Moving Videos
February 28, 2010 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Here is a collection of helpful moving tips videos for you in one place. I will update this regularly as I create new videos.
Reliable Craigslist Movers:
Gas Mileage for Moving Trucks:
Ryder Moving Truck Rentals:
Tipping Your Movers:
Craigslist Moving Help:
Moving Systems, Part I & II:
Penske Moving Truck Rental Review:
U-Haul Moving Truck Rental Review:
Moving Truck Rentals:
Moving Brokers:
Cheap Movers:
Moving Scams:
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Are You Designed To Move? A Moving Company Review
February 22, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
Can you trust Design To Move?
Company: Designed To Move
Grade: A+
City: St Clair Shores/Detroit/Port Huron
I first learned of Design To Move from James Height when he wrote to me on FaceBook. Apparently he liked my website and the fact that I exposed the moving scammers that prey on unsuspecting customers. he wrote:
James Height hey just wanted to say I love your web site! calling out the scammers on craigslist is what needs to happen. Its hard for legal movers like us to get ahead with people like that out there. Check out my page its Designed To Move MI and become a fan if you want. if I get any moves in your area I cant fit in I will send them your way.
So I thought that I would review his company. Seems fair doesn’t it?
So let me say this. I LOVE THIS COMPANY!
What a professional moving company. I know that Designed TO Move and James have more than just a Craigslist presence as James, as I said, found me via FaceBook. As a matter of fact I have never seen Designed To Move even advertise on Craigslist. So that is a step up from the rabble and the moving scams. I don’t know if they are also on Twitter but they may be. It would seem logical.
This company is licensed and insured. I have verified this with the government website. So you can rest easy in knowing that would be taken care of in that regard. They are also part of the Michigan Movers Association which has stringent requirements to be a member. So this is another plus-point.
For the full review plus click this link: http://movingcompanyreview.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/designed-to-move-moving-company-review/
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Bekins Van Lines: Bekins Moving Company Review
February 21, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
Company: Bekins Van Lines
Grade: F
City: Nationwide
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.
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Two Small Men With Big Hearts Moving Review
February 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
Company: Two Small Men With Big Hearts
Grade: F
City: Across Canada
I can’t tell you how many times that it is the large well known moving companies that actually committ the majority of the moving scams: Starving Students, Bekins, Americarrier and the lit goes on. And this is the case with Two Small Men With Big Hearts. The fortunate part is that I don’t hve to do the review; I only have to cut and paste from a news article.
Large moving company faces charges, upset customers
Two Small Men with Big Hearts apologizes for failure to address complaintsLast Updated: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 | 6:30 AM PT By Kathy Tomlinson CBC News
Shelagh Bruhn shows the wardrobe unit she says was dropped and broken by movers. (CBC)
Canada’s largest network of independent moving companies is coming under fire from some customers for its business practices.“I’ve moved a number of times and it was probably the worst move in 20 years,” said customer Shelagh Bruhn. “They have no hearts, as far as I’m concerned.”
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Two Small Men with Big Hearts receives more complaints than any other moving company in B.C. — 50 in the last three years. The BBB has given “F” ratings to the company’s B.C. locations in Surrey, Richmond and Kamloops.
Bruhn complained to the management in Surrey after her move in June of 2009. Bruhn said the movers, who are paid by the hour, took several hours more than they estimated.
“I was quoted a certain amount every hour and we figured about six to eight hours. Instead it took 11 hours,” said Bruhn. “They deliberately dragged it out. They were ill-equipped. They were inept.”
Bruhn said the movers lost her ladder, broke a large piece of furniture that they dropped and chipped and scratched several other items.
“I picked this company based on its name — Two Small Men with Big Hearts,” she said. “It was just one disaster on top of the other.”
Toronto operators facing charges
TSM Canada started as a Vancouver company with one owner in 1981. It now has more than 30 franchise offices across Canada, “working as one, a collective organization,” according to the company’s national website.
Operators based in Toronto are facing charges after consumer complaints were filed about overcharging and broken promises.
In March 2009 the Ontario government filed several charges under the Consumer Protection Act against a North York, Ont., location of Two Small Men with Big Hearts. Company representatives Jeff Green and Brent Witte are also named in several counts.
The allegations include making false and misleading statements, renegotiating prices while in possession of customers’ goods and exceeding estimates by more than the 10 per cent of the maximum increase allowed under provincial rules.
“There are probably reasonable grounds for not moving with a company like that,” said John Levi of the Canadian Association of Movers. Levi represents several Canadian moving companies, but TSM Canada is not a member of his group.
“By the time you add up your time, your losses, your damage and the estimated cost plus the overcharges — you are at a significantly higher cost than you would have been with a reputable mover,” said Levi.
Bruhn was charged $1,500 for her move. In September, she said she reluctantly agreed to settle for $186 in damages, which she said is far less than her real losses. Despite that written agreement, Bruhn said the company has not paid her a cent.
Operators in Toronto are facing charges of unfair practices. (CBC)
“They suck you in — and they have you believing they are going to do the best job they can for you. Then, once they have your money — $1,500 later — they drop you like a hot potato,” said Bruhn.
“Almost every day I can find something else that was wrecked.”
Resolution promised
Stu Starkey, who took over the Surrey, B.C., franchise after Bruhn’s move, said he will now do whatever he can to resolve her complaint.“I can only handle problems case-by-case and make sure our customers are now satisfied at the end of their move,” said Starkey, who said he is also moving out of the rundown location.
“We want to clean up the appearance a little bit. We’re going to paint our trucks and put new ones in and get a brand new yard.”
Representatives from TSM Canada, the franchiser, refused a request for an interview with CBC News. Ben Hanuka, a Toronto lawyer who represents the company, sent a statement.
“TSM Canada takes its customers and reputation very seriously and regrets the inconvenience that was caused to them,” Hanuka wrote.
“The root cause of these problems is in large part inadequate customer communication and insufficient administrative oversight on the part of TSM Canada’s local offices and movers.”
The London location also has an “F” rating with the BBB.
Bradley Lang won his court claim against Two Small Men, but still hasn’t been paid. (CBC)
“I lost almost half of my things — gone, broken or smashed. There were boxes that had been opened and things pulled out of them,” said Lang. “I literally was picking up boxes that rattled — and all there was were large chunks, broken.”Lang said his shipment arrived almost a month late, after he was told it was left sitting for several days on a loading dock in Toronto.
His box spring and mattress has to be thrown out because of severe water damage, he said, while several items were missing, including a leather jacket and irreplaceable pieces of art and pottery.
“It breaks your heart — when you’ve got all those things and you’ve spent so much time collecting,” said Lang.
“I also lost coats. I lost pants. I lost boxes of clothes — so I hope they enjoyed them.”
The company admits it has customer-service problems that need to be addressed.
“Avoiding such customer complaints requires better training and supervision of TSM Canada’s local office representatives. This is not an easy task for us. There are over 30 Two Small Men With Big Hearts Moving offices in Canada, which together handle between 25,000 and 30,000 local and long-distance moves every year,” read the statement from the lawyer.
Court-ordered damages not paid
Lang’s move happened in 2003. He then spent four years trying to get the company to cover the damages. In 2005, after failing in several attempts to get a settlement, he filed a suit in small-claims court.“When I took it to the lawyers they said, ‘Oh this will be no problem. We’ve seen these people before,’” said Lang.
B.C. court records show 150 lawsuits have been filed involving Two Small Men with Big Hearts since the early 1990s. The majority are small claims against the company by customers.
Two Small Men with Big Hearts has three dozen franchise offices in Canada. (CBC)
In 2007, the court issued a default order directing TSM to pay Lang $8,582.65.By then, longtime company owner Glen Buckler had sold his interest in the company to six other operators. Buckler appeared in court to argue that because of the 2004 sale, he was no longer responsible. In addition, Buckler said the company’s legal name had been filed incorrectly.
“The court said I needed to re-file more papers — that my lawyers needed to file the last set of papers with an amendment to this name,” said Lang.
Faced with more legal hassles, Lang decided to give up.
“For the years that I’ve been going after this — that I have made myself sick over this — it was easier just to let it go.”
Kate Wittaker and James Carter moved from Port Elgin, Ont., to Sooke, B.C., in November 2009 and have filed a complaint with the BBB.
They claim TSM Canada arbitrarily inflated the price of their move by more than $700, including a surprise “fuel surcharge” of $283.80, after their belongings were picked up.
“What your company has done is unconscionable,” Wittaker wrote in a complaint to representatives in the B.C. booking office. “You cannot quote a customer one rate then once you pick up their stuff, inflate the rates and add additional charges.”
Tips on hiring a mover from Ontario’s Ministry of Consumer Services:
•Get the contract in writing.
•If an estimate is provided, the final cost cannot exceed the original estimated price by more than 10 per cent.
•Check the ministry’s Consumer Beware List: complaints received and charges laid are disclosed.
•Remember that the lowest price may not be the best choice — you get what you pay for.
TSM responded by telling Wittaker her belongings would not be delivered until the higher price was paid in full.“If you don’t pay your bill, it will go into storage and you will have to pay that before we deliver your goods,” a company representative wrote in an email. “If you are reporting to the BBB and government agencies, it seems you don’t want to pay your bill.”
Wittaker said she was more than willing to pay the amount originally quoted. However, she said, after the threat of having her belongings put in storage, she eventually relented and paid the charges.
Stu Starkey is taking over the Surrey franchise and says he will resolve any complaints. (CBC)
“We were on the phone every day for a month trying to find out where our stuff was, before it finally showed up,” said her husband.Apology from head office
“TSM Canada will be certainly reviewing these issues in an effort to learn from the past and avoid such customer complaints in the future,” wrote Hanuka. “TSM Canada apologizes for these delays and overall failure to address these three particular customer complaints in a timely manner. ”“As a result, TSM Canada is prepared to offer full compensation to Shelagh Bruhn [her claimed amount is $160] and Kate Wittaker [her claimed amount is $300]. TSM Canada will mail out the cheques to these customers this week.”
As for Lang’s longstanding claim for more than $8,500, the TSM statement indicated the company wants to settle with him, too.
“TSM Canada would like to have an opportunity to investigate this matter and attempt to resolve it with Mr. Lang with a suitable settlement offer over the coming several days.”
Hanuka also told CBC News he is also currently handling the allegations of unfair practices by TSM in Toronto, which are before the courts.
A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services said it could not comment on the details of the complaints. Company representatives could be fined up to $50,000 and the corporation up to $250,000.
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Moving Scams Cry “Foul”.
January 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving scams
As a service to you I put me neck on the chopping block to expose the moving scams and those that commit to do them. As a result I have a lot of moving scam “moving companies” screaming mad at me, and you know what? ….I love it!
I know that I am doing my jobs when the people that are defrauding you of your hard earned money are screaming foul.
I one “moving company” owner that is a complete coward. This person lives over a 100 miles away from me so thinks by calling incessantly telling me how he is “going to kick my ass” or informing me that he knows where I live scares me. Well first off it is very brave (said sarcastically) to tell me you are going to engage in physical violence when you are 100 miles away. Two; telling me you know where I live is not a threat. I clearly have already told the entire internet when I posted the address on my website and over the web. And three; seriously! You thinking harassing me over the phone, childish threats and empty promises really intimidate me? It only makes you look as unprofessional as I have already told everyone you are.
Another person claiming he is a mover is crying foul. This time it is from someone that I exposed as having a fraudulent moving company and illegal moving ads posted on the internet. So what does he do? he post on Craigslist this following post:
It does not matter if I use a 14×7 enclosed trailer to move a 3 bdr house. So what if it takes 2 or 3 trips. Dont target me because im out there tryin to make money. I am licensed, and I am a pro. I dont hide behind a fake website, tryin to piss people off. Watch who your talking about! You should take my name and ad off your web page.
No joke.
The person can’t spell. Horrible grammer and he admits that he has to make multiple trips when he does a move.
Do the math. A professional mover with the right equipment can do an average size house or apartment, from start to finish in about 3 hours. This person has to do it about 6 hours. I have checked what he charges for the moves he does and he charges $60/hr. So 6 hours times $60 equals $360.
I charge $95/hr. I will do the same move in 3 hours. So lets add this up: $95 times 3 hours equals $285.
So who really is cheaper? And who really is the professional here?
But this person has to make himself right by claiming I harming him. Maybe. But he is harming you and making my industry look bad. He is not a professional mover in any shape or form.
He claims to me that he is licensed and insured. He blatantly lies. Maybe he is licensed and insured for his vehicle but not as a mover. I know as I personally called him and I asked him for his USDOT and MPSC numbers. He didn’t even know what they were nor the fact he needed them.
So I know that I am doing good in this world when bad people and fraudulent “movers” are called out and exposed and they are upset for it.
So remember this! Moving scams will scream foul when exposed. They cannot stand the light of truth. They kick and scream and carry on like a spoiled child but in the end they remain the same as they have always been. Slick con artists and bullys.
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Moving Scams And Identity Theft
January 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice, Moving scams
It is known that moving scam companies will hire criminals and sex offenders as I have already reported on. Now you can add to that mix identity theft.
I found this great article about a new threat to using moving scammers. Check it out below:
As if there weren’t enough worries about identity theft in this era high-tech, password/encrypted technology, we have to remind ourselves that identity theft still happens because of the hard technology and documents you expose to the world.
Consider the case of William Pollock, a young man from Texas who was looking to find a solid moving company to help move his family to Pennsylvania.
Pollock shopped around for a few different movers, as most of us would do, and when he wasn’t happy with their price quotes, he turned to Craigslist. There he found Moo-Ving.com, a company with a professional enough web site and, what’s more attractive, a far lower price quote.
Caveat emptor. As it turned out, the company took Pollock’s $5,000 in upfront cash and started making demands, telling him that they wouldn’t move his belongings unless he paid their fees. Eventually the company stored his belongings in a secret location, essentially holding his private property hostage.
This kind of theft isn’t as cut and dry as “routine” identity theft. You know not to give out your credit card number unless the person taking it has a good reputation and the interaction is secure. But what about private dealings with companies that appear to have good web sites?
List of Red Flags
Let’s consider some of the red flags Pollock could have considered:
* He found the moving companies on Craigslist rather than through more traditional methods.
* He didn’t do a lot of research into the reputation of the company.
* He paid upfront in cash.All of these elements, put together with a company like Moo-Ving.com, spelled disaster.
How to Protect Yourself
How can you avoid this type of mistake? Simple: work with reputatable businesses when you entrust your belongings to someone else, and make sure that you pay after a job is well done, not before.
If you’ve become a victim of a company like this, you can turn to MoveRescue – an organization funded by some of the larger moving companies that provides legal help and assistance to consumers stuck in this situation.
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Moving Scams On Twitter
January 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Tips and Advice, Moving scams
Moving scams are very prevalent on Craigslist.com and other classified ad websites. This is well known, but I have seen a growing trend with the moving scams that have me a little disturbed: Moving scams on Twitter and other social media websites.
With a free profile and the ease in which you can build a huge following on Twitter it is not surprising to see moving scams companies using the power and legitimacy of Twitter to further their “moving companies”.
Having said that, though, not all the moving companies on Twitter are moving scams. Quite the opposite.
One thing that I find with the moving scam companies is that they do tend to be internet phobic. Meaning they only flock to the internet websites that are easy to use. Harder to use websites like YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Redgage etc you will be hard pressed to find moving scam companies.
So when using a moving companies that are found on Twitter make sure that you follow my advice on this website and do your research. Do this and you will avoid the moving scams on Twitter.
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Action Movers In Ypsilanti
January 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under Moving Company Reviews
How Good Is Action Movers Really?
Company: Action Movers
Grade: C+
City: Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti
At first when I saw the ads for Action Movers out of Ypsilanti I had the thought that they were moving scammers…but then I have really seen that these guys have come a long way in their advertising doing what most of the Craiglist.org “movers” won’t do.
In their ads the show photos of there moving. Not great photos but “action” photos. When they first started they only had one or two now their ads sport a collection of photos.
And the ads themselves have improved immensely. The started as your typical moving scam style ads to really professional style ads. Of course They won’t win awards…but then again neither will mine. So I have come to admire these folks at Action Movers when it comes to their ads.
See this link for the full Action Movers moving company review: http://movingcompanyreview.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/action-movers-moving-company-review/
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Illegal Rogue Movers Busted In Oregon
November 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under Moving News, Moving scams
In the latest war on movers, Oregon has taken on setting up a sting to catch illegal movers (also called “rogue movers“) in the act.
A little history lesson for you folks. Oregon is embroiled in a large war on movers. They had, up to recently, a very oppressive law which basically hindered and stopped movers from ever becoming licensed and insured. You can read about that here.
That law has been nixed.
However, Oregon has decided it will now start going after the movers again in new sting operations.
Here is an article detailing what the found and how they punished these movers:
In an effort to ‘crack down’ on unlicensed and uninsured moving operations, the Oregon Department of Transportation partnered with Beaverton Police Department on an undercover enforcement operation. Consumer protection was a key goal of the operation.
Illegal household goods movers often advertise on web sites or bulletin boards offering to help people with a move for a fee. Many consumers don’t realize that these “companies” don’t have legal operating authority or insurance and in some cases, safe vehicles and drivers. Consumers who choose an unlicensed mover, whether intentionally or unintentionally, may have little or no recourse for loss or damage to their property, may be charged higher than normal fees, and may be at higher risk for property or identity theft.
In today’s operation, ODOT Motor Carrier inspectors and Beaverton police officers looked for two things. First, was the mover properly certified with the state to offer moving services? Second, was the mover’s vehicle and driver properly registered with the state and was the vehicle in safe working condition?
ODOT Motor Carrier staff identified non-certified moving companies, then made appointments to meet at a decoy house. Upon arrival, the movers were met by ODOT and law enforcement officers who checked drivers and trucks for any violations.
During today’s operation there were 23 vehicle related violations issued; no vehicles were placed out of service for safety violations. Additionally, two citations were issued for other violations; one for driving while suspended and one for failure to provide proof of insurance.
The most commonly written citation was (ORS 825.100) Holding Out For-Hire Without Operating Authority; which holds a $472.00 fine. Some of the other citations were for no medical cards, no fire extinguishers, no USDOT markings or no warning devices.
Twelve “companies” had been booked for a moving date today. Nine of the twelve showed and were issued the various citations.
Past operations in Fairview, Bend, Eugene, Canby, Medford and Portland resulted in multiple citations for Operating without Proper Authority and other violations, and multiple arrests were made for outstanding warrants and parole violations.
Although no arrests were made on today’s sting operation, many of the subjects who posed as movers had felony convictions. Some of the crimes were Rape I, Robbery II, Assault IV, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and drug charges. Two were registered sex offenders.
Moving is a regulated industry in Oregon. Any company or person that offers household goods moving services must be certified by ODOT. The companies also run background checks on perspective employees.
Certified movers are trained to follow industry standards for loading, moving and unloading property. In addition, the companies are required to charge approved, reasonable rates. They must also carry liability and property damage insurance and the vehicles must meet federal safety standards.
This website has over 200 articles teaching you how you can avoid these illegal rogue movers and avoid moving scams.
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Police Arrest Man For Illegal Craigslist Moving Ad
November 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Moving News, Moving scams
Man Gets Fined For Craigslist Moving Ad
Here is a real-life example of a man that tried to get into the moving game but was in fact nothing more than guy with a pick-up claiming he was a mover.
I wrote an article a while back giving examples of moving scam ads on Craigslist.
Just because someone has a pick-up and can place an ad on Craigslist a mover it does not make.
These are moving scams. Sure you may have a good experience. They are cheap…until they are arrested and their truck and your possessions are confiscated. Or they break or damage your furniture. Or they steal your possessions. And as they ARE NOT licensed and insured forget about getting money from them for anything.
Filing a BBB complaint is useless. The BBB has no authority over them. They will just change their name and continue doing what they have always done…lying, stealing and cheating.
An unemployed Las Vegas man who placed an ad on Craigslist to move things with his pickup truck was fined in court on Tuesday.
Dan Stewart must pay $300 to get his Ford pickup truck back. It was impounded after a Nevada Transportation Authority sting.
Stewart was also fined $200 that must be paid later this month. The penalty could have been fines of up to $10,000.
Stewart was told during the sting that it was illegal to advertise his services as a mover.
“I saw a whole bunch of ads, 20 of them,” he said after looking at the Craigslist Web site, “So I threw mine on there.”
His first client offered to pay $75 to move items in Stewart’s truck. But when he arrived at a local storage facility, he was greeted by authorities.
“Three trucks, five guys with badges and guns [showed up]. It was unbelievable,” he said.
Stewart didn’t realize he needed the proper paperwork to make himself legitimate, although he never intended to become a full-time mover.
“Individuals that want to move as a form of business, for commerce, must have a certificate of public convenience and necessity,” said Ruben Aquino with the Nevada Transportation Authority.
Aquino said the statewide sting operation is intended to stop thieves and illegitimate “movers” who might not deliver what they promise.
Stewart insisted he was not a crook and that he was just trying to make some extra money.
“I think that’s the end of my moving career,” he said.