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SIERRA VISTA — When it was time to find a moving company, Marlys and Clark Wilson thought they had done all the right things.
They looked up moving companies online, contacted different agencies and checked with the Better Business Bureau.
“Even though we were in a time crunch, I got more than one bid for our move and went with the middle price range,” Clark Wilson said.
Based on their research, the Wilsons selected United Relocation Services, a company out of North Hollywood, Calif., to transport their household possessions from West Linn, Ore., to Sierra Vista.
 Clark and Marlys Wilson review paperwork regarding their move at Horizon Moving Systems in Sierra Vista on Wednesday. (Dana Cole-Herald/Review) |
The Wilsons assumed they were dealing with United Van Lines, a well-established company with a good reputation.
Unfortunately, that assumption was their first misstep.
United Van Lines and United Relocation Services are two different entities.
United Relocation Services is a company that operates under different names, such as Paramount Relocation Services Inc. and American Nationwide Relocation.
In addition, a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Web site shows an inactive status for the company, which means it has no authority to conduct interstate moving services.
When questioned about the inactive status, Eric Woo, a packer and driver for United Relocation Services and crew leader for the Wilsons’ move, claims the inactive status is incorrect. During a phone interview, he said that his company would be investigating the problem and recommended going back to the Web site and checking the status again.
Twenty-four hours after the conversation with Woo, the federal agency continued to show an inactive status for United Relocation Services.
Get a physical inspection
After he was given a $6,950 phone estimate, which he retrieved and printed through the Internet, Clark Wilson decided to go with United Relocation Services. The company never sent a representative to the Wilson home to conduct a physical inspection of their household goods, something the federal agency cites as a “red flag” for spotting “rogue movers.” Everything was done over the phone and Internet, based on what Clark Wilson told the company’s move estimator.
“Federal law requires all estimates to be based on a visual inspection,” said JJ Stroh, an investigator for Arizona Department of Weights and Measures.
Legitimate moving companies, he added, always send someone to the person’s home to look at the items that are being moved.
“Since we thought we were dealing with United Van Lines, we were happy with the estimate and believed that our possessions would be in good hands,” Marlys Wilson said.
On Feb. 24, the day of the move, a rental truck arrived at the Wilson home.
“I was surprised when they pulled up with a rental truck instead of a company-owned fleet truck,” Clark Wilson said. “In retrospect, that should have been another red flag for us.”
And he’s right. The federal agency’s list of red flags states: “On moving day, a rental truck arrives rather than a company-owned fleet truck.”
Woo, however, had an answer for that, as well. He said the Wilson home was in a neighborhood with narrow alleyways and tight streets, making it difficult to maneuver one of his company’s huge moving vans.
“Because we couldn’t access their home easily, we had to use smaller, rental trucks and shuttle their household goods,” he said.
During a tour of their home and possessions on the first day of the move, Marlys Wilson said that Woo looked through their house and, with the $6,950 Internet estimate in hand, said their number of possessions were “about average.” Approximately a third of the Wilsons’ items were loaded into the truck, and Woo left with their things.
On the morning of Feb. 25, the rental truck returned for another load. At that point, Woo told the Wilsons that they had far more items than indicated on their estimate and the move would cost much more. The Wilsons signed a “binding estimate” for $8,500. Along with the original $6,950 Internet estimate, they have copies of both documents.
“As the packers were working, the estimate kept climbing,” Marlys Wilson recalled. “They started pointing out different items in the house, such as books and dishes, and wanted to make more adjustments to our estimate. I started giving some of our things away just to keep the estimate from climbing any higher.”
According to “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move,” a booklet compiled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to help consumers who need a moving company, the mover may not amend an estimate once loading has started. If the mover is questioning an estimate, the matter must be settled by all parties prior to loading the truck.
Woo disputes the Wilsons’ version of the story, claiming the couple knew there was a problem with the estimate prior to loading the first truck. He says he told them the estimate was incorrect, and when he asked them if they wanted to proceed with the move, they replied “yes.”
The second truck left with another load of the Wilsons’ possessions.
Paying before delivery
When the rental truck returned for a final load later that day, the Wilsons were again told their move would cost more than the binding estimate. Now the estimate had soared from $8,500 to $18,500. The driver demanded a deposit, which Clark paid with a credit card. That credit card was processed by a company called Paramount Relocation Services Inc., another name used by United Relocation Services. The Wilsons were told they would be expected to pay the remaining $9,250 upon delivery, by cash or money order only. Checks or credit cards would not be accepted.
“They know you have tied your emotions to your possessions,” Clark Wilson said. “I paid them the amount they requested — a total of $9,400 — because they already had most of our things and we wanted the move to go as smoothly as possible. I really didn’t think we had any other option.”
Requiring a large deposit prior to the move is another item on the federal agency’s list of red flags.
“We don’t ask our customers to pay anything until the day of the delivery,” said Rick Shelley, general manager of Horizon Moving Systems of Sierra Vista.
Like Horizon, Campstone Transfer, a Huachuca City-based moving company and agent for Atlas Van Lines, does not require a deposit prior delivering the customer’s household goods.
“It’s against federal regulations,” said Tabitha Jacob, general manager for Campstone. “Our COD shipments are just that, cash on delivery. Some people prefer to pay ahead of time, and that’s their choice, but we never ask for a deposit prior to delivery. There’s not one reputable van line that would require a deposit.”
When questioned about his company’s policy, Woo explained that they require a $150 deposit.
He flatly denied the Wilsons’ claim that they had been required to pay $9,400 in advance.
“All companies require some form of deposit,” Woo added. “If they say they don’t, it’s a lie.”
Consumer protection
Around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of Feb. 26, all items were loaded and the truck left the Wilsons’ home in Oregon for the final time. United Relocation Services would be storing their things until they were ready to have them shipped to Sierra Vista.
After arriving in Sierra Vista, the Wilsons started questioning different scenarios that occurred during their move. For one thing, when they contacted the company, no one seemed to be able to tell them where their possessions were being stored. Sometimes they were told North Hollywood, Calif., and other times, Oregon.
“Clark and I were getting really nervous about this company,” Marlys said. “I was worried we might never see our things again.”
Wondering if other people had similar experiences with the mover, the Wilsons looked up United Relocation Services online and then typed in “fraud/scam.” The name “Ziggy” came up, along with a detailed account written by someone who had endured a horrific moving experience with the same company. Early in their move, Marlys and Clark Wilson also had conversations with someone named Ziggy.
“He was difficult to deal with. He wouldn’t listen to us, and said the problems we were having were our fault, and their company was not to blame,” Marlys Wilson said.
The Wilsons decided to store their possessions at Horizon Moving Systems in Sierra Vista. When they contacted Horizon and told an employee what they had been through, they were advised to contact MoveRescue, an organization created to help people with unscrupulous movers, and to file a complaint with the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures.
“We have had other complaints about these folks,” Stroh said. “What they’re going through is typical of these rogue movers. They demand more money, even if there’s a binding estimate, and often operate under different names.”
An investigation begins
The Wilsons spoke to Stroh, who expressed an interest in investigating their move. He advised the couple to go along with United Relocation Services and their demands, and to try to secure a delivery date.
The delivery date, which was pushed around several times by the company, was finally set for March 22, between 8 a.m. and noon. Their items would be delivered to Horizon Moving Systems for storage. Since the company insisted on a Saturday delivery, Horizon made special arrangements to have a full crew on hand that day.
The Wilsons’ items arrived in two different Budget rental trucks. When the first truck arrived, driven by Marvin Jose Medina, the driver was met by Stroh, backed by a Sierra Vista police officer. Upon checking his documents, Stroh saw that Medina did not have a valid driver’s license. In addition, his load was 700 pounds over the maximum weight limit of 26,000 pounds.
About two hours later, a second Budget truck arrived, driven by Ben Grosman, a new employee of Paramount — the name of the company both drivers said they worked for.
It was Grosman’s first delivery. He did have a valid driver’s license, which meant he would be taking Medina back to California with him in his truck, as law enforcement officers would not allow Medina to drive the Budget truck without a valid driver’s license.
When questioned about his co-worker’s expired license, Woo said Medina’s license had been temporarily suspended for a minor problem, now resolved.
As their possessions were unloaded, the Wilsons noted damaged pieces of furniture, which they documented. An antique gun collection that had belonged to Clark Wilson’s father is missing. With the help of a Horizon employee, the couple searched for the collection, but could not locate the guns. Complicating matters further, the firearms were not listed on the customer inventory list. The Wilsons, however, have a photo of the collection.
“Each firearm should have been listed on the customer’s inventory sheet, along with the serial number and the make and model of the gun,” said Shelley of Horizon Moving Systems. “The firearms have been completely omitted from the customer’s inventory.”
When asked about the missing guns, Woo said the guns had been packed in a wardrobe box and placed on the truck with the other items.
“I did not list the guns because I thought it would be better if they were not listed. I did not want to call attention to them,” Woo said.
More questions
Documents provided by the mover to the customer, a bill of lading and the order of service are required to have the moving company’s Department of Transportation number on the paperwork. There were no DOT numbers on any of the documents given to the Wilsons.
Woo said the company is in the process of printing out new contracts, so blank sheets are being used.
“Our DOT number is 1582998,” he added. “Once our new contracts are printed, the DOT number will be included on our paperwork.”
Woo’s company uses small rental trucks when the customer’s residence is too difficult to access with an 18-wheeler. In addition, Woo explained it’s difficult to find employees with a commercial driver’s license, which is required to drive the big rigs. He said his company typically doesn’t use the large trucks for “small trips, under 500 miles.” Neither one of the drivers who transported the Wilsons’ possessions to Horizon had commercial driver’s licenses, which is why they used rental trucks.
“It’s easier for us to find guys with the regular driver’s licenses,” Woo added.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires all movers to prepare a written estimate on every shipment, which is presented to the customer. All charges, including transportation, accessorial and advance charges, are to be included on the document. A binding estimate must be in writing, and a copy of that estimate must be made available to the customer before the move. Customers cannot be required to pay any more than the estimated amount upon delivery.
Woo claims he gave the Wilsons a new estimate of $14,606, which included “generous discounts,” as soon as he saw their household goods.
“On the second day of the move, things started to change very quickly,” he said. “He (Clark Wilson) kept adding more items that he wanted moved. At that point, I contacted my office and spoke to dispatch about the additional items. The second day, the amount jumped to $18,500 because there was so much cubic feet space.”
While Woo admits the estimate escalated drastically, he considered it generous because of discounts he was giving the Wilsons. While the Wilsons’ copy of the binding estimate shows a total of $8,500, a copy presented by one of the driver’s shows alterations on the estimate, where someone inserted a one in front of the $8,500, bringing the total to $18,500. The altered paperwork is something that Stroh noted during his investigation.
Now that Weights and Measures has investigated the move, Stroh will be filing a report with the federal agency, outlining his findings.
“I’m so glad that we decided to get help with this,” Marlys Wilson said. “I hope that other people see what we went through and don’t make the same mistakes that we did. When people are looking for a moving company, they really should obtain a copy of and read ‘Your Rights and Responsibilities’ before hiring a mover. If we had done that, it would have saved us a lot of frustration.”
DANA COLE can be reached at 515-4618 or by e-mail at dana.cole@svherald.com.
SCAR wrote on Mar 31, 2008 9:23 AM: