a few complaints that one moving company has gotten with in the last 12 months (an yes they have an “A-” rating…you be the judge.)

• Billing and Collection Issues
• Customer Service Issues
• Delivery Issues
• Guarantee and Warranty Issues
• Selling Practices
• Service Issues

Between the “Customer Service” and “Service Issues” this particular moving company has had 6 complaints filed against them in the last 12 months.

What this means is that 6 people have objected to the way they had been treated by this company to the point where they felt it was necessary to complain to the BBB.

That is significant. You should be aware of this. It does not look like this company treats its customers very well.

They only had 1 incident with “Selling Practices”. That could mean that this company sold this particular customer a little too hard, or it could mean that they fraudulently misrepresented themselves. The BBB does not tell us this, but based on the above complaints it would not be hard to deduce the latter.

You have to look at all the complaints together and then make a decision on whether this company is a good company or not.

What a complaint resolution really means:

Resolution of a complaint does not mean that the complaint was resolved at all. It only means that the company that received the complaint made an effort, no matter how slight, to resolve the complaint.

Let me explain. Lets use the example from above. The company received several service issues complaints. So a customer said that they were rude. For this to be resolved with the BBB, the company only has to acknowledge the complaint with the BBB and agree to work something out.

Now, if this customer does not respond back after a certain amount of time the BBB automatically “resolves” this complaint. The customer may not even be happy…doesn’t matter. In the eyes of the BBB the complaint is resolved.

Or the customer doesn’t agree with the resolution the company proposed, then after a certain amount of time, it too, is resolved in the eyes of the BBB.

In both cases the customer may not feel that the case was resolved in any manner or form and still be ticked off. Doesn’t matter with the BBB; it is resolved.

Here is the actual definitions that one BBB uses:

COMPLAINT CLOSURE TYPE DEFINITIONS

RESOLVED

Response from company addresses disputed issues. Consumer has verified (either orally or in writing) that the complaint has been settled to his/her satisfaction or consumer has not verified that the complaint has been settled, but has not contacted BBB again to indicate dissatisfaction or to request further assistance.

UNRESOLVED

Consumer indicates (either verbally or in writing) that the company’s response to the complaint does not settle the matter and the BBB believes that the company’s response does not adequately address all the issues or make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute.

ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED

The BBB determined the company made a good faith and reasonable effort to resolve the issues, although the complainant was not always satisfied with the outcome.

NO RESPONSE

Company failed to respond to BBB after receiving the complaint.”

Look at the second half on the “resolved” definition and the definition of “administratively closed” to see further clarification on what I had said above.

So just because the company has “resolved” all of its complaints does not necessarily mean that it made the customer happy.

Averaging out the complaints with the size of the company:

In my example above of a real and factual moving company I pointed out that this company had 11 complaints filed against them within the last 12 months. That is a lot complaints.

But this company is a large company that has a large volume of business. So you have to look at the number of complaints that a company gets against the size of the company.

For example, a used car dealership that sells 5 cars a month and gets 10 complaints a year versus a used car dealership that sells a 100 cars a month and gets 10 complaints a year. Which would you rather use. Me, personally, I would take the large used car dealership.

Every company is going to get a complaint at one time or another. It is inevitable. So look at the size of the business versus the amount of complaints and that will give you a better determination of the company that you are dealing with.

In the case of the moving company above; yes they are a larger moving business but the number of complaints against them is still above industry norms. Something else to consider.

Using the BBB to validate the companies address:

To be an accredited company with the BBB you must provide your company’s information like the owner, its address, phone numbers, and the time that you have been in business. This is all very important stuff when looking at the company you may use. Of course a non-accredited business still may give this information to the BBB as well.

The info that is given to the BBB is usually verified by the BBB as to be accurate.

So in the case of a moving business for example; if you find a company on the internet, and they give a different one than what is listed with the BBB you may be dealing with a scam.

This is also useful information to have as then you can drive by the company you may wish to use and see how their premises look and the neighborhood that they are in.

You may find that the company is in a bad part of town and you would not feel safe going there. Or you drive by and see that the building is in disrepair. Having that address prior to using the company is very useful.

Most BBBs also have the address linked to both Google and Yahoo maps.

I believe in the BBB in general. I think it is a great organization. But I don’t believe everything they have to say. There are flaws with their system, and it is open to corruption and manipulation. However, with that being said, it has a lot of useful information like the BBB report, which by having the information I have given you here, you are now able to read between the lines and to get the full grasp of a company. Of course you can always call the BBB to get more information, and I have found them to he very helpful.

Use the BBB and its reports, but avoid making any decision about any company without thoroughly reading their BBB report and consulting others information sources.

Like G.I. Joe would say, “Know before you go. Because knowing is half the battle.”

So I thought that I would address the truth of the BBB for a moment. But first lets disspell some of the myths about the BBB shall we:

MYTH 1:

The BBB is not a government organization: Many people are under the delusion that the BBB is a government organization. It is not. It is a privately run company owned and operated by private individuals.

MYTH 2:

Just because they are a non-profit company, does not mean they don’t make money: This is huge myth about any non-profit company. I use the word company because that is what they are. The do run their company to make money. The only difference between a for profit and a non-profit company is that a non-profit files a different tax forms and is allowed to ask for donations from the public, whereas a for profit company cannot.

MYTH 3:

The BBB has no legal authority over any company: It is surprising to hear from people that think that the BBB is this all powerful company that can exert influence over other companies. Legally they can’t. A company can choose to participate with the BBB if it wants, it does not have to if it elects not do so. The BBB can’t do anything about it if that is the case.

The BBB is company not unlike any other company. And each BBB chapter that there is is actually a franchise of sorts, and each of these franchises are autonomous from each other. Additionally there is no headquarters that enforce any kind of rules of conduct. Therefore each franchise of the BBB enforces its own rules and stipulations for their area.

As such the BBB is open to abuse.

In theory I love the BBB. I think that the BBB is a great organization as a whole, but I know that there are limitations to the BBB which most people are not aware of.

For instance, if a company (for sake of argument the company is a moving company) does not wish to participate with the BBB it is given a bad BBB report, yet a company that does participate with the BBB is given a good BBB report. How is this fair? It is not. Factually it is extortion.

Let give you actual examples of this in real life. Here is a company that has a good BBB report. They have 4 complaints on with the BBB, and all were resolved:Palmer Moving and Storage. Now here is a company that has a bad BBB report. This company only has 2 complaint on them with the BBB: Accurate Moving and Delivery. So what’s the difference between the two?

One difference is that Palmer is a member of the BBB while Accurate is not. Palmer gets a “A” rating while Accurate gets a “D” rating. Why is this…well it all comes down to money.

See Palmer is willing to shell out $500 or more to the BBB while Accurate is not. So Palmer gets the “A” and Accurate gets the “D” rating despite the fact that Palmer has more complaints on them with the BBB.

Now I don’t really know anything about either of the two companies, I am just using them as examples in this case. Maybe Accurate is really a bad mover and Palmer a good mover…I don’t know.

In my research for this article I found that the BBB does not really have that sterling of a reputation. There are many incidents of them giving a company a high rating with the BBB yet later the Federal Government coming in and closing down the company for fraud or some other such illegal activity. There is one incident in southern California where a company had a tremendous amounts of complaints on them with the BBB, but they had a good rating with the BBB. Later the owner of that bad company went to jail for fraud.

There is another incident where the Executive Director of a BBB crucified an entire industry of business and would never give them a good rating in his BBB. Later it is found out that he owns a company that is in direct competition with this industry.

It is also on record that some of the executive directors get paid upwards of half a million dollars a year. This is more than the annual salary of the President of the United States.

I could go on about the abuses and borderline criminal acts perpetrated by members of the BBB. But you can not judge an entire organization by the actions of a few. And like I said earlier, as a whole, I believe in the BBB and applaud their organization.

But based on what you have read here today, it is why I don’t solely base any opinion of any moving company (or any company for that matter) on what the BBB has to say, and neither should you. When I review a moving company I look at various sources to form my opinions. The BBB just happens to be on of those sources.

So have I answered the question: “I like a mover but they have a bad BBB report, what should I do?”

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What we have all thought about moving scams and those that commit them have been wrong, and I am afraid that the licensed and insured moving companies will not want this information to come to light…But it has to be told.

I written so much about moving company scams and how to spot them and to avoid them. Many of you have written into me asking me to research this company or that one. And in my research I have found a frightening truth about moving scammers.

First let me tell you about the sources that I use when looking at a moving company to see they are good, bad or scammers:

• BBB
• Ripoffreport.com
• Movingscam.com
• Protectyourmove.gov

Those four sources are my primary sources I use when I do research about moving companies. Of course I use other sources, but those four will make or break it for me when I recommend a moving company or not.

It is from these sources that I was able to piece together my informal findings about moving scams.

Over the last month I have looked at 127 different moving companies. They range from the small companies to the large long distance moving companies, it also includes moving laborers. And I discovered this startling truth: 82% of all the moving scams committed; they were done by licensed and insured moving companies.

Hard, bitter fact.

I hear all the time how the licensed and insured companies want to destroy the unlicensed and uninsured moving companies because are responsible for all the moving scams, when in fact it is the licensed and insured companies that committing the moving scams.

Sure, the unlicensed moving companies do commit moving scams and are seemingly more likely to, but statistics show that they account for the minority of the moving company scammers.

So remember that when you are looking at this large moving company that claims to licensed and insured, don’t just hire them because they are legitimate; make sure you research them just as hard as you would an unlicensed mover.

Sorry to have to spring this info on you, and I know that the moving companies that are reading this blog will quit, but it is only because they can’t stand the light of truth.

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