It was moving day. Jennifer and Mitch Marder watched a too-small moving van drive away empty from their old home, with no promise of a replacement truck. They were bound to a contract stipulating they'd be out of the house by midnight.
"I was furious!" Jennifer says. "I want to try to save other unsuspecting consumers from having the same problem."
Nena Colligan of Keller Williams Realty in Ridgewood said it's important to get a referral when choosing a mover. "Ask your friends, your Realtor, your attorney. Find someone who has actually been moved by the company. You must know that they have followed through on contracts with other families."
It wasn't that the Marders hadn't done their research. They interviewed four different moving companies they had found online, checking the movers' standing with the Better Business Bureau, and obtained detailed estimates. But the company they hired left them high and dry when a subcontracted crew arrived with a truck that was not sufficient to hold all their possessions.
"The driver looked around and said, 'I can't do it with five guys in the eight hours you were guaranteed,' " said Marder. It was Saturday, and the moving office was closed. The salesperson, who had been so communicative and friendly, was not returning their calls.
"She came to our house in Glen Rock with a laptop and portable printer," recalled Jennifer. "She took an entire inventory of everything we were planning on moving. We'd been to their office, and they seemed totally on the up-and-up. But they were totally not."
Mike Greco, general manager of Ridgewood Moving Co. in Mahwah, said, "The most important thing is to find someone reputable, someone who's been in business for some time. Make sure they're licensed and insured. There are some good smaller outfits, but it's not a regulated business anymore. Since deregulation, a lot of people have come into the business. Unscrupulous people get a reputation."
Getting several bids is always a good idea, but it might not be best to go with the lowest bid. The company the Marders hired was a subdivision of a larger firm, and they, in turn, hired a subcontractor to make the actual move. Greco says his company's prices are on the high side, partly because they use their own employees.
"Most of the moving industry is done by way of contract labor," he said. "A driver with a truck hires his own crew. Our employees are responsible to us, and they get wages with benefits. It's not cheap, but we've never had a theft. If something's too good to be true price-wise, it probably really is too good to be true."
Occasionally, when circumstances require specialized handling, Greco does hire a subcontractor, as when he was asked to move 800 bottles of wine. "I was afraid to do it," he said. "We gave it out to a third party."
A reputable company should have reliable employees, Greco added. "You want to be comfortable with them in your home. Movers are generally big guys as it is, and if you get some of these scary-looking characters, it can be a taxing experience."
The Marders did manage to move into their new home in Wyckoff before midnight. "We had no choice," said Jennifer. "We opened up the Yellow Pages and started calling people on our cell phones. We found a guy who had a truck and could come, but we ended up paying double what we were originally going to pay. He brought his truck and his friends. I have no idea if any stuff has disappeared, since we haven't finished unpacking yet."
She still has not heard back from the original salesperson. "I'm going to log a complaint with the Better Business Bureau," said Jennifer. "I thought of getting lawyers involved, but we hadn't given them any money, so there's nothing to refund. Although we did a lot of research, it looks like at the end of the day, the only thing you can trust is a personal recommendation."
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