How many times have you heard about how important the Arizona Department of Weights & Measures (ADWM) may be to you if you are moving to or within Arizona?  Not so much?  Well, except perhaps for you investor types, every other person selling and buying houses and about to move, may find it worthwhile to learn what the ADWM has to offer - whether it will be an interstate move from New England, or an intrastate move from Scottsdale.

We all know, first hand, what a nightmare moving a household can be.  How many times has someone that has just moved declared, “I am NEVER doing that again?”  Along with the physical work, the psychological stress, and the expense, there are many different risks associated with moving a household.  Not the least among these risks may be the professional moving company – especially if the wrong moving company is hired.

There can be many types of moving scams, but perhaps the most typical scenario goes something like this:  The consumer contacts a moving company and obtains an estimate.  Let’s say the estimated weight is 3,000 pounds and the cost to move it from point A to point B is estimated to be $2,800.  A 25% deposit is required and paid.  The move is made, and of course the truck hasn’t arrived on schedule.  The driver calls and says that they are on the scales at a truck stop enroute and the actual weight turned out to be 4,100 pounds and the total cost will be $3,950 – and they are going to need cash or a certified check for the entire balance due before they unload the truck.  That’s $1,150 that wasn’t in the budget (and may not be in the checking account).  How close to the boiling point do we want to get here?

The consumer is already behind on schedule and stressed to the max, and has a new job to go to, and kids to take to a new school, and everything else bearing down on them.  They are angry and frustrated but see no alternative but to write the check and get this over with.

Not so fast!  A quick phone call to the ADWM in Phoenix, (602) 255-5211, or (800) 277-6675 can bring an investigator to the site along with local law enforcement officers to greet the moving truck when they finally do arrive.  There’s nothing like giving a bunch of scam artists a little surprise of their own.

An excellent in-depth discussion on this topic with absolutely brilliant advice is presented on the ADWM web page: http://www.weights.az.gov/Shoppers/movingtips/htm.

Also, the consumer fraud that may be occurring with bad moving companies is of interest to the Arizona Attorney General.  If direct dealings with the moving company are not going favorably and fraud is suspected, then it may be time to contact the Attorney General:  http://www.azag.gov/consumer/index.html.

Other excellent resources on this topic include:

Arizona Department of Weights & Measures

http://www.weights.az.gov 

American Moving and Storage Association

http://www.moving.org/

Moving Company Guide

http://www.moving-company-guide.com/

Moving Scam.com

http://www.movingscam.com/

Move Rescue

http://www.moverescue.com

DISCLAIMER

John P. Hale is owner and Designated Broker of Touchstone Residential Realty, Inc., 2485 West Tom Watson Drive, Tucson, Arizona 85745.  He has been a residential real estate agent in the greater Tucson Metropolitan area since 2000.  In addition to being licensed as a Broker rather than a salesperson, John holds the following designations awarded by the National Association of REALTORS^®:  ABR – Accredited Buyer Representative, ASR – Accredited Seller Representative, CRS – Certified Residential Specialist, and GRI – Graduate Realtor Institute.  And, John is among the very few that have been named, MRE – Master of Real Estate by the Arizona Association of Real Estate.

Please note that this article was written by him to reflect the author’s opinion of good practice at the time of its’ writing for the general benefit of those considering sale or purchase of residential real estate, it is not intended as definitive legal advice and you should not act upon it as such without seeking independent legal counsel.  Frequent changes in the law and standards of practice may cause this information to become outdated and no longer applicable or even incorrect.