Movers Do Image Housecleaning

This summer, the American Moving and Storage Association plans to launch a program to certify movers who agree to abide by a code of conduct.

The program, similar to one sponsored by the Better Business Bureau, comes after the industry was bruised by negative publicity and faced with increased scrutiny by government agencies. Its aim is to allow consumers to differentiate between quality companies and those that tack on extra charges after showing up two days late with broken furniture and chipped china.

"We felt with the black eye we already had, we ought to at least try within our own family of movers in our membership to clean up the bad apples we had rotting at the bottom of the basket," said Joe Harrison, president of the AMSA.