lY.lAu.

N ULIA
CLIPPING SERVICE
(601) 856·0911 I (205) 758.8610
RANKIN LEDGER

BRANDON/PEARL, MS

Circulation = 6205
WEEKLY
05/11/2010

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Summer is prime -- • Get at Least Three In­

Home Estimates. No legiti­
mate mover will offer to give

moving time: Protect you a firm estimate online or

over the phone. Also keep in
mind that the lowest esti­

yourself
,.,,(} from scams mate can sometimes be an
unrealistic low-ball offer
which can cost you more in
the end.
Speclar'to Rankin Ledger nal estimates. In a common • Know Your Rights.
worst-case scenario, the Research your rights as a
Following a few simple moving company will essen­ consumer with both the state
rules when looking for a tially hold the customer's you currently reside in and
mover will go a long way belongings hostage and where you are moving to.
toward protecting you from require potentially thou­ Also enlist the help ofBBB or
being victimized by scam­ sands ofdollars to unlnad the local law enforcement if the
mers this summer, advises truck. moving company fails to live
the Better Business Bureau "Virtually anyone with a up to its promises or decides
and the American Moving & truck and awebsite can claim to hold your belongings
Storage Association. to be a mover and they can't hostage.
May is National Moving all be trusted to adhere to More tips and information
Month, the start of the standards for honesty and on how to choose a mover
busiest time of the year for ethical conduct," saidAMSA and plan your move are avail­
changing residences. More President and CEO Linda able at AMSA's consumer
than 37 million Americans Bauer Darr. "When it comes website, www.moving.org;
- or about 13 percent ­ to such an important deci­ and the U.S. Department of
move to a different home sion, you can save a lot of Transportation's site,
every year, according to the heartache by doing just a lit­ www.protectyourmove.gov.
latest U.S. Census Bureau tle homework to track down To research a mover, visit
statistics. the companies that put cus­ http://ms.bbb .org.
Unfortunately, every year, tomer service and integrity
the BBB receives extremely first. For interbt(lte moves,
serious complaints from con­ that means an AMSA certi­
sumers who have fallen prey fied ProMover.»
to dishonest and sometimes "While it is relatively sim­
unlicensed moving compa­ ple to check out a moving
rues. company, many consumers
The BBB received more don't do this critical step,
than 8,400 complaints which could cause problems
against movers in 2009. later," said JeffThylor ~Two
Complaints to BBB about Men and a Truck of Rid&!
movers are primarily about land, who serves on the
damaged or lost goods and Board of Directors of the
final prices in excess of origi· BBB serving Mississippi.
"Last year alone, con­
I sumers relied on the BBB
more than 1 million times for
I finding a trustworthy mover,
and here in Mississippi near­
ly 1.400 times. "When mak­
ing the final choice, go with a
BBB Accredited Businesses
or. at the very least, choose a
business that has a good rat­
ingwith the BBB.»
BBB and AMSA offer the
following checklist for find­
ing a trustworthy moving
company:
• Research the Company
. Thoroughly. While state reg­
ulations V<lry, all interstate
movers must, at minimum,
be licensed by the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Admin­
istration and are assigned a
motor carrier number you
can verify at www.protecty­
ourmove .gov.
Also check the company's
rating with your BBB; the
BBB maintains more than
17,000 reliability reports on
movers across North Ameri­
ca. Having at least a satisfac­
tory BBB rating is one of sev­
en screenings that AMSA
relies on when authorizing
its interstate mover members
to display the ProMover
logo, the sign ofa quality, pro­
fessional mover which has
pledged to abide by the orga­
nization's Code of Ethics.