Slog
News & ArtsMonday, November 17, 2008
Life Dear Everybody...
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 10:32 AM
... who likes to tell me complaining doesn't work: Burn on you, because you're all wrong. How do I know? Because on Friday, this press release landed on my desk:
State regulators today cancelled the operating permit for the residential moving company All My Sons, citing deceptive business practices and numerous violations of state regulations. The company is no longer authorized to move residential customers’ property within the state of Washington, according to a news release from the state Utilities and Transportation Commission.A commission investigation and audit revealed that the Kent-based moving company had repeatedly overcharged customers, inaccurately estimated the costs of customers’ moves and mishandled customers’ damage claims.
All My Sons has the highest number of consumer complaints of all residential moving companies in the state. The UTC has received 42 consumer complaints against the company since 2002.
One of those 42 complaints, dear Slog readers, was mine. After showing up two and a half hours past the end of the window they'd given me, the thugs who moved my stuff told me that if I wanted my piano back, I'd have to pay an extra $150; when I refused, they threw it on the sidewalk and sped away. Later, after complaining to the UTC, I discovered that the thugs had forged my signature on company documents, making it look like I'd agreed to pay more than the company had told me my move would cost.
So, good riddance, All My Sons. You will not be mourned or missed.
2
Yeah, that sucks, but telling your readers that they are wrong is not very nice. It feels like a kick to the nutsack and that is not fun
5
Woohoo! A blow for justice, or something like that. Happy to see the government step in, and stuff.
6
ECB- do you yell at kids to get off your lawn, too? Glad you got a bit o' justice, but your old age is showing.
7
@6: What about ECB's post shows her "old age"? Young people don't complain when companies dick them over and then commit forgery?
8
Who tells you that complaining doesn't work? Most people here on Slog tell you to stop complaining because it's tiresome.
9
Erica, did you take All My Sons to small claims court? Just kinda curious, because if that had happened to me, I would've sued to get my cash back.
10
I complained to SDOT about closing the sidewalk on opposite sides of 24th street in Ballard, and they made them open the one by the Java Bean back up.
13
ECB, glad your compliant led to the closing of a scurrilous business.
That said, I think the act of your complaining is not so much criticized as the tone and frequency (and yes, relentlessly obsessive subject matter) you adopt when doing so. But that's just my opinion.
That said, I think the act of your complaining is not so much criticized as the tone and frequency (and yes, relentlessly obsessive subject matter) you adopt when doing so. But that's just my opinion.
16
This blog post just got forwarded to me -- way to go, ECB! We used All Sons for our move to NYC, and they ripped us off big time, in several ways. The biggest rip-off was that they low-balled our weight by a ton. That's right -- they were off on their weight estimate by ONE TON. It took five of their storage units to store our stuff for a couple months instead of the one they originally said we would need. They were shady as hell and I'm glad they had their permit revoked in Washington State.
17
these assholes coordinated my move from nyc to seattle and "lost" some of my stuff. after going back and forth and back again with idiots at their kent office, i gave up (nice tactic). so, fuck these guys.
thanks e.c.b. for this and everything you do on this site!
thanks e.c.b. for this and everything you do on this site!
18
I'm not sure complaining is forceful enough for companies like these. There's too many sleazy moving companies, property management companies, creditors, and spammers/scammers in the world.
They've got plenty of physical property laying around. Fuck it up. The law is ineffectual for situations like this. What's the penalty, relative to how much misery they caused? They have to stop doing business? Wah. I'm not advocating violence, but you can slip plenty of property crimes below the radar.
They've got plenty of physical property laying around. Fuck it up. The law is ineffectual for situations like this. What's the penalty, relative to how much misery they caused? They have to stop doing business? Wah. I'm not advocating violence, but you can slip plenty of property crimes below the radar.
19
@18
That is so true. They started vandalizing condo construction in Ballard, and now there are no condos here any more. And who can name a single politician who got elected after their yard signs were stolen? Oh, and remember those "Hummer" SUV's? Of course you don't. After environmentalists started vandalizing them, they all disappeared!
Good work, kids! You're amazing.
That is so true. They started vandalizing condo construction in Ballard, and now there are no condos here any more. And who can name a single politician who got elected after their yard signs were stolen? Oh, and remember those "Hummer" SUV's? Of course you don't. After environmentalists started vandalizing them, they all disappeared!
Good work, kids! You're amazing.
22
http://www.movingscam.com/
It's interesting to read the "how did we get here" section on the first page. After Regan deregulated the interstate trucking industry, interstate and instate movers literally could cheat customers at will, knowing that there hardly is a chance to be punished:
Most complaints against movers are overlooked and the consumer becomes a statistic while no action is ever taken against the moving company.
When Congress dissolved the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) in 1995, they also removed the authority from the FMCSA to step in on a consumer's behalf if they are taken advantage of by a moving company. In other words, they don't have the authority to help you even if they want to.
If an investigation does occur, it takes months if not years for the FMCSA to, yes, get this... Fine the moving company.
The scam moving companies get away with not paying the fines and if they did, the consumers don't see a dime of their money back. The money from the moving company's fines go to pay for highway improvements!
It's interesting to read the "how did we get here" section on the first page. After Regan deregulated the interstate trucking industry, interstate and instate movers literally could cheat customers at will, knowing that there hardly is a chance to be punished:
Most complaints against movers are overlooked and the consumer becomes a statistic while no action is ever taken against the moving company.
When Congress dissolved the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) in 1995, they also removed the authority from the FMCSA to step in on a consumer's behalf if they are taken advantage of by a moving company. In other words, they don't have the authority to help you even if they want to.
If an investigation does occur, it takes months if not years for the FMCSA to, yes, get this... Fine the moving company.
The scam moving companies get away with not paying the fines and if they did, the consumers don't see a dime of their money back. The money from the moving company's fines go to pay for highway improvements!
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