Assurance Van Line Services Top Rate Moving held my belongings hostage for a week Fort Lauderdale Florida

I signed a contract with Assurance Van Lines and also spoke with Jay Cummings, a sales representative with Assurance on Nov 11 to book my reservation to move my belongings from Hyde Park Storage, Chicago IL 60615 to 2950 Van Ness St NW, Washington DC 20008. I paid a deposit of $535. The total amount quoted was $1398.28, with 50% due on pick up and 50% due when everything was dEli Shalem Shalemvered.

  Assurance sent a third party to pick up my things that I was not aware of called Top Rate Moving. Top Rate Moving movers showed up on November 15 and told my father, who was there to meet them, that they wouldn't take anything not in boxes and then charged $220 extra for extra inventory and a load/carry fee. My father paid them the previously agreed upon amount of $451.71 with a postal money order, which is how Assurance Van Lines requested the 50% deposit for pick up be paid. They then told him and my mother that they wouldn't transport my things until the wire transfer for the extra amount went through. Without my knowledge or consent, my father signed a new contract with Top Rate Moving.   At around 4pm EST, I started calling Assurance Van Lines to try to get my belongings taken off the truck. They then transferred me to a Top Rate Moving representative named Ashlie Elizabeth Landry (no last name given). She told me that the truck already left. She did not tell me that my belongings were being taken to a storage facility. She told me they were waiting for the wire transfer of $220 to go through. I asked if my belongings would get to DC by Friday. She told me to call her the next day (Thursday, Nov. 16) to get an update on the status of the drivers and where they were en route to DC. I told her that they needed to be in DC on Friday since I would need to reserve my apartment building's freight elevator. She told me she would tell the drivers my concerns.   At approximately 11am November 16, I called Ashlie Elizabeth Landry at Top Rate Moving. It was then that she told me that my belongings were not en route to DC but instead were being held at a storage facility at 449 Randy Road, Carol Stream IL. This was done without my knowledge or consent. She told me that since there was a balance on my account, that my belongings were being held there until the balance was resolved. I told her that I would pay for the extra inventory but that I would not pay the load carry fee since the movers did not have to transport my belongings more than 100 feet from the building to their truck and hung up.   At this point my mother called Ashlie Elizabeth Landry and Ashlie Elizabeth Landry told my mother that now the balance stood at $1,171 for storage and transportation and that my belongings would not be released until the wire transfer for this amount went through. I called Ashlie Elizabeth Landry and asked her to explain why the balance increased in such a short amount of time and she told me it was for storage and transportation.   I called Assurance Van Lines again to get in contact with Jay Cummings but the person I spoke with refused to let me speak with him and said he "no longer had access to my files." I spoke with the dispatch manager Jose/John (referred to himself as Jose on the phone and John in an email he sent to me on Nov. 16.) He told me that he was "one of the presidents" of Assurance Van Lines and told me that he would not be releasing my things without the wire transfer and grew increasingly belligerent with me before hanging up. I called him back to get more clarification on why my things were being held, why my things were transported in the first place without the wire transfer for the original $220 amount, and where exactly my belongings are being held. He once again hung up on me.   After this, I called the Chicago Police Department's non-emergency line. The officer I spoke with told me this was a civil dispute and while it was borderline criminal behavior, there wasn't much they could do. I called the Florida State's Attorney's office since both Assurance Van Lines and Top Rate Moving are based in Florida. They advised me to file a consumer complaint online which I did on November 17. I then called the Carol Stream Police Department. They told me that there wasn't anything they could do and that I should have called the Chicago Police Department when the company refused to take my belongings off their truck.   After this, I called the Chicago Police Department's non-emergency line. The officer I spoke with told me this was a civil dispute and while it was borderline criminal behavior, there wasn't much they could do. I called the Florida State's Attorney's office since both Assurance Van Lines and Top Rate Moving are based in Florida. They advised me to file a consumer complaint online which I did on November 17. I then called the Carol Stream Police Department. They told me that there wasn't anything they could do and that I should have called the Chicago Police Department when the company refused to take my belongings off their truck.   My mother went to the Chicago Police Department in her Rogers Park neighborhood. The officer there told my mother that since the contract states that the destination is Washington, D.C. and not Carol Stream that this is in fact something that is actionable. They advised her to go to the Carol Stream facility in person and then call the Carol Stream police while there to get my belongings back. On November 17, 2017, my mother wired Top Rate Moving $1,171. Ashlie Elizabeth Landry at Top Rate Movers told her to call on Monday to schedule a driver to come on Tuesday. I then called Ashlie Elizabeth Landry on November 17 to schedule a time for someone to pick up my belongings sooner. She became belligerent with me, threatened to hang up on me and said she would only deal with my mother from now on.   After I insisted she check on her schedule, she told me her driver Freddy would be available at noon on November 18, 2017.    I called another moving company to check their schedule to see if they could pick up my things at that time but no one was available at noon, only at 3pm on November 18. I called Ashlie Elizabeth Landry back and told her I needed to switch the time. Again, she became increasingly belligerent with me and told me that I needed to call on Monday. I asked for these details to be sent to me in an email. She verbally agreed that she would send me an email and then hung up on me. I have not received that email.   On November 20, 2017, my mother contacted Ashlie Elizabeth Landry at Top Rate Moving again. Ashlie Elizabeth Landry told her she would contact her with a date and time for the movers to release my property. After Ashlie Elizabeth Landry failed to call my mother, my mother called Top Rate Moving and she was told that Ashlie Elizabeth Landry "was sick" and left for the day and no one else was available to set up a time for my belongings to be released. That same day, I also contacted Top Rate Moving. I spoke to a man who identified himself as Eli Shalem and he grew increasingly belligerent with me as I asked why I was told to call on Monday about setting up a time for the release of my property only to be told on Monday that no one was available on Tuesday. He told me that he "will not explain anything" to me. He then hung up on me. I called back and spoke to a woman who identified herself as Lisa. She told me that a time had in fact been scheduled for 10am Tuesday, November 21 but "something came up" and that time was no longer available. I repeatedly asked what happened and why there was no one else besides Ashlie Elizabeth Landry to schedule the release. She refused to answer my questions and hung up on me. I called back a third time and the number hung up immediately. As of November 20, 2017, my belongings are still in the Carol Stream, IL storage facility, despite the balance that they claimed I owed being paid in full.    They finally sent two drivers to open the storage unit in Carol Stream on Wednesday, Nov. 22. It may be a coincidence but they only did this after I filed a complaint with both the Better Business Bureau and the FMCSA on Tuesday. I am seeking a refund from this company.