Except as herein otherwise specified, no household goods warehouse operator, or any officer, agent, or employee thereof, shall, directly or indirectly, by remittance, rebate, or any device, inducement, or other means, permit any corporation or person to obtain any service or the storage of any household goods at less than the rates then established and in force as shown by the schedule of rates filed and in effect at the time. No person or corporation shall, directly or indirectly, by any device, inducement, or means, either with or without the consent or connivance of a household goods warehouse operator, or any of the officers, agents, or employees thereof, obtain, or seek to obtain, any service, or the storage of any household goods at less than the rates then established and in force therefor. Any household goods warehouse operator, or the officers, agents, or employees thereof, or any person acting for or employed by it or transacting business with it, or any other person, who violates this section, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and is, upon conviction, subject to imprisonment not exceeding 364 days or to a fine not exceeding $3,000, or both.