Moved to vet school w/ scammy moving company--WARNING!

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Sorry for the cross-post, but wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible...

Hi, guys,

Just don't want to let what's happened to me happen to you! My mom chose my moving company so I wasn't really involved (she was paying for it as a gift). Man, do I regret that now.

My mom was promised verbally that my stuff would be in Kansas on August 2. "Don't worry about the fine print," she was told. "Your daughter's going to vet school--that's fantastic--I'll make sure it gets there on August 2." The whole reason for being delivered so early was, of course, so that I could unpack and get completely settled at KSU by the time orientation starts on August 13.

To make a long story short, I still don't have my belongings. They are telling me it'll be at least another week. As an example of their lack of professionalism, I was told to "come down here and make me give you his name" when insisting on the name of someone's supervisor. However, it doesn't end there.

Doing a simple Google search on the company--Capital Moving Group--reveals that they have changed names several times and are in the habit of illegal practices, including trying to extort hundreds to thousands of dollars more at the time of delivery, threatening to hold goods hostage, failing to deliver goods, etc. I am terrified of what is going to happen if/when they finally get here, but have done my research and have printouts of the appropriate laws to show them. Also, I will have a police officer present during the unloading of my belongings.

I have been sleeping on an air mattress for a week. I have none of my familiar belongings and am feeling utterly displaced. This company is registered with the BBB with a "good" reputation simply because, like many moving companies, they repeatedly close their doors and re-open under a different name with a different DOT number before complaints can be processed and traced. This clears their record.

Please please please--DO NOT let what happened to me happen to you. Verify that the company is in good standing with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Go to protectyourmove.gov and read all the appropriate information. A website I've found to be very helpful is movingscam.com.

Orientation starts Monday, August 13 and classes start Monday, August 20. If and when they do eventually arrive, I'll either be missing a day of orientation or one of my first days of class of veterinary school. Our first exam is August 31.

I have been trying to get into vet school for six years and I feel like the beginnings of my professional career are being jeopardized by this scammy moving company.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!!!!

Originally Posted by alliecat44

Sorry for the cross-post, but wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible...

Hi, guys,

Just don't want to let what's happened to me happen to you! My mom chose my moving company so I wasn't really involved (she was paying for it as a gift). Man, do I regret that now.

My mom was promised verbally that my stuff would be in Kansas on August 2. "Don't worry about the fine print," she was told. "Your daughter's going to vet school--that's fantastic--I'll make sure it gets there on August 2." The whole reason for being delivered so early was, of course, so that I could unpack and get completely settled at KSU by the time orientation starts on August 13.

To make a long story short, I still don't have my belongings. They are telling me it'll be at least another week. As an example of their lack of professionalism, I was told to "come down here and make me give you his name" when insisting on the name of someone's supervisor. However, it doesn't end there.

Doing a simple Google search on the company--Capital Moving Group--reveals that they have changed names several times and are in the habit of illegal practices, including trying to extort hundreds to thousands of dollars more at the time of delivery, threatening to hold goods hostage, failing to deliver goods, etc. I am terrified of what is going to happen if/when they finally get here, but have done my research and have printouts of the appropriate laws to show them. Also, I will have a police officer present during the unloading of my belongings.

I have been sleeping on an air mattress for a week. I have none of my familiar belongings and am feeling utterly displaced. This company is registered with the BBB with a "good" reputation simply because, like many moving companies, they repeatedly close their doors and re-open under a different name with a different DOT number before complaints can be processed and traced. This clears their record.

Please please please--DO NOT let what happened to me happen to you. Verify that the company is in good standing with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Go to protectyourmove.gov and read all the appropriate information. A website I've found to be very helpful is movingscam.com.

Orientation starts Monday, August 13 and classes start Monday, August 20. If and when they do eventually arrive, I'll either be missing a day of orientation or one of my first days of class of veterinary school. Our first exam is August 31.

I have been trying to get into vet school for six years and I feel like the beginnings of my professional career are being jeopardized by this scammy moving company.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!!!!

First off, I just wanted to tell you that I'm a psychiatrist and an attorney, so what I'm about to say isn't just crap, it has some merit.

1. Your mom SHOULD have received some form of written contract with terms of delivery, not just an oral promise. Did she? If not, parol evidence can be used to prove a contract was formed between herself and the company with delivery EOB on August 2. So, even if no paper contract existed, a contract can still be found by a court based on the parol evidence rule and promissory estoppel (the idea that you detrimentally relied on their oral promise for delivery of goods/services on Aug 2 and that promise was broken and it caused you some form of damage).

I suggest the following:

1) Contact the Attorney General's Office of the state where the business is located. See if they have a consumer complaint/fraud division. File a complaint and provide specfic details (e.g., names, dates, terms, what was said, etc.).

2) Contact the company and tell them you have contacted an attorney and you have also contacted the Atty General's Office in their state. In additon, tell the company you've contacted a local newspaper and they were interested in hearing how you were ripped off. Tell the company they have by end of business Aug 13 to deliver your property. If you have not received your property by that time, you are going to contact the police department of your home city, or where the company is located, and file a police report for stolen goods. After all, they intentionally deprived you of your personal property, without just compensation, which is larceny.

Actually file a police report if they haven't complied by Aug 13th. Once you start making threats, they'll deliver. Also, have your mom cancel payment on her credit card, if she already paid. No delivery, no payment.

These things might not prove successful, but I think they'll help get your stuff to you sooner than later.

Good luck,
Zack

Good points ProZack. I know Michigan State University has its own legal team that provides free advise to students. I would check to see if your school offers the same. You may even be able to get a student rate for services. Sorry to hear about your moving problems. I know my husband and I will end up using a company for the next time we move, so those sites will definitely help, alliecat. My husband is really really anal about our stuff so I'm sure he will look at every possible report for companies. I hope you get your stuff back soon!