Did the “Mover” “Quote” you by Cubic Feet?
If so, it is a virtual certainty that they are not operating from any known tariff. By law movers must have and subscribe to a published tariff. The tariff has all charges laid out and accounted for. You should find another mover!
Definition of a Tariff
List of charges for moving services published and filed with the surface transportation board (DOT).
(This definition is gleaned from existing data and experience in the moving industry.)
The American Heritage Dictionary defines tariff as:
“n. 1) A list or system of duties imposed by a government on imported or exported goods. 2) Any schedule of prices or fees.”
In order for a mover to get his authority to move, he must first file a tariff and it must be approved. Most U.S. movers used to use the tariff called the 400N. This is because it is a monumental task to formulate all the possible charges for all the possible moving services in all the possible cities of the U.S. Nowadays the movers are using a version of that or have made their own since 2008 saw the de-regulation of this tariff. The mover should be able to state what tariff he uses and the tariff must be published and available to the public for inspection.
It is almost unheard of for standard movers to quote customers by cubic feet. Movers who have been around a long time sometimes quote customers by the pound. This practice is dying out and you will usually get a quote that is based on a rate. The rate is based on mileage to your destination and the estimated number of pounds in your shipment. The mover will give you a discount off of the rate. No one will charge you 100% of the rate. The discount is driven up by competition. The older movers were used to giving a price per pound – this is done by simple division and is still based on the rate in the tariff.
Can the Mover tell you what tariff he is quoting from?
If not, you should run screaming into the night!
Continue to Part 2: Detecting Rogue / Scam Movers – Part 2
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We’ll have more helpful information on scam and rogue movers from Jay Clithero of Sterling Van Lines throughout the summer – subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up-to-date!
Sterling Van Lines, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based moving and storage company specializing in small moves. With over 50 years of combined moving experience, over 10,000 moves, and a reputation for quality in our industry, our goal is to customize our services to the needs of each customer — whether you’re moving your home or office, or just a few pieces, we’ll make your move worry free! Visit us at www.sterlingvanlines.com
