Lawsuit against Moving Companies – Caveats & Laws Explained

Each year, about 40 millions Americans move. While most of the moves end with no whatsoever complications, there are cases when moving companies avail of the special rights given them by law. Only from 2005 to 2011, about 50% of the consumers’ complaints were submitted in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration due to overcharging and holding consumer property hostage, about 10 000 complaints. Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is engaged to cope with hostage situations and to put rogue movers out of business, it has no authority to enforce a court judgment, or act as your advocate against the moving company. If you have been misled by your moving company and want to file a lawsuit against the company, here is what you should consider first. We’ll review the implications of the Carmack Amendment to the Interstate Commerce Act which was passed in 1906 as part of the Hepburn Act. Its terms are now found at 49 U.S.C. § 14706.

The Ambiguity of Carmack Amendment

See, the Carmack Amenment allows moving companies to limit their liability to a certain level. Suing your mover may take more time, efforts and money than you expect. This Amendment applies in cases of interstate transportation. For an interstate move is assumed each move that during its course of action cross state borders regardless of the fact that the origin and the destination of the move might be locations at the same state.

Preemption of State Law Claims

The Carmack Amendment preempts all state and common law claims, and gives the sole and exclusive remedy to misled customers of moving companies for only loss or damage in interstate transportation. This means that you cannot sue your moving company for negligence, breach of contract, breach of insurance contract, breach of contract of carriage, conversion, intentional misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, outrage, fraud, interference with economic advantage, and various state consumer protection laws. However, mind the law varies by jurisdiction regarding what types of claims are considered preempted. And, furthermore, in order to file a lawsuit against your moving company if the company has your belongings and insist on paying more money, you have to pay the company first, and then you can possibly sue for actual damages.

Period for Filing Claims

A household carrier may, by contract, require that a claim can be made to it by a shipper within a period of nine months of the shipment and that a civil action can be initiated within two years after the denial of such a claim. The period for initiating a civil action is determined from the date the carrier gives you a written notice that the he has declined any part of the claim designated in the notice.

Limitation of Liability

The Carmack Amendment allows moving companies to limit their liability to a certain level if they:

• Maintain a tariff following the Interstate Commerce Commission requirements;
• Give the shipper the opportunity to choose from two or more levels of liability;
• Obtain the shipper’s agreement to his choice of liability;
• Issue a bill of lading prior the transportation of goods.

How Much do Movers Cost?

How to protect yourself when moving

So this why you should pay special attention to the Valuation Addendum and the Inventory List your mover gives you to sign on the moving day. Movers limit their liability for items of extraordinary value, value exceeds $100 per pound. So, unless a written agreement stating the value of the shipment is signed, do not expect whatsoever real compensation. The basic liability movers assume is $0.60 per pound per item. Thus, you should either ask for a Full Value Protection or procure a Third -party Insurance. Under the FVP, carrier is obliged to repair, replace the damaged item, or to make cash settlement for the cost of repair according to the current market value of the item/s. You should though made the difference between Full Value Protection & Released Value, and Insurance. The valuation coverage options are not insurance policies governed by State insurance laws, they are Federal authorized tariff levels of liability under the Released Rates Orders of the Surface Transportation Board of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Check whether the Inventory List notes the condition of your stuff properly, otherwise you won’t be able to file a lawsuit and prove actual damages.

As we already made it clear that the maximum reimbursement you can ask for under the Carmack Amendment is the actual loss of injury to the transport of the property, hence attorney’s fees are generally not recoverable. But in case your moving company is in a clear violation of 49 U.S.C. § 13901–13904 or 13906 (concerning registration and licensing, and security of the carriers), you may initiate a civil action to enforce any such section. And, in a civil action then, the court may determine the amount of and award a reasonable attorney’s fee to the prevailing party. If you are dealing with an illegal moving company (operating without a license), the consequences for the rogue movers will be severe.

Never sign blank pages.

Read reviews. You will save a lot of money, time and nerves if you research your moving company. If you take the time to read some reviews and testimonials, to verify if the potential movers are legitimate businesses, you should not be in the situation of filing claims. Suing movers costs money and results may be quite unsatisfying. Always check whether the moving company is licensed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Also Read

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The Best Cross Country Movers: All You Need to Know

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More about the author

Written by Manuella Irwin

Relocation Expert & Book Author

Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2012,
Last updated on June 3, 2020

Manuella is a moving expert featured in Forbes, USA Today, Zillow, The American Moving & Storage Association.

I have been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be much more useful than ever before.

Don’t do business with corporate van lines. They were 10 days late and lost our stuff and are nonchalant about the situation. We got 77 boxes out of 109.

we had the driver tell us that he took our chair and gave it to another customer that was Allstate van lines

People would be better off renting a u-haul or budget truck and hiring help. It would give you more control and it costs alot less. If you don't have enough family or friends to help, place an add on craig's list in your county. Hire them to help you load then when you get to your destination, put another add on craig's list there for help to unload.

Basically this was drafted in concert with Moving Company Attorney's. As it affords no protection for gross neglegence by a moving company in the evnt they lose your items.

Who allowed such a law to pass?
Basically, if I understand this law correctly.
A mover can take everything you own, make you pay
whatever he wants you to pay, for it’s return. Could destroy all your things, or keep them for himself.
And there is no recourse for the consumer. but to accept it? What is the definition of theft?

The same happened to me. Safeload moving & storage in NJ felt it was OK to raise my price from $7,000 to $17,000 when they finally got to my house. They damaged over 40 items, lost or stole at least 5 items. At .60/lb my damage offer was a joke. This law clearly protects the movers NOT the consumers. It makes me ill. They never came to my house to check my inventory. I was very nieve.

Clemmer Moving and Storage of Telford, PA. took complete advantage of the Carmack Clause. They picked up our stuff two days late. They added an additional fee on a binding contract, held our goods hostage until we paid and didn’t deliver the balance for another 44 days. Many items disappeared. It looked like somebody needed to set up a household. There was excessive damage. Police reports were filed in NJ and CA.

DO NOT USE ALL AROUND VAN LINES IN CHICAGO! They are also known as My Chicago Moving! STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS SCAM!
THEY RUINED NEARLY EVERYTHING THEY TOUCHED AND TALK YOU INTO THE LIMITED INSURANCE SO YOU WILL TIP MORE.
I AM SUING THEM!

I know someone with the same issue. What laws protect the consumer? Not sure how to get started but need to know how to sue for damages.

AGREED. Did the same thing to us. Actually hired kids off of craigslist to unload our possessions at our new home. Scratched all of the wood floors and walls, just dropped boxes of dishes shattering them. On top of that, we had an in home binding estimate which once they had our belongings, demanded we pay more. And their secure, environmentally controlled storage is a joke. We had multiple items soaking wet with water damage and mold all over them and 12 boxes stolen. AVOID THEM.

Hi,
I am curious if you sued your movers because I was thinking of doing the same. What was the outcome? It doesn’t look like I can sue them based on this Carmack amendment. It seems they only protect the movers & the customers are royally screwed.

OK.. THis dosen't help. The owner of the company I just worked with just demanded CASH after I paid my FULL invoice.. Where is that? Also the guy actually didn't like me so he went into my stuff that they were holding and opened stuff, trashed a few things and turned all boxes marked Fragile on thier TOP! Just because I called him out for being a Jerk. How do I go against that?

Do not use MX Movers, Brooklyn, NY. I had a nightmare of a move with them. They quoted me a price and then when my items were loaded on the truck, there was a 70% increase. They also charge by cubic feet .. I’ve since learned that you never use a mover who quotes cubic feet as they are usually rogue movers. When goods arrived at new destination many pieces were broken and damaged, along with missing items. Have sent no less than 6 Certified Letters to discuss claims/arbitration process with no response. I

Girl, you are even lucky. Value Van Lines got my stuff from Nashville, TN on June 27th 2018. Today is August 10, 2018 and still nothing!!

Did you ever get your stuff? We had to hire another company when value van lines rogue driver never delivered (our stuff went in storage 45 min from our house and it took 4 months to find it). I am working on finding others that have had the same issue to go after them as a group.

Sharon, I, too am livid over the two companies we hired (Charter Van Lines which turned out to be a broker, and One Way Van Lines, another rogue company calling itself a moving company but who seem to be a band of thieves), resulting in destruction of furniture, well packed glassware, fragile items broken and turned upside down, and an entire pallet of our items (many of them my wardrobe boxes), are missing and still have not been delivered. It has been SIX MONTHS and we are still getting the same run around. I am interested in creating a class action lawsuit to shut these people down.

Do not use either North American Moving and Storage, they are really cheaters, we still waiting for our stuff after 3 weeks and now they asking to rent a U-Haul when they get to NY,to move our own stuff if not they going to overcharged to us.

Stevens Moving Van Lines based in Saginaw, Michigan is the worst. My family and I moved from Cleveland, OH and Sacramento, CA. They gave us a date of arrival for August 9, so we left my mother-in-laws on August 4, to arrive and have meet with the movers promptly the morning of the 9th. Well, they called us on the 7, 3 days into our cross country ride trip to tell us they won’t be here until August 13 now. We can only imagine what other problems may occur at this point, but I will tell you, it’s not cheap or easy staying in hotels, eating out constantly, and dropping large sums of cash because we have nothing in our empty apartment with 2 big dogs.
I began looking at my rights as a mover and I am seeing I am a bit too late. We did get the Full Value Protection but as I am seeing not even that is accurate if they didn’t mark the condition of your things previously.
I am worried for my things, stressed with living out of hotels, and still paying for this empty apartment that is no use at this point. Thought it was a good idea to stay with the in-laws and save money until the bitter end, but we got duped. How could 3 of their employees tell us the 9th? And did I mention, we called them to check on our stuff as we were a day way from the destination and that’s when they told us it would be late. Shouldn’t THEY have called us? TOTALLY FED UP! How and What can I do to get all that we deserve?

I used Van Lines in NJ and it was the worst ever, they are running a scam, first they send and person to look over your stuff and estimate the cost of your move. He gives a price and when the time comes the mover comes and tells you a completely different price, most that double of the estimated price. Upon delivery, they demand full payment in cash before they even start unloading the truck. they have no regards for your property, they dragged the furniture throughout my hardwood floors, destroying them completely. Most of my furniture was damaged (scratched, dented and broken. one of the guys was trying to use a marker to cover the damages in my wood furniture. So I submit a claim and they did not want to pay for the floors and they offer me a couple hundred buck. Save yourself the Hustle and just DO NOT USE THIS GUYS (ADMIRAL VAN LINES).

A company out of Miami “SWIFT MOVING SYSTEMS’ moved my property to Dallas Texas. First, they doubled the quoted price as soon as they stepped in the door of my apartment, before they even took inventory, then they broke almost every item small and large. My dishes, dresser, living room chairs, couch, buffet, coffee table, almost everything was dented scratched broken and cracked. On top of that five boxes were missing with all my electronics, cameras, designer purses, and tablet. Nothing I can do because my husband signed a stupid by the pound contract. We can not prove the weight of all the damaged items so they want to give us $60. And when I say they damaged practically everything I mean everything. What do we do?. We had to move that day didn’t have time to find another mover because my husband had to be at his job in another state.

The interstate movers I used lost and damaged my items. I purchased full value replacement coverage and they are stating that they will not cover my losses in full because I packed them! Huh? So, the company can lose/steal my items and not take responsibility. That doesn’t add up!

I recently had issues with Arch Van Lines from St Louis Mo and the Liberty Bell company who subbed it out to another company Arch Van Lines.
What a nightmare. Most of my furniture was broken and when they went to unload my items I had to pay cash before they would unload. Liars couldn’t show me the damage before they unloaded and kept me from going in back to c my property. Couldn’t produce the paperwork from the move 2-22-17. They claimed they didn’t know anything about the damage Laol. The grandfather clock was wrapped but when opened up glass was broken and missing. Two curio cabinets were wrapped in moving blankets and wrap. My 7 foot sleigh couch had a front leg missing. They couldn’t come with the missing parts so I could have had the repaired. The day they unloaded them we tried to return their moving blankets from the curio cabinets. Elvis said oh no just keep them. Of course, glass was broken and missing meaning they r worthless. I’m beginning the process of writing my complaint about the companies. I will c what will happen. I really can’t tell u how they live with themselves. Assholes

Beacons Movers in Sarasota will rip you off. They “lost” our chaise lounge chairs and laughed as they told us we would only get $30 to replace them. They retail for $1600.00. They dented our dryer (which wasn’t a year old), and broker a mirror.

Real Movers and Storage in Miami STAY AWAY. We were quoted a price to move our home. They showed up after taking a thorough inventory with 1 small truck. They packed it and did not return. A week later showed up with another small truck and a cargo van. Still could not get everything. Then 4 days later picked up the remaining items. They then said they would have to charge us more for a tractor trailer to deliver. The deliver with one small truck. Then show up with a tractor trailer but it was loaded 3/4 with other family belongings. The truck got stuck on the road trying to turn around. State police charged the driver. They then say they can not make it into our driveway because the truck is too heavy. The truck was too heavy because of all of the other furniture in it for the other customer. I then had to rent a 26 foot uhaul. I met them in a parking lot to load the uhaul. This of course was an extra expense plus i had to pay the movers to unload the uhaul the next day. The furniture did not even fill half of the 26 foot truck. So it took 2 26 foot trucks, a cargo can and another run to pick my stuff up. Upon delivery 1 26 foot truck and we only filled up half of the 2nd 26 foot truck. So you can only imagine how much stuff they stole from us. On top of this most of the stuff was damaged. The driver fell out of the back of the truck dropping an antique and destroying it. He fell on the ground and hurt his ankle. Leaving the other 2 guys to unlooad. Of course it did not take long to unload. I have pictures documenting everything. The insurance is a joke since they want serial numbers and a waste of time. We are missing so much stuff from a refrigerator to xbox to antiques…etc…etc… The original bill was 6,300.00 they increased it to 9,900 because they would need a tractor trailer to deliver. The delivered with 1 26 foot truck then only not even 1a quarter of a tractor trailer which we only filled less than half of a 26 foot uhaul.

Boy do I wish I found this site before hiring Assurance Van Line for my cross country move. Based on the sales person’s lie about delivery date of 7-10 days, I gave him my business as well as my bosses. Both of our estimates were grossly underestimated so together we ended up paying almost $3000 more. My bosses furniture was picked up on May 15th and now it’s mid-June and still has not been delivered. I’ve called, emailed and even hired a lawyer to get the furniture delivered but no one takes accountability and no one cares. Throughout the whole process all I got were lies from the Assurance Van Lines (broker) and Budget Moving(the moving company). They don’t even call to let you know if it’s going to be delayed, until you call them asking for status. Worst companies ever! Looking for ways to sue them for fraudulent misrepresentation and unethical business practice, but after reading the article, it seems like a hopeless case.

Route 66 Movers in San Diego either lost or stole our 60″ HD TV, which was less than a year old and packaged in the original box. Plus, they damaged almost every piece of furniture, including a 500 year old antique buffet. They turned our furniture upside down and broke the inside shelving in our furniture. They admitted they had some of our items in their warehouse but refused to deliver them to our new address. We never received an itemized list of belongings loaded onto their truck, or unloaded at our new destination. We never signed any document to confirm delivery of all our items. The owner of the company stated that our TV and other items may have been delivered to another movers address; however he said the other movers did not return his calls.
Yelp had great reviews posted for Route 66- we will NEVER use Yelp again to help decide on using a business.

This is the situation that happened to me with Wheaton Moving Company. The people who I had initial contact with in Ronkankoma, NY were great. There were even helpful once my stuff was picked up by this idiot driver. Anyway, this is the e-mail I attached to the claim I filed…and all I got was $60 because I didn’t use the FVP insurance. Meanwhile, the driver gets away with purposefully destroying my property in order to cover up (and a bad job at that) the initial damage caused. I would like you to take note that I did NOT sign those documents because they were never presented to me (look at the contract – you will see what my signature truly looks like), nor did I put check marks on the Bill of Lading next to the items delivered. In addition, contraryact to what the Bill of Lading says for delivery date (April 27th, 2017), my items were not delivered to me until April 30, 2017 because the truck supposedly needed a repair at the same time my items were supposed to be delivered.I have screen shots of the phone call dates/times to show for this should you need them. That being said, here is the story… I asked that a bookcase and a sewing machine in a cabinet be moved from East Quogue, NY to Salinas, CA. The bookcase was handmade by my father for my grandmother – neither of which are alive today. The bookcase was put together with wooden dowels and finishing nails were used to tack on the backing. He then stained it and finished it. This bookcase is around 30+ years old. There is no real value to it other than sentimental value – it’s the only thing I have that my father made. Now, on Friday, April 28th, Elvis the delivery driver was supposed to be delivering these items to my house around 4:30 Pacific Time. But at that same time I received a call from Elvis saying that his truck broke down and he needed to repair it. If the mechanic could get the part, he might be able to deliver my items Saturday afternoon, but it was probably going to be Sunday. I have a screen shot of the calls he made to me to show his incoming phone calls on Sunday, April 30th, 2017 around 10:00 am. He brought my items to my house and placed them in my garage for me. I did not see him take anything off the truck. He said he had already unloaded it when I called him at 10am to see where he was. He brought the bookcase in last, unwrapped it, and I was confused. I did not remember it being painted brown and I was somewhat disappointed. Several hours after the bookcase had been delivered and the garage had been closed, my garage was filled with the overpowering smell of fresh paint. I later wrote to my aunt and uncle in New York to ask about the paint. They told me it had never been painted – just stained and finished as I said earlier. After talking with my mother, who had recommended Wheaton, she said I should have signed for some paperwork. I had not received anything – NOTHING. I then wrote to John at Wheaton in Ronkonkoma, NY to ask if there was a way to check to see if the truck actually broke down and what happened to my bookcase. The only thing he could do was call the driver, who denied anything happening to the bookcase and yes, his truck had broken down. Well, sure – I would be covering my butt, too. A couple days pass and I am finally able to talk to Kathy, also at Wheaton in Ronkonkoma, who said I should have signed the Bill of Lading and made any notes that did not agree with the condition at origin on the inventory paper. She was shocked to find I had not received anything. She got in touch with “Corporate” who then sent her copies of what I supposedly signed. She agreed…it was not my signature. My signature was all over the contract (see attached) and the credit card receipt and it did not even come close to whatever scribble was written on the Inventory and the Bill of Lading. She then faxed me the copies so I had something to reference when I filed my claim. In addition, I believe there is a column for me to check off agreeing to the items and condition received in? I could be wrong because the inventory paper was never given to me in the first place, nor was any of it explained to me upon delivery. There are check marks on the inventory form that came from “Corporate” that are not on the copies of the inventory sent to me from my aunt in NY. I would also like to point out that the Bill of Lading states the item was delivered on “4-27-17” when in fact the original date was supposed to be April 28, 2017 and ended up being April 30, 2017. Again, if it had been delivered on the date stated on the Bill of Lading, why would I have incoming phone calls from the driver on April 30th? What looks like happened was the bookcase was dropped or something because there are stress marks on the long side of the wood where the wood was about to break in half. On the lower back right, a corner of the wood was broken or ripped off. It looks like someone tried to patch it back up with something resembling bondo used on cars – very obvious and horribly done. There are fresh pieces of cut wood attached in the inside base of the bookcase and the bookcase teeters back and forth as though it is going to fall over backwards. To help attach those pieces of wood…a shiny silver wood screw was drilled through the base of the bookcase at a horrible angle. Then…to top it all off, most of the bookcase was painted some god awful brown to cover it up – and a horrible job was done of that. To make matters worse, the original finish reacted to the paint and bubble underneath in some areas. I suppose it didn’t dry fast enough because there are hand and finger prints in the paint, too. The paint didn’t stick well to the finish in some areas where it looks like the paint is thin. To describe all the damage – this is the closest to it – but I will say there is probably more – more than I can describe in an e-mail. Now…the proof that this all happened while it was with the driver is in the Bill of Lading. There are notes regarding scratches, chipped, and worn/faded/rubbed. Well…I dare someone to find those scratches…because they have all been painted over!! Yup!! My grandmother was a fan of moth balls…the things are potent. It made the Hershey’s chocolate bars she gave us inedible. That is what I expected my garage to smell like after the bookcase was in there for a while. I opened the doors on the bottom of the bookcase and stuck my head in it – that smelled like stale “old people house.” I have two cat litter boxes in the garage. Yet, all I could smell for over a week (there is still a faint smell) was the fresh paint – and I don’t mean the kind of paint you use on your walls in your house – this was something else, a much stronger more potent smell. So, as for the cost to fix it? The entire thing will need to be sanded down now, stained, and refinished. The broken corner will need to be repaired properly. I have no clue who is a reputable woodworker and do not wish to be swindled any more than I already have been. To get estimates – well, I do not possess a truck to bring this to furniture repair shops, nor do I have the time to see if anyone will come to me. If I had either of those, I would not have needed it to be shipped across the country. There are no receipts – and if there were, it would have only been for the supplies, not the time put into it. It cannot be replaced – my father is no longer alive to build another one. None of this would have happened had the driver just sucked it up and showed up with a somewhat damaged bookcase. Had he shown up with it in two completely separate pieces, I would have been extremely disappointed. However, because of his deceit – lying to my face with a clear conscience after I tell him my dead father made this bookcase – and continuing to lie even after when confronted. I do want someone to come and see what has happened – please inspect it! I have a ton of photos, but seeing it in person is much better. I chose your company – without getting estimates from any other company, because I know that you are very reputable. I did not pay almost $2,000 to have two items shipped over 3,000 miles to be lied to by the delivery driver.

Never ever hire long distance movers(bocaraton,Florida). We hired them for our interstate move from Chicago to NY. They mislead us and defrauded us into believing that they are actual movers, instead they are brokers who charged us $1896 including$50 for TV boxthat never got packed in a box by the actual movers. They subcontracted our moving to a disreputable and not even a year old shady moving company called Road Runner moving and storage ,Llc based in Durham, Nc. They are liars and very unethical. They have ripped us off by stealing our 46″LED 3DTv, Microwave, Eddie Bauer limited edition giant bicycle, lasko wind curve remote control fan 42″, numerous other valuable items like 2 international travel bags with clothes in it, 1 whole wardrobe box..the list of missing things are endless as and when i am opening more and more boxes i get surprises everyday. The owner of the company Michael Cobb is a liar. He said we will have some one calling from dispatch to start with claim process. We got our items delivered on 4th sep labor day we were not notified before 24hrs for the delivery…the driver was a liar too…he 1st took payment from us in the form of money order and then said oh just for u know some of your stuff is damaged so it cant be brought. We got furious why he didnt tell it before asking for payment. Then he changed his version of the story telling that all your stuff is lost. He refused to tell us where is the warehouse in north carolina. He did not gave us the address and did not disclose in what condition our stuff was kept. They charged us for climate controlled storage. They have audacity to remain in unethical business and will continue to rip off peoples hard earned money and valuable stuff. All u people pls pls stay away from both this company Long distance movers inc and road runners moving and storage llc(Durham, NC).

I also wanted to mention in my previous comment that the subcontracted company Road runners moving and storage llc durham, NC charged us more than $6000 for our entire move and we ended up loosing almost all our valuable stuff.this moving experience has been heart breaking and an eye opener about this whole law surrounding moving industry and favouring just the moving companies ..and leaving consumers in a pathetic and helpless condition ..

I am looking for an attorney in GA to file a lawsuit against a moving company for fraud and nine violations under the FMCSA.

Hello Judy, Just want to know if you where able to find an attorney. I am in desperate need of one as well. I used Global moving system. I have extensive damage to all not most all of my expensive furniture. Please let me know or if you have any suggestions. Thank you

I sympathize with all those persons whose valuable possessions have been damaged, lost, or even stolen by incompetent or dishonest moving companies.
I had the misfortune to engage the services of The Moving Connection (a Baltimore affiliate of North American Van Lines) to transport my possessions, including many precious Art Deco antiques, from Maryland to my new home in a Philadelphia suburb. In the course of this delivery the movers damaged a number of my antiques and lost others. My attempts to receive fair compensation for my losses from SIRVA (a so-called claims adjustment entity affiliated with NAVL) met with a typical bureacratic boilerplate response denying my claim on all points. After reading the reviews on this website, I can see that what I have undergone is all too common in the moving industry, which (like the real estate industry) feels that it is free to flout the law and disregard legitimate consumer rights and concerns. I intend to file a complaint in small claims court if my credit card company does not back me in my dispute with NAVL.
Avoid The Moving Connection and its parent company like the plague!

Don’t use we move u either. I have to wait up to 90 days for compensation for loss of 1/2 a sectional my 100 year old china cabinet missing glass and a missing television set. The moving company states that they have an alternate company that loads the goods so they are not liable.

I have full replacement value and high end sofa was damaged in several places. They stated 50 lbs on inventory yet this sofa weighs closer to 150 lbs therefore was not placed on high value sheet. 50 lbs @ $100 per lb is not enough to replace it. Will they reevaluate the weight?

I have signed up my move with Flagship Van Lines for June 8th, 2018 pickup from 7 Sezanne Cv, Little Rock, AR 72223 to Suwanee, GA. I was told before signing up the binding contract of $6300 that they will be sending their marked truck with Flagship employees for my move. Movers did not arrive on time instead of June 8th they arrived the evening of June 9th with Penske rental truck and without a moving supplies. The day of the moved June 8th I received a call from Flagship Van Lines to re-calculate my household inventory. This was the third attempt to go over my inventory item list I was told a 25% rate hike on my binding estimate, a tactic/gamic quite common among the some moving companies to have a financial gain over consumers by dropping a hike at the last minute so they do not have any options but to accept the offer. My rate went up from $6300 to $8700, not only that I have found it after the fact that my moving job was handed over to a third party “Economic Mover” who doesn’t have CDL license to drive the truck. I have also found out moving driver hired a local labor help through Craiglist to do my moving job. Since the driver late/behind the schedule he asked to stay late night to do my moving job, I allowed them to stay in my house to do the late night job. I caught the driver on cheating on my load cuft next day by watching him making an excuse next morning that my job will required him to rent another truck, at that moment I start calling Flagship Van line for their un-ethical business practices but got no response from them. Driver loaded the first truck ½ full the next day and took off to find a 2nd truck, he came back in the afternoon with the same truck with ¼ full (dropped off ¼ somewhere without my consent or knowledge), he immediately starting to fill up the same truck as quickly as possible so he can cover/hide the ¼ belonging with the new stuff to pretend that he is loading up the second truck now cu ft has gone 3x what was initially quoted so he can charge more. In the middle of June 9th midnight driver took off with all of my household stuff without sharing the inventory list and without my consent. I have found Monday morning that driver has gone and did not pay to his Craiglist helpers either. One of the helper witness told me where exactly my household belonging has been stored, apparently driver has dropped (not sure how much) my belongings to local storage place under his name. Driver has been demanding to pay him more almost 2.5x more than original quote. Flagship Van Line/Driver/Economic Mover holding my personal household items hostage and basically demanding it pay them more, not only that I found out from the one of the helper witness that driver has offered them to steal/take whatever they like from my household items so he doesn’t have to pay them.
Flagship Van Lines is holding my personal goods and basically asking for extortion.

I paid Oasis Moving to ship my goods from Nevada to Tennessee and they’re holding my goods hostage unless I pay them an extra $900.00 because they said the driver put my stuff in storage. The driver never even attempted to deliver my goods to my address in Tennessee! I have no idea where my stuff is and now I’m out some priceless items unless I pay the extortion fee. DON’T USE OASIS MOVING, THEY’RE LEGALIZED THIEVES AND GANGSTERS!

I used Movestar in Dallas Texas 7 years ago. They were nice and accidentally broke a glass in my china cabinet and immediately replaced it. Fast forward to now and I recommend them to my parents for their move. They are retired, in their 70’s and moved closer to my family. Their joy became a nightmare when we discovered a day after the move that all of my moms expensive jewelry and legal documents had been taken. My parents had placed it in a hidden space in the master closet due to the safe being moved by the movers. The door to the master was closed as they had moved all of their breakables, clothing, and smaller items. The only thing the movers needed to move was the large, heavy items. They had no business in the master closet/bathroom or bedroom except to set up the bed. Being the masters of distraction, at least one of them entered the closet and obviously had to search for the valuables. It was not in plain sight. Movestar is interviewing and taking statements. They are playing the you have no proof game. The proof is that we were the only ones in the house. We do need to steal our own stuff. We would much rather have back what was stolen and forget this mess. I have no recourse but to pursue legal action. I dont think their investigation will uncover an honest crook. Do not use Movestar. Obviously they do not vet their employees. They sent crooks to move my trusting parents. I am furious. I will blast their business on every social media site until we get satisfaction. Beware of this company.

North American Van Lines are awful. They damaged and lost many of my belongings. Very careless and very expensive! Their CEO, Wes Lucas didn’t even respond to my letter, his assistant did and basically told me to get lost. I don’t know how they’ve stayed in business. Worst customer service ever. Take no responsibility and blame me for not paying for additional insurance. Never use them!

Never ever go with ‘Merit Moving 2328 North 10th Ave North, Suite 106 Lake Worth FL 33461’ . They are big time cheaters . They increased the price each time . Now its been 12 days we are following up with them to get our stuffs but only response is wherever their truck will be ready they will let us know .
And there is no rule that can benefit the customer ., Moving companies can do whatever they want . You cant sue to for harassment, your complain does not make sense bcz your moving company is not bound by law ..
So ultimatey we are screwed

All MY SONS moving company sent a guy who must have been on drugs. He continually dropped and damaged many things. We got an offer for 500 (the pound limit) Our damages were in the 1,000″s. What a rip off.

Oh boy I wish I had read all of your comments before moving. I am also feeling like a hostage situation. My company paid a check for the entire amount of my move estimate. I also paid the 35% down and then 1/2 of the remaining balance. The driver told his manager I used more cubit feet allowed when I did not have my allotted amount available on the truck. There was another load on the 26 foot Budget truck (1698 cu ft, I was allotted 875 cu ft) that took up more than half of the space. So, the manager told him to charge me an additional $1500 for the overage. The manager was not nice, actually abrasive and threatening. They loaded my items on June 28th, the day before I relocated from New Orleans to Atlanta. Today is July 10th and I still do not have my items. When I called, which took two tries, the customer service rep said that the monies had not credited my account, however, the company check had cleared and the two checks had written cleared before July 1st. Let me remind you that the total cost of my move was quoted and confirmed as $3820. Even with the additional amount, the company still owes me over $1500. However, I was told that I would have my belongings if I had paid with postal money order or cash. What reputable company only uses two form of payment? And if you pay with check, they cannot do anything until the check cleared. Let me say again, the company check cleared on July 3rd but somehow has not credited my account. Trans World Van Lines is truly a scam and as I did more research, they are rated “F” on the Better Business Bureau website. I have never used a moving company and will never trust another company again. This has been a nightmare and I am just numb. I contacted my sales rep and sent emails to the information email that you can submit complaints. I have not received a response. In reading this law, we as the consumer have no rights and a moving company can do whatever and you have to accept it. All I want is my belongings and my refund for overpayment. I’ve filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau but not sure what can be done. Companies that conduct business in an unprofessional manner should not be allowed to operate. All of us together should file a grievance and send to state governors and our leaders to change the law. People work hard for their money and possessions and it is disheartening that we have no protection when another company steals and destroys what we work for.

PLEASE! Do not use US National Van Lines located in PA. They arrived late, couldn’t move all of my stuff and left without providing me with an inventory or collecting the money! Then, they held my delivery hostage until I pad in cash, but didn’t deliver 75% of my belongings including flat screen TVs and many boxes with expensive clothing and jewelry. They blocked my calls and won’t respond to my emails and calls. Come to find out – they aren’t even a legal moving company. When I searched for them on the DOT site, they did not exist!! ridiculously corrupt company!! STAY AWAY – I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE PA ATTORNEY GENERAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE. Operating without being properly licensed.

I am having a VERY BAD EXPERIENCE, With MORSE MOVING. Not only did they Destroy a Perfect 4K, QLED TV.( Appx., $2,600.00). They ALSO did NOT secure the Drum on a $1,400.00 Maytag, Commercial washer. Now, the bearing is grinding. The salesman is NOWHERE to be found, although, I believe they gagged him. They were so Unexperienced,(except the crew chief), Instead of using 2 people to carry a safe, or use a dolly, They were sliding ir over a NEWLY refinished Oak floor. THAT WILL COST, AT LEAST A THOUSAND . BROKE MY STORM DOOR PUMP. DESTROYED THE WEATHER STRIPPING ON 3 doors. Didn’t wear clean shoes. I paid $450.00 in NO deductible Insurance. They won’t honor that, because they drew up, A BOGUS ADDL. INVOICE. Mind you, at the end of the move, I asked him, if he owes me anything, or I owe them.(wouldn’t have paid anyway), due to a Inexperienced salesman. The Chiefs answer, was a CLEAR, “ Nope, We are All good”. ( who, [The Salesman],I put up with despite his incompetence)… Lol, now as you might realize, This company is going to get their chance to Talk ,BUT, THEY HAVE NOTHING ON THEIR SIDE. The # of work hours they put in, was FAR short of the estimate….
DO NOT HIRE THIS BIG COMPANY. They have resources to keep lying and fighting me…… If THAT is what you want out of a Mover. BY ALL MEANS, ..HIRE THEM. (Obviously, that’s a bit sarcastic), SO, DON’T HIRE THIS BOGUS THIRD RATE COMPANY

I am waiting to hear from Belmont moving and storage as today is my moving day! They gave me 6 phone #s and none of them have answered as to if movers are coming today? Said they’d call the day before the move, no call! Can u advise me?

The definition of theft was evident with United States Moving Services
Do not use them unless you have cash to spare, they evade everything. I never received their services and Mike Murphy is the epitome of a compulsive liar. They never provided a service and be aware they do have a statement that says your deposit is forfeited after certain amount of days, guess what, they won’t answer your call or keep you on hold or answer and hang up, and justify they never got a cancelation if you try to dispute the charge with your credit card, so if a hefty security deposit is something you c an afford, avoid them.

Safeway Movers decided to rip me off for an additional fee because they wanted to deliver early. They told me my stuff was being moved but didn’t indicate that moving my stuff meant that delivery was imminent. I hadn’t arrived at my destination yet. Dispatch is where they get you because nothing is written nor is anything explained.

Hello, small emergency!
Been researching on what to do, so many mixed messages. The moving company has my stuff and I really need it back, they want extra money, do I pay them and get my stuff back before suing? – I have an original binding estimate for $1900ish with the list of items.
– The driver told me that the servicer low-balled me and they will want extra $.
– We argued with them on it at delivery so they took our things.
– I have not paid them after the initial deposit of $600ish
– It was over state lines, I have reported them to the FMCSA.
– Out of exhaustion, I signed a blank contract. I have these carbon copies.
– the moving company has the white top copy, where they added extra charges and signed. (which is not on my carbon copy).
– The police said its a civil matter and to sue them. In summary, my questions are:
1. Do I pay them first, get my stuff, then sue?
2. If I pay them 100% of the original binding estimate, can I have the police hold them to delivery? (The movers will probably ask for more then they get here right? I cant let them take off without delivering again.) Thank you, I have called lawyers and gotten no response. I appreciate any help.

Moving companies for the most part are just crooks. They quote one price to get the job and then charge tripple once they come to your house. They always claim the weight is higher or volume. Do not do business with Emerald Moving Logistics they charge you and never ever show up. They took 4800.00 of my money and did absolutely nothing. We need to investigate this industry much more.