Hawaii Moving Complaints
Who regulates intrastate movers in Hawaii, and where to file when a move stays inside the state.
Who regulates intrastate movers
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) — Motor Carriers
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) — Motor Carriers →
Where to file a complaint
If your move started and ended inside Hawaii — within an island, between neighborhoods on Oahu, or between islands — it is an intrastate move. The federal FMCSA household-goods rules do not apply. Hawaii regulates these moves instead.
The state regulator is the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which regulates motor carriers, including household-goods movers as a class of property carrier. Certification, licensing, and rate-making for these carriers all run through the PUC, and movers file tariffs and insurance with the Commission.
To report a problem with an in-state move, you can raise the carrier-regulation side with the Hawaii PUC, and file a separate consumer complaint with the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection (part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs), which handles unfair and deceptive business-practice complaints.
This page is general information and does not predict how any particular dispute will be resolved.
An in-state dispute, step by step
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Get all your paperwork in hand
The written estimate(s), the contract, receipts, and any texts or emails. Every step below needs these. Photograph everything.
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Put the dispute to the mover in writing
State what the paperwork says, what happened, and what you are asking for. Many disputes end here, and the written record strengthens every later step.
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File with the state moving regulator
For a move inside Hawaii, the regulator-side complaint goes to the office that oversees movers in the state.
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File a consumer complaint with the state
The consumer-protection office handles unfair and deceptive business-practice complaints, and a moving dispute is squarely that.
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If you paid by credit card: a dispute may be available
The Fair Credit Billing Act lets a cardholder dispute a billing error in writing — including a charge for services not delivered as agreed — generally within 60 days of the statement. Whether a particular charge qualifies depends on the facts; the guide covers what counts.
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Small claims court or a local attorney
Intrastate moves run on state law, so the money path is the state's own courts — and a licensed attorney in Hawaii can read the contract.
Did your move actually cross a state line? Then the federal rules apply instead — start with the Coverage Checker or, if goods are being held right now, the emergency page.
Sources
Every legal claim above links to one of these official sources. Rules change — check the source if you're acting on this.