Moving to, from, or around Hawaii is more than a little tricky, thanks to the Aloha State’s remote location and island geography.
The process is made even more difficult if you encounter an issue with your moving company, like if any of your personal possessions have gone missing or gotten damaged, or if you feel scammed in some way.
What do you do if you’re in that situation? Let’s find out.
The Complaint Process
So, how do you file a complaint against a moving company in Hawaii?
Short answer: You file your complaint with the Office of Consumer Protection (OCP).
Long answer: The Office of Consumer Protection is responsible for addressing and investigating complaints of malpractice, scamming, or otherwise unfair and unjust business practices on behalf of various companies in Hawaii. And that includes moving companies.
You can file your complaint with the OCP either online or by mail, as you prefer, and get their help in addressing the issue and helping you seek justice and some sort of resolution to whatever problem plagues you.
What You Need to Know About Complaining with the OCP
Here’s the full lowdown on filing a moving company complaint via the OCP:
- The OCP is not a legal firm or anything like that. It won’t “represent” you in any way, nor can it provide legal aid or advice. Instead, it takes action on behalf of all customers who could be at risk of scams and unfair practices.
- The OCP has limited resources. It can’t investigate absolutely every single case that comes onto its desks. It has to use the time, manpower, and resources at its disposal efficiently, so it focuses on cases it deems to be the most dangerous and harmful.
- After you file your complaint with the OCP, they’ll add it to their database. They can then use that vast database of complaints to spot patterns or identify businesses or individuals that appear to be worth looking closer at, because of numerous complaints against them.
- The OCP may not be a legal firm and can’t help you take legal action against a moving company. But it can still help you get a real resolution to your case. It’ll investigate the matter closely and deeply in an attempt to prove that some sort of scam, trick, or unjust action took place, which should lead to a positive change or outcome.
- To speed up the OCP investigation process, it’s smart to file your complaint correctly. Follow the on-screen instructions when filing online, and provide as much evidence and detail as possible. The likes of receipts, checks, letters, invoices,all of this is valuable to support your complaint and help the OCP act faster.
- There’s a chance you can get some sort of payment or compensation with the OCP’s help. If its investigators uncover that a moving company did indeed act unfairly or illegally, for example, and can prove that you were unfairly treated or deceived, they’ll demand that the company issue you some sort of payment.
- You’ll need to be 100% cooperative to see a swift, timely, and effective resolution to your case. This isn’t the kind of situation where you can simply submit the initial complaint form and then hope for the best. You have to help out along the way, providing additional evidence, answering questions, and maybe even going to court to testify if the case calls for that.
- Lastly, do note that if your complaint has something to do with a payment that hasn’t been made to you, you need to act extra fast to make your complaint. Say, for instance, that a moving company said they were going to give you a credit card refund but haven’t done so; you need to be rapid with your complaint and make it within 60 days to preserve your right to get that cash back.
Conclusion
Overall, if you’ve had any sort of issue with a moving company in Hawaii, the OCP is the organization to contact.
It specializes in handling these kinds of complaints, with teams of trusted, experienced agents working round-the-clock to help victims out and protect the public against further issues.
