Moving Company Accidents in Atlanta and Elsewhere Targeted With “Consumer Checklist”

There’s a national campaign, including an important “Consumer Checklist,” to make sure that residents who are planning on packing up and moving out are choosing the safest interstate moving company that is available.

Unfortunately, there are companies that cannot be trusted with your belongings and they can’t be trusted along our roadways. The checklist, released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), is now available to help consumers to also protect themselves from fraudulent and dishonest companies.

When residents move, they want a moving company to help them to get their belongings from point A to point B safely. We want to hire safe and responsible companies who will take good care of our possessions and avoid an accident in Atlanta and elsewhere on their journey. There’s no messing around when it comes to our possessions. We want to put them in safe and honest hands, hands that won’t damage, steal or wreck our items.

“This new checklist will give consumers the tips they need to protect their move and make good decisions when selecting a moving company,” said USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

Our Atlanta accident attorneys understand that there are a number of factors that a consumer should consider before choosing a moving company. Price shouldn’t be the only thing we’re concerned about. You also want to look at a company’s on-road safety performance records and their consumer complaint history. These factors should be two of the most important. The new checklist will help you to make sure that you look at everything else that matters before choosing a trustworthy moving company. Consumers should be able to go through the entire checklist and feel comfortable and confident with the company they’ve chosen.

According to Administrator Anne S. Ferro, the FMCSA Administrator, there were nearly 3,000 consumer complaints filed nationwide in 2011 for household good movers. There were nearly 2,450 filed in 2010. There are a number of reasons why a consumer would file a complaint, too. The list is endless, but here are a few of the top ones:

• Deceptive practices.
• Unauthorized movers.
• Delay of shipment.
• Damage of shipment.
• Loss of shipment.
• Shipment being held hostage.
• Overcharges.

Atlanta was one of the top cities across the country for having the most consumer complaints filed. Among some of the other cities were Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, San Diego, Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston.

Through the FMCSA’s Protect Your Move website, consumers will be able to look at a company’s safety records and complaint history. The website also includes important information regarding consumers’ rights and responsibilities. Please review this information before committing to a company. You want your personal belongings and their journey to their new home to be a safe and sound one!

There are nearly 6,000 household goods moving companies that are currently registered with the FMCSA. Many of them are reputable and responsible. It’s the few bad ones that should worry consumers and everyone needs to know how to spot them!