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FMCSA Homeowners’ Rights and Responsibilities When Moving

Due to the major issue of fraudulent moving companies not upholding homeowners’ rights, not treating them with respect, and fraudulently trying to make a homeowner pay more at the very last minute, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has regulations to protect consumers. If you are moving to Corpus Christi from out-of-state, before you make any agreement with a moving company, check to see if they are registered with the FMCSA. If they are a professional interstate mover, they will be registered and have a USDOT number that you can look up on the FMCSA website. Corpus Christi moving company All My Sons Moving & Storage is a registered interstate moving company, and wants everyone who moves to know their rights. The following are the key takeaways from the FMCSA’s consumer rights and responsibilities when moving.

  1. Corpus Christi movers must give written estimates
  2. The estimate must be signed by the consumer and the moving company
  3. Movers may give binding estimates. Non-binding estimates are not always accurate; it is important to know that actual charges may exceed the estimate.
  4. You may request a firm pickup and delivery date
  5. You have the right to be present each time your shipment is weighed
  6. Request that the mover gives you information on valuation and actual insurance, and know your rights when it comes to damaged or lost items.
  7. Confirm and clarify in writing, whether you will be paying with check, card or cash. Professional Corpus Christi movers have heard of occurrences where a moving crew held a family’s belongings hostage in the moving truck, refusing to unlock or unload the truck until they received more money. Our advice: in this case it would have been good if you had said that you would not pay by cash or check, but only card.
  8. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) you may request from the FMCSA complaint information about moving companies.
  9. Receive estimates from at least three moving companies and do not mention that you are looking elsewhere to any of them. If you mention that you are looking at their competitors, they may give you a quote that is low and then inflate it later.  The more estimates you receive, the better decision you can make. Also, if you are moving to Corpus Christi, make sure that you get in-home estimates so that they are as accurate as possible.
  10. This is the least obvious aspect to hiring a mover: is the person on the phone a household goods broker or do they work for the actual mover? As a consumer, you have the right to know who you are dealing with and you should only receive an estimate from an actual representative of the moving company. A household goods broker is not a mover and they must not represent themselves as one. A household goods broker only arranges the transportation.