aDVANCED mOVING several! ripoff rip-offs Sunrise Florida

My name is Lori and I am a Registered Nurse with a master's degree education. I am NOT a stupid person! When I was ready to move from Missouri to Pennsylvania, I contacted several moving companies. The company I chose to go with - Advanced Moving - seemed to have the best customer service. They were not the cheapest, at all, but they did have a 7-10 day delivery GUARANTEE. They told me they were a registered Bekin agent - based in Chicago, IL. I would find out differently later!

They picked up my things and five weeks later, I was still trying to figure out where they were and who these movers were. I had done all of my home work and checked with state and local Better Business Bureaus. No complaints that I could find for a business with that name in the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois. (They told me they were a registered Bekin agent out of Chicago.) I even called Bekin - Bekin said, "We have no complaints for an agent with that name." Later, I found out, they obviously were not a Bekin agent - but Bekin didn't pursue that avenue. And, they were based out of Florida - seemingly the only state in the country that has no laws regarding the transport of household goods! Very clever of them, don't you think?

At any rate, with the help of local authorities in Missouri and Pennsylvania, county and state authorities, and the FBI, we were able to negotiate a price of $4422. They initially quoted me $1644 and after they picked up my already packed stuff from a storage unit, they told me it would be $8,989.

I had the certified check for $4422 waiting. They still didn't show on September 4 as promised after all negotiations. I called them that evening and told them if I didn't hear something by 7 am the next day, I was refusing delivery! Enough was enough!
The next morning they called and were on their way - they would be arriving at around 9am.

I contacted the local police on this end and they said to call when they arrived. And, under no circumstance should I give them the certified check until they had unloaded the truck. If I had any problems, call.

They arrived, let me look in the truck to at least see that it was my stuff, and from what I could tell, it was. I made up a couple of excuses about waiting for my fiance to get back with the check. They called their office and a man named Jonathon (who I had never spoken to) said, "Why didn't you have the check waiting?" I told him I had waited 5 weeks, they could wait 5 minutes. We had been advised by Federal authorities to stall them until the authorities arrived. In addition, I had done tons of research and found that an individual is ONLY obligated to pay 10% over the quoted estimate at the time of delivery if there is a price difference - on a non-binding estimate. I had a non-binding estimate.

I had flown my mother here from Missouri to identify these men and to see if they were the same two that picked up my things there. They were not. While waiting, my mom suggested I go call the police again while she stayed outside with the movers. I went in and when I did, they drove off with my things! They said they were going to get a coke and they would be right back. As I was speaking to the police dispatcher, I gave her the license number and truck info and 10 or 15 minutes later, they arrived at my house with a police escort. They were pulling onto the highway to leave town. There's some honest, hard working individuals for you!

At any rate, they continued to refuse to unload my things. All of my phones were ringing off the hook from local, state, and federal authorities. When asked if they could produce a bill of lading or a contract, they could not. They were arrested on charges of receipt of stolen property and the truck was impounded. (When the police escorted the movers back to my house, they STILL refused to unload the truck!)

The next day, the police called and said they had obtained a search warrant. And, that I would have to get my things immediately. We rented a U-haul and the two of us unloaded the whole truck. I called several local moving companies, and, as expected, they were all booked. However, by the time we arrived at the police department, there was a phone number to call. One of the secretaries at a very helpful moving company here, had been making phone calls all day and there were 4-8 men who were willing to volunteer to help me - but they couldn't until after 7:00 that evening. I thanked her profusely, and asked her to pass along my gratitude, but we were really under the wire and couldn't wait that long. When we unloaded the truck and got to unpack at home - there were a TON of items missing and EVERYTHING else was damaged. I had just purchased all new furniture and nothing was scratched or damaged when I left it. So, we have been out a ton of money replacing everything.

In the end, the two Israeli drivers did come back to Pennsylvania to appear in court. They agreed to sign a paper stating that they had not stolen anything - they were simply doing a job. The charges were dropped in exchange for their Visas and they were deported.

Over a year later, Advanced Moving SUED ME for the $4422. I wrote a letter to the judge in Florida, had our attorney file affadavits with the courthouse and pleaded for a dismissal or change of venue. The reason for requesting the change of venue was because they were suing me in Florida. I did not enter a contract in Florida; I didn't even know the movers were IN Florida until they already had my stuff. The judge immediately dismissed the suit. However, we were out an additional $1000 for legal fees!

I would be interested in pursuing civil action against these fools, if anyone else is that has been scammed by them. They are still advertising that they are registered and insured; they are NOT! They had changed their address on the website from Florida to Californa. However, this morning, I looked and there was no address listed. They are still in Florida.

If anyone else needs help, please visit www.movingadvocateteam.com. It is a very helpful website, filled with stories from others that have been scammed, and supported by the group of us that are trying to stop these people!

Lori
Columbia, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

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