The quotation is not over a thousand, and the actual fee is 3800 yuan! Behind the frequent occurrence of "Li Gui": Why is the chaos of moving places repeatedly banned? Moving | Website | Li Gui
Calling the moving card number and searching for a well-known moving company online, only to find the moving "Li Gui" who is asking for a price several times higher than the quoted price on the phone
Whether around us or on social media platforms, such experiences are no longer new. For many years, the rectification action on standardizing relocation services has been continuously carried out. However, even today, many people are still troubled by the relocation of "Li Gui". The reporter noticed that with the arrival of another graduation season, there have been more complaints about the starting price of moving to a new location. Behind this, there is a thought-provoking question: why is the chaos of moving places repeatedly prohibited?
The quoted price and actual paid price often differ by several times
Gongxing Moving Company is one of the well-known moving companies in the impression of Mr. Zhou, a citizen. For this reason, before moving the store, he specifically searched on Baidu and chose a reliable looking "Gongxing Moving". "The phone number starts at 400, but it seems to be 96964. The other party said that the starting price of the vehicle is 500 yuan, and additional fees will be charged if the mileage exceeds a certain limit. The labor cost is 80 yuan per person per hour." Mr. Zhou still remembers the communication process with the operator, "I am more confident when I hear the details so clear, and they have promised not to charge any additional fees."
However, to Mr. Zhou's surprise, he gradually fell into the trap set by the other party: the night before moving, the master who took the order sent a text message, and the labor cost became 80 yuan per person for the first hour and 160 yuan per person for the second hour. Considering the inconvenience of temporary personnel changes and the price being within an acceptable range, Mr. Zhou did not raise any objections. On the day of the move, after three masters arrived at the scene, the cost increased again: loading and unloading fees, and an additional 720 yuan needs to be paid. "But it's all packed up and I'm too lazy to bother anymore, so I'll have to suffer losses." And the staff didn't even issue a receipt after receiving the money, so they left straight away.
Mr. Zhou was very unhappy with several consecutive price changes, and the price doubled from the originally agreed upon price of less than 1000 yuan. Mr. Zhou called 4008896964 again to question whether he had informed us of all charges in advance. However, the other party replied, "This is a regulation, and every car has its own charges.". Mr. Zhou realized at this point that he was not actually in contact with the "Gongxing relocation". On the official website of the Shanghai Consumer Protection Commission, there is a list of registered legitimate relocation companies. Among them, the contact phone number of Shanghai Gongxing Relocation Logistics Co., Ltd. is 96964, without any prefix. "I also noticed their vehicles, and their colors and markings are highly similar to those of legitimate 'Gongxing Relocation'," Mr. Zhou said.
The "Johnson&Johnson relocation" that Ms. Wang found on Baidu is also a complete "Li Gui". Ms. Wang told reporters that the operator provided a quote of several hundred yuan based on her description at the time. As a result, on the day when it was agreed to move, the other party brought in five people and after moving, they demanded a price of 3800 yuan. "I have no choice but to pay." Similar to Mr. Zhou, she was unable to keep any receipts. The reporter found through search that there is no company with the word "Johnson&Johnson" in the list of relocation transportation enterprises published on the official website of the Shanghai Road Transport Administration.
There is no company with the word "Johnson&Johnson" in the list of relocation transportation enterprises published on the official website of the Shanghai Road Transport Administration.
At the 12345 Citizen Service Hotline, there are still many complaints like this. The reporter found that in addition to these "Li Gui" companies starting at 400, there are also complaints from online platforms such as Huolala and Didi. However, the platform still has a complaint handling mechanism, and consumers who are deceived by "Li Gui" often fall into a dilemma of rights protection due to a lack of evidence.
The crux is the low threshold for employment?
Liu Weijun, the person in charge of the Volkswagen Moving Company affiliated with Shanghai Volkswagen Logistics, introduced that the entry threshold for the moving industry is very low. "Especially for residential moving services, as long as you spend tens of thousands of yuan to buy a truck in the second-hand market, hire a few relatives and friends, or temporarily hire a few porters, and register a phone number, the business can start." A grassroots law enforcement team member told reporters that in the revised "Road Transport Regulations of the People's Republic of China" in 2022, it is stipulated that those who use ordinary freight vehicles with a total weight of 4500 kilograms or less to engage in ordinary freight operations do not need to apply for a road transport operation license and vehicle operation certificate. This is a lifting of the ties for the transportation industry, but it also provides some people with intentions to take advantage of loopholes.
On the other hand, with the development of communication media, there are increasingly diverse platforms for promotion, and the threshold for "moving Li Gui" to attract business is also getting lower and lower. During the reporter's interview, several citizens who were forced to raise prices expressed their trust in search platforms. Is the information on the search platform trustworthy? After the reporter entered "moving", the top 5 moving companies in Shanghai were marked with "advertising" in the entry displayed on Baidu's homepage. However, upon careful comparison with the official registered company directory, it can be found that none of these 5 companies are listed. The reporter, in the name of the relocation company, inquired about the necessary information and prices from Baidu's customer service for promotion. The other party stated that for the first cooperation, they need to provide information such as business license, official seal, and corporate account, and pay a deposit of 6000 yuan. The promotion time and keywords can be set up in the background. "If your company does not have a website, we can also help create a webpage for free, and even provide a phone number starting with 400." The other party sent a template for "Johnson&Johnson Moving", and the webpage layout is the same as the 400-8085981 "Gongxing Moving" webpage that the reporter saw. In the subsequent inquiry, the customer service said that most of the logistics industry is a webpage built by Baidu, and "the header names are all". It is the abbreviation of the contracted company, as long as it is consistent. Where is the company name? The reporter pulled to the bottom of the page and only then saw a few words at the bottom: Shanghai Juqi Logistics Branch of Gongxing Moving and Moving Co., Ltd., obviously not the same entity as Shanghai Gongxing Moving and Moving Logistics Co., Ltd.
The customer service representative stated that they can help build a webpage and create a 400 phone number.
The customer service referred to similar web pages as template building.
"Internet platforms such as Baidu implement the competitive promotion model, and sometimes it is easier for consumers to find black market than regular enterprises." Liu Weijun lamented that the emergence of mobile apps, small programs, official account and even short video platforms has once again exacerbated this phenomenon. "Moving is a service with low consumption frequency, and citizens are often unfamiliar with the industry and cannot be required to remember phone numbers. Therefore, when information is mixed together, they are also difficult to distinguish and easily fall into traps set by others. They often attract customers with low prices and then increase prices halfway after receiving orders."
Other regulations also need to keep up
To promote the healthy and stable development of the relocation transportation industry in this city, the Municipal Road Transport Administration, the Municipal Road Transport Development Center, and the Municipal Road Transport Industry Association conduct quality and reputation assessments on relocation transportation enterprises almost every year. In 2022, a total of 22 enterprises were included in the assessment scope. According to standardized operations, safety production, high-quality services, social responsibility, social evaluation, etc., enterprises are classified into different levels. Honest enterprises are supported in industry policies and market access, while serious dishonest enterprises are subject to increased supervision and higher market access standards. However, such assessments have strong constraints on larger enterprises, and the effect of "black relocation" is limited.
Liu Weijun admitted that in recent years, Volkswagen has also encountered many "counterfeit goods" when moving. For many years, the Mass Transit Group has been issuing lawyer letters to fake life service websites that focus on mass relocation, demanding that the other party stop infringing behavior. However, the results have not been ideal. He believes that the punishment for illegal acts should be increased.
In practical operation, it is not easy to investigate and punish. This type of black logistics is often more covert, leaving behind mostly false information, making it difficult to investigate and obtain evidence. Recently, in response to a complaint, relevant departments of the Municipal Transportation Commission replied through 12345, and staff went to the registered address of the company where citizens complained for verification. However, the company did not actually operate in that area, had no law enforcement targets, and no other information about the company was found on the traffic law enforcement platform, making it impossible to conduct an investigation. On the consumer side, when faced with such "black moving," there is a lack of vigilance, no verification of the other party's relevant documents, and no contract signed. Often, it is not until the final price is raised that it is not correct, and relevant evidence such as invoices and receipts are not retained in a timely manner, which brings certain difficulties to the investigation of relevant departments.
"Internet platforms should fulfill their regulatory responsibilities, strengthen governance from the source, and should not mislead consumers with unverified false information." The Relocation Professional Committee of Shanghai Road Transport Industry Association suggested that relevant departments should further strengthen source governance, and regularly clean up fake relocation information online. At the same time, with the joint efforts of multiple departments and the use of big data analysis methods, companies and even vehicles experiencing chaos are restricted. "For example, their transportation vehicles are searchable, can they be restricted?"
How to avoid falling into the moving trap?
Citizens should have a corresponding understanding of the road operation qualifications of the enterprise when choosing to relocate transportation business, and enter into road cargo transportation contracts. Do not believe in false advertising of various types of freight transportation online. Before using the car, you can also obtain service information by consulting the Shanghai Citizen Hotline 12345, the Municipal Consumer Protection Commission to help you find moving services, and the Shanghai Road Transport Administration - Convenience Services.
The Shanghai Road Transport Industry Association Relocation Professional Committee stated that all association enterprises must comply with the unified base price of the entire city's relocation industry. After receiving a call, they will carefully check the customer's needs, understand what vehicles and how many people need to be dispatched, and then provide a total price without tipping. But the reporter attempted to call several top ranked 400 phone numbers on Baidu, and "Black Moving Field" would be the first to inform the details, including vehicle fees, kilometer fees, labor costs, upstairs fees, etc. Regarding this, Liu Weijun also stated, "For citizens, requesting a moving company to quote the total price is the best and effective way to avoid falling into a trap. Reporting the unit price may actually encounter behavior of constantly increasing prices."
Moreover, moving companies have standardized contracts and formal invoices. On the day of the official move, it is best for consumers to sign a formal contract with the moving company, specifying the service content and fees, and retaining relevant evidence.
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