Local Mover Fined And Issued A Cease And Desist Order

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Contact: Sue Rogan, 240-777-3722

For Immediate Release: April 17, 2001

Local Mover Fined and Issued
A Cease and Desist Order

A Montgomery County District Court judge has fined Charles Troughton, the owner of Low Cost Moving and Storage in Beltsville, $6,000 and has issued a cease and desist order prohibiting Troughton from engaging in further deceptive practices.

Troughton, a Hyattsville resident, was issued six civil citations by the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) in the Montgomery County's Department of Housing and Community Affairs for several deceptive practices in violation of the County's Consumer Protection Act. The six citations were based on complaints from four County residents who had used Low Cost Moving and Storage's services.

All of the consumers complained that the company damaged or lost some of their possessions in the course of the move, and then would not respond when they tried to file claims to be repaid for their losses. DCA charged Troughton with falsely representing to his customers that he would be liable for any damages he caused, and for failing to notify his customers that they should take out their own insurance to cover their goods. He was also charged with false advertising, since he claimed to be a long distance moving and a storage company but did not have the proper licenses for those businesses.

After a trial in District Court on March 27, 2001, District Judge Cornelius Vaughey fined Troughton $1,000 on each of the six citations. In addition, he ordered Troughton to cease his deceptive practices and to pay restitution to each of the four consumers. Vaughey also ordered Troughton not to do business in Montgomery County until all the fines and refunds are paid.

“I applaud the work of our Consumer Affairs staff and the action of the District Court,” said County Executive Douglas M. Duncan. "We do not tolerate fraudulent business practices here in Montgomery County, and we will make every effort to halt any unfair treatment of consumers."

According to Consumer Affairs Chief George Rose, the complaints against Troughton are not unusual. "Within the last few months, we have filed citations and received judgments against several moving companies as a result of consumer complaints,” said Rose. “Those complaints also involved damage claims and improper overcharges. In addition, we often find that moving and storage companies lack the proper licenses for the work they do and are not giving consumers the rights required by law."

Rose advises consumers who are anticipating a move to do the following:

Call the Division of Consumer Affairs to check on the complaint record of businesses, 240-777-3636 as well as the Better Business Bureau, 202-393-8000.
Don’t make assumptions about the moving company’s reliability by the presence or size of an advertisement in the Yellow Pages. The publisher of the Yellow Pages does not ensure accuracy of advertising. All one can assume from the advertisement is that the mover recognizes the importance of the Yellow Pages as a marketing tool.
Get several written estimates based upon on-site inspections of your home and the goods to be moved. Don’t choose on the basis of price alone.
Get everything in writing, including a statement as to whether the moving company is liable in case of breakage or loss of goods.
Pack and move irreplaceable and fragile things yourself.
Write "Subject to further inspection for concealed loss or damage" on the moving contract to allow for damage you may discover after you've had more time to check your possessions.
File a written claim with the mover immediately if any loss or damage occurs. Keep a copy of your claim.
Consider purchasing insurance.

For more information, contact the Division of Consumer Affairs, 240-777-3636 or check their website www.co.mo.md.us/hca.

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