alt Hacker NewsLike a number of other service businesses with reputation problems - plumbers, locksmiths, garage door technicians (no, really) - it's a service which customers only need very infrequently, and where the customer is typically under pressure to choose a vendor quickly when they need service. There's very little repeat business; as such, there's not a lot of pressure against dishonest or substandard vendors.
It used to be that third parties would act as brokers to give vendors an incentive to be honest. For example, my parents had to do several interstate PCS moves when I was a kid while my dad was in the Navy, and each time the movers were hired through the military. They knew there was a lot of repeat business there, so they had an incentive not to screw us. I only remember one mishap during those moves, where a nice desk that was originally from Hong Kong was damaged while the movers were bringing it up a short flight of stairs. They paid the insurance claim without any haggling. The desk was fixed, and I still have it.
Unfortunately, I don't know if even military PCS moves have that level of trustworthiness these days.