Beware of Illegal Moving Services
If you are currently planning your move and looking at different moving services, it is best to look at one thing first: whether or not the company is legitimate. There are a lot of illegal companies that operate across the country. In a recent statement released, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission or UTC warned homeowners of moving companies that declare that they are insured and licensed, but in reality are not.
You can check with the UTC the list of moving services. They have a list of authorized moving companies, and would only allow those to perform moves within Washington. If you hire a moving service that is not recognized by UTC, then you may not have recourse if ever your items get damaged or lost.
UTC regularly conducts inspections that would ensure that equipment such as moving trucks are functioning properly. If you get a moving service that did not get permission from UTC, you would not have an assurance that your items would be handled using safe equipment. The law requires companies to have background checks and tests on employees, to ensure safety in all operations. Since a moving service requires close working relationships with the customers, these guidelines would make sure that customers are protected.
Aside from this, UTC also conducts regular investigations in order to make sure that moving services that are operating within the state are insured and that they comply with state laws. In 2008, there had been 60 illegal moving services that the UTC had discovered.
In addition, UTC enforces these laws relating to moving within the state, as well as assistance to customers that have complaints against moving companies. To make sure that the moving company you are eyeing is registered with the UTC< you can check their UTC number. This number has a prefix of THG or HG. The best thing that a customer can do is to call UTC and check if the moving service they are eyeing operates legally. Customers can also check with UTC how many complaints a certain moving service has had. During this time when everyone is looking for ways to save money, you have to be wise in deciding about moving services.
