How to File a Complaint Against a Moving Company

Published Read 8 min read

Plenty of moves go sideways in small ways and never need a complaint: a late arrival, a scuffed dresser, a bill that ran a little higher than the estimate. But sometimes a problem crosses a line that a polite phone call won’t fix, and you need to put it on the record with someone who has authority over the company. Knowing which door to knock on, and in what order, saves you weeks of frustration. This guide walks through where complaints go, how the federal and state systems split the work, and what each channel can and can’t do for you.

One thing to set straight up front: filing a complaint is not the same as getting your money back. A regulator can investigate, penalize, or shut down a bad mover, but it generally won’t write you a check. Recovering money for damage or loss usually runs through a separate claims process (see our guide on filing a claim for damaged or lost items) or through arbitration and the courts, covered below.

When to File a Complaint

Not every irritation belongs in a government database. A complaint to a regulator is the right move when a company has crossed from “disappointing service” into a pattern of misconduct or a likely rule violation.

File when you see things like these:

  • The mover failed to deliver the services you agreed to in writing, or didn’t honor the terms of your bill of lading.
  • You were charged far more than your written estimate, or hit with surprise fees that weren’t disclosed.
  • The company used deceptive or misleading practices when quoting, booking, or pricing the job.
  • You suspect the company is operating without proper authority or the required insurance.
  • A broker arranged your move dishonestly or handed you off to a carrier you were never told about.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the federal agency that oversees interstate movers, eligible complaints include allegations that a company failed to provide agreed-upon services, engaged in deceptive practices, or operated without proper authority or required insurance. Even if your individual problem won’t be solved by filing, your report still matters. FMCSA uses complaints, along with other data, to decide which companies to investigate, and your complaint becomes part of the company’s permanent record in the agency’s file.

If your dispute is specifically about movers refusing to release your belongings until you pay more than you agreed, that’s a distinct situation with its own urgent steps (see our guide on what to do if movers hold your belongings hostage). The general complaint paths here still apply once the immediate crisis is handled.

Start With the Mover (Formal Dispute)

Before you escalate to any agency, give the company a real chance to make it right, and do it in a way that creates a paper trail. A documented internal dispute strengthens every complaint that follows.

Move the conversation off the phone and into writing. Send a clear, dated message to the company’s claims or customer service contact that states what went wrong, what you expected based on your paperwork, and exactly what you want them to do. Attach the documents that back you up: your written estimate, the bill of lading, the inventory, any add-on agreements, and photos. Reference specific dollar amounts and dates rather than general frustration.

Keep copies of everything and log every interaction, including the date, the name of the person you spoke with, and what was promised. Set a reasonable deadline for a response and note it in your file. If the company has a formal claims or dispute procedure described in your paperwork, follow it to the letter, because skipping a required step can give the company an easy reason to deny you later.

This stage does two things. Sometimes it simply works, and you resolve the matter faster than any agency could. And when it doesn’t work, the record you built becomes the evidence you’ll attach to a federal or state complaint. Regulators and arbitrators take a documented, good-faith attempt to resolve the dispute far more seriously than a bare accusation.

Filing With FMCSA (Interstate Moves)

If your move crossed state lines, it was an interstate move, and the federal government has a role. FMCSA runs the National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB), the official channel for complaints against interstate movers, brokers, and auto transporters.

You can file online at the NCCDB site (nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov) or by phone at 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238), available 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. When you file online, you can upload supporting documents, so have your estimate, bill of lading, photos, and your written exchange with the company ready to attach.

Be precise about what you expect afterward. FMCSA has stated that it does not have the statutory authority to resolve loss-and-damage complaints, settle disputes with a mover, or obtain reimbursement for consumers. In the agency’s words, consumers are responsible for resolving those individual matters themselves. What FMCSA does is enforcement at the company level: it investigates patterns of regulatory noncompliance, and past enforcement has led to penalties, carriers being prohibited from operating, and even jail time for company officials in serious fraud cases. So think of an NCCDB complaint as feeding the system that polices the industry, not as a small-claims window.

There’s also a narrow federal body worth knowing about. The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has limited oversight of interstate household-goods movers’ tariffs and certain rate and overcharge disputes. Its role is much smaller than FMCSA’s and applies only to interstate moves, but if your problem is specifically about published rates or an overcharge tied to the mover’s tariff, the STB’s household-goods resources are the place to look.

State and Consumer Agencies (Intrastate; AG, BBB)

If your move stayed within a single state, FMCSA generally isn’t your regulator. Intrastate moves are governed by state rules, and the agency that handles them varies a lot from one state to the next. Depending on where you are, oversight might sit with the state department of transportation, a public utilities or public service commission, a consumer affairs office, or another licensing body. The fastest way to find the right one is to search your state’s name plus “moving company complaint” on an official state website, or start with your state Attorney General’s office, which can usually point you to the correct enforcement agency.

The State Attorney General is a strong channel for either kind of move when deceptive or fraudulent business practices are involved. Many AG offices accept consumer complaints, track patterns across companies, and can pursue businesses that break consumer-protection laws. Even on an interstate move, states have authority to enforce certain federal household-goods consumer-protection provisions on behalf of their residents, so an AG complaint can run alongside an NCCDB filing.

You can also report deceptive practices to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC feeds reports into its Consumer Sentinel database, which is shared with thousands of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. Like FMCSA, the FTC can’t resolve your individual report or guarantee a refund, but it uses reports to spot trends and build cases, and when it brings a case it tries to return money to affected consumers.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a different kind of tool. It’s a private nonprofit, not a government regulator, so it has no power to fine or shut down a company. What it offers is a public record and a mediation channel: filing a BBB complaint puts your account on the company’s profile where future customers can see it, and it sometimes prompts a company that ignored you to respond in order to protect its rating. Use it as a supplement to the official channels, not a replacement.

Other Options (Arbitration, Small Claims)

When the dispute is really about money the company owes you, two paths exist beyond the regulators.

For interstate moves, federal rules require movers to offer a neutral arbitration program for resolving disputes over loss or damage and over charges billed beyond what was collected at delivery. Movers must provide a summary of this dispute-settlement program before you sign an order for service, so check your paperwork; the details are there. To use it, you contact your mover and request a hearing. The mover must agree to arbitrate if your claim is $10,000 or less, and may decline if your claim exceeds $10,000.

There is often a fee to start the process, typically split between you and the mover, though the arbitrator can decide who ultimately pays. The arbitrator must issue a decision within 60 days of receiving written notice of the dispute, and that window can be extended if either side is slow to provide information. An arbitrator’s decision can order remedies, which makes this a meaningful route for damage and overcharge claims that the company won’t settle voluntarily.

Small claims court is the other option, and it works for both interstate and intrastate moves. Each state sets its own dollar limit for small claims, and the rules, filing fees, and procedures are local, so check your state or county court’s website for the threshold and process. Small claims is designed to be used without a lawyer, and the documentation you built earlier (your estimate, bill of lading, written dispute, and photos) is exactly what a judge will want to see. If your loss is larger than the small-claims limit, you may need regular civil court, where talking to an attorney makes sense.

Whichever route fits, work it in order: document with the company first, then choose arbitration, small claims, or a regulator’s complaint based on whether you want your money back, a ruling, or an investigation. Often the answer is more than one of them at once.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Moving regulations, complaint procedures, and dollar thresholds change and vary by state and by the type of move. Verify the current rules and the right agency for your situation using the official sources below.

Sources

  • How to File a Complaint, FMCSA, https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/consumer-protection/how-file-complaint
  • Eligible Complaints, FMCSA, https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/consumer-protection/eligible-complaints
  • National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB), FMCSA, https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/nccdb/
  • What Should You Do if You Have a Dispute with Your Mover?, FMCSA, https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move/handling-disputes
  • Arbitration Program Brochure, FMCSA, https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move/arbitration-program-brochure
  • FMCSA Regulations and Enforcement of Interstate Moves, FMCSA, https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move/regulations-and-enforcement
  • Moving Company Rates and Rate Disputes, Surface Transportation Board, https://www.stb.gov/resources/need-assistance/hhg-moving/hhg-rate-and-rate-disputes/
  • Household Goods Moving, Surface Transportation Board, https://www.stb.gov/resources/need-assistance/hhg-moving/
  • ReportFraud.ftc.gov, Federal Trade Commission, https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
  • How To Report Fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, FTC Consumer Advice, https://consumer.ftc.gov/media/how-report-fraud-reportfraudftcgov

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