PUC ACTS TO STOP ILLEGAL MOVING COMPANY VALLEY TRANSFER

The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC), in its ongoing efforts to clamp down on illegal moving companies, had telephone service shut off to Valley Transfer based in Ontario, CA. Hector Serna, owner of Valley Transfer (also operates under the following business names: A-A-A Valley Transfer & Storage, dba AAA Valley Transfer, dba Valley Transfer, dba A-A Transfer & Storage, dba Valley Transfer & Storage) had been operating a moving business after the revocation of his PUC permit for failure to pay regulatory fees and failure to maintain evidence of public liability insurance coverage.

Despite the warnings of PUC staff to stop all unlawful advertising and operations as a mover without the required permit, the carrier continues to operate and advertise. Hector Serna has placed advertisements for moving services in several publications in the Southern California area. Specifically, these advertisements appeared in the August 2003 issue of the Greater Pomona Valley, Verizon SuperPages, the August 2003 issue of the Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland, Verizon SuperPages, the Verizon Internet SuperPages, and the September 2003 issue of the Corona and Norco SBC SMART Yellow Pages.

On August 3, 2004, the PUC's Consumer Protection and Safety Division obtained an order signed by Judge Felipe Gutierrez, Superior Court, San Bernardino County directing Mpower Communications to terminate telephone service to three landlines of Valley Transfer. The three phone numbers were disconnected on August 24, 2004.

Under Public Utilities (Pub.Util.) Code section 5133, no one may engage or attempt to engage in transporting household goods without a PUC license. Consumers using unlicensed movers may suffer irreparable losses of personal belongings with little means of recovery. Pub.Util. Code, Section 5322 authorizes the PUC to request a local phone company to cut off service to a carrier using the phone to operate illegally as a household goods carrier.