ByHow to Report a Freight Broker in 3 Steps
Did you know moving is the most nerve-wracking event in life, worse than divorce or breakup? If you've moved recently, or are planning to move soon, chances are you are going to contract a professional.
Sadly, the transaction might not be smooth - maybe it's damaged furniture, missing stuff or unprofessional conduct. The situation is worse if you don't have insurance.
To safeguard yourself against such, you must learn how to Fortunately, mechanisms such as the FMCSA and AMSA can help. Nevertheless, lodging complaints with the necessary body might be equally painstaking.
Relax, prep a cup o' jo and understand a faster, more convenient, automated, and less frustrating way with DoNotPay.
Reasons to File a Complaint Against a Moving Company
A moving company is a business. You contracted them professionally, expecting to deliver at the same level. You have the right to to FMCSA due to any of the following reasons:
- Illegal detention of property – in some instances, the freight broker might hold your property hostage to compel you to pay their fees or more than you agreed upon.
- Surprise charges/fraud – after reviewing the official contract, the broker might include other charges on the final bill. Alternatively, they might inflate a charge or change the specifics to get more money from you.
- Unprofessional conduct – as a business, you expect the broker or the agents conduct themselves professionally. If they prove otherwise, such as abusive, dishonest and poor treatment, go ahead and lodge the complaints.
- Sluggish service – a broker might drag or dally in the service delivery to inflate the hourly charges to get more money from you.
- The freight broker can create, change, copy, publish or negotiate a counterfeit bill of lading.
- Missing, stolen, misplaced or damaged items – you perform inventory before the move, so you know all your items and the condition they are in. If any of your property is missing, stolen or damaged after the move, you have a right to lodge a complaint.
The agreement between you and the freight broker is business and professional. If you feel the broker's services are way beneath satisfaction, voice that dissatisfaction and disappointment.
How to Contact the Freight Broker Directly
The first step is seeking a peaceful resolution before resorting to reporting the broker to the FMCSA. You can talk to the broker and express your dissatisfaction and disappointment. If that fails, moving companies have a dispute resolution procedure you can follow before escalating the issue to other agencies.
Additionally, the federal and some state agencies might require you to directly lodge a complaint with the moving company before further escalating the complaint.
The table below explores ways you can contact your freight broker before making a formal complaint.
| Ways to Contact Your Freight Broker |
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Regardless of the mode you decide to follow, ensure you document everything. Leave a trail showing the process you followed if you need to report the issue further.
How to File a Moving Complaint
It's disappointing and painful when a freight broker isn't willing to resolve an issue beforehand, despite being professional. If you feel confident and believe you have a genuine and just cause to lodge a complaint against a freight broker, move to the next steps.
You can lodge your complaints through the following mechanisms:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
The FMCSA is the lead federal government agency responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of the trucking industry, including freight brokers. However, the FMSCA deals with complaints involving interstate logistics.
File your complaint through:
Online - From your, navigate to FMCSA online complaint platform and file your complaint
Phone call – you also reach them at 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238)
State Agencies
These agencies deal with complaints involving moving within the same state. So, if you need to lodge a complaint, visit FMCSA's website and find your state's agency.
The process of filing complaints differs by state and location. For instance, in Hawaii, contact Public Utility Commission on 808-586-2020. If you are in Kansas, contact Kansas Corporation Commission, Transportation Division on 785-271-3151, email g.davenport@kcc.ks.gov or in-person visit at 1500 SW Arrowhead Rd.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
File your complaint through BBB's moving company complaint portal or from any of their offices countrywide.
Once you lodge the complaint, BBB will contact the broker within 48 hours. The broker will get 14 days to respond to the formal complaint against them. A BBB representative will update you on the issue. If you are lucky like most, BBB solves most formal complaints within a month.
Law Enforcement
When you realise what the broker has done, head to your local police department, the authorities will take down your statement and commence investigations accordingly.
Review and Recommendation Platforms
Sites such as Yelp and My Moving Reviews have a robust dispute resolution power. The freight broker will resolve a dispute to avoid negative reviews and a lousy reputation in front of thousands of potential customers.
American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA)
If the mover is a member of this national trade association, go ahead and file your complaint. AMSA will contact the freight broker seeking a written explanation of what transpired.
The organization will arbitrate the matter, hoping to reach an amicable solution.
Small Claims Court
If the above steps fail and you still need justice, DoNotPay will help you send demand letters to the broker in small claims court.
What to Do Before Filing an Official Complaint
If the freight broker fails to resolve the issue, you can escalate the matter to other bodies or agencies.However, before reporting the freight broker, follow these best practices:
- Consolidate all the paperwork, including contracts, inventories, bill of lading, invoices and receipts, and any other crucial details regarding your particular complaint
- Review your agreement to establish the broker violated the terms and your rights
- Deliver a written complaint to the moving company. The company might resolve the issue immediately rather than escalate it further.
- Escalate with other bodies, federal and state agencies if the freight broker doesn't respond satisfactorily after filing a written claim to them
- Gather all evidence to support your complaint, such as photographs and records of inventory before and after moving
- Maintain a calm and rational demeanor to avoid unnecessary escalation
- Communicate and collaborate with all parties involved
Report a Moving Company with the help of DoNotPay
You have tried your way to lodge complaints against a freight broker, but nothing seems to work. That's not the end of the road for you.
This is how to how to file a complaint against a freight broker using DoNotPay:
- Search for moving issues on DoNotPay.
- Start our Solve My Moving Issues product by telling us the name of the moving company you are having issues with.
- Answer some questions about your specific move, your moving company, and the complaint for which you'd like relief.
DoNotPay will write a letter to your moving company detailing both your complaints and your demands for compensation and relief and warn against a lawsuit if those demands aren't met. If you don't get a response within two weeks, we can help you escalate to small claims court!
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
A challenge can strike you anytime. From looking for College Fee Waivers, Fighting Defamation to Neighbor Complaints. Regardless of the challenge, the FMCSA broker complaint is just the beginning of problems you can solve with DoNotPay. Others include:
- Send demand letters to anyone in small claims court
- Turbo boost your call to customer support agents
- Find your missing items
- Lodging complaints against any business
- Show you how to win airline flight compensation
Join us today!