Asked 5 months ago - Sarasota, FL
FlagI recently moved from Virginia to Sarasota Florida. My mover gave me an estimate (binding) of about $6000 for the move. I told him that I had about 15 or 20 more boxes in storage. I asked if he would like to look at the storage. He declined. The final bill was nearly double the original estimate. I was told that I needed to sign a new non binding contract because the weight exceeded what had been estimated by the man that sold us this service. I was told that I couldn't get my goods if I didn't pay and that they would go into storage for which I would be responsible. I was never told how much extra it would cost until the truck was weighed. Anyway, the original estimate was either fraudulent or incompetent. Once the truck was loaded and weighed, I couldn't stop the move.
This is a pretty common form of fraud. People move interstate all the time only to find out that the estimate of their move was grossly undervalued and their goods are held hostage until they pay. It's also one of the rare types of civil cases the police commonly get involved with. You should speak to a civil attorney quickly before the moving company "disappears," something I've found to be common.
Your attorney should consider a claim under the Carmack Amendment to the Interstate Commerce Act which may preempt State law. At least that is something that will need to be researched. Also consider contacting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at 888-368-7238 to complain and see if there is anything else that can be done. Perhaps you would also want to contact attorney George Pezold who wrote the book, Freight Claims in Plain English. I have hired him in the past as a consultant on a freight claims case. I believe his telephone number is 631-427-0100. I believe his email address is pezold@transportlaw.com. If this information has been helpful, please check the thumbs up tab below.
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