REGULATED MOVERS PROTECT THE PUBLIC INTEREST

There has been considerable discussion about whether household goods movers should be regulated. The consensus of the industry and consumers is that movers must continue to be regulated to protect the public from being victimized by unscrupulous "bandits" or "Rogue Movers". Consumers must be careful selecting a mover since it is difficult to tell the good movers from the bad. If you are ripped-off, you can file lawsuits or complaints but that may do little for the aggrevation you went through after the fact. Select your mover carefully. Established, professional movers are in business for the long term and are conscientious, hard working members of the community. Their employees are experienced and qualified. The majority of these companies would be ethical and fair to their customers even if the industry were not regulated. The "good guys" are never the ones we need to worry about; but because of the few bad apples out there (in any industry), regulations must be in place to protect the public consumer. To find a trusted mover, go to www.njmovers.com

Following are some of the reasons we believe regulations are important:

Without effective regulation of movers, every moving customer is a potential victim. Current NJ law establishes standards by which moving companies must abide, including minimum insurance coverage, fitness standards, uniform contract requirements and claims procedures. The NJ Division of Consumer Affairs monitor the activities of movers and are able to help customers of movers who cause problems. In most cases, customer complaints are handled swiftly - outside of the overburdened court system. NJ has become a model for other states with effective regulation of movers and monitoring the unlicensed practitioner.

Unlike traffic managers in large corporations, customers of household goods movers are, for the most part, trusting, naïve purchasers of a service they may use only once or twice in a lifetime. Most moving customers do not even know what questions to ask to avoid becoming victims of an unscrupulous "bandit". Moving customers allow strangers to come into their home or office, load everything they own into a truck, drive away with all their possessions, and trust they will be delivered in a timely manner to their new home or office in good condition at the price they agreed upon.

Regulation of household goods movers helps protect the public. The vast majority of household goods movers are law-abiding, tax paying, respectable, top-notch companies. Many of them are also small, family-owned businesses, doing the right thing. HOWEVER, all industries have their unsavory "bandits". Unlicensed (uninsured and unscrupulous) "bandit" movers prey on unsuspecting customers, especially at the height of the busy summer moving season.

The "bandit" will tell customers anything they want to hear, just to get the job; and the customer is left holding the bag if anything goes wrong. Florida, which sunset the regulation of all motor carrier transportation more than 7 years ago, has been working for the past three years to re-regulate household goods movers because of the problems they have encountered, such as:

· Holding household goods "hostage" for more money

· Damage claims that never get resolved

· Theft and harassment - the "bandit" loads up the truck, drives away, and the customer never see their household goods again

Lack of regulation means nobody is there to protect the public and hold the "bandit" accountable. The victim can call the Attorney General's Office or take the bad guy to court - if the bad guy can be found - but it takes years to get relief. In the meantime, the customer still doesn't have his household goods. Everything the customer owns is at someone else's mercy. Shouldn't that "someone" be accountable?

Without effective regulation, uninsured and unscrupulous "mover wanna-be's" will scramble into the NJ marketplace and create chaos. This type of "mover" does not pay income taxes or employment taxes, they do not provide workers compensation for their employees, and they do not provide insurance for the customers they move. Most often they have no permanent business address, they rent their trucks and they can be almost impossible to track down. Without effective regulation of movers, every moving customer is a potential victim.

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GOOD ADVISE: There are some decisions in life that are not only about money. Moving all of your possessions are one of those decisions. Call up the mover and make an appointment for him to come to your home for an in-house estimate .