Uptown-Moving and Storage damaged literally every piece of furniture Tacoma Washington

The moving industry does not work on oral statements from anyone.  It generally works off of the written word only.  Now, they may have billed you for a service they did not provide, which if they're smart, they'll remove from their bill, instead of actually performing.  I personally have never seen a scam mover accept any additional T&C's in a contract other than what they put on a boilerplated agreement - because it only exposes them to liability they aren't going to assume.  Hopefully, they decide to compensate you sufficiently; I've just seen too many that don't.

I think your point regarding outsourcing is absolutely correct, however this practice is prevalent throughout the industry.  For example, you will have an interstate driver transport goods from one end of the country to the other - the driver may be affiliated with a specific mover, but not with any agent of the mover.  Often, the driver cannot find suitable movers, who act as free agents for any moving company, and the company is unable to provide a set of movers to perform unloading services for the driver.  So they find anyone they can, which is all they can really do.  Moving companies assume little in the way of liability because their insurance costs are so expensive to operate and their workers comp cost is astronomical.  So no mover I know has employees who perform moves - they hire independent contractors and trust they have the necessary insurance.  Anyone who tells you their movers are employees of the company is lying to you - period.

I am not affiliated with the mover - I used to work in the industry for many years for a legit mover and consumers simply don't have any idea how different the moving industry is from any other a consumer might use.  I've seen what's happened to consumers and I used to volunteer my time to help get consumers goods back in hostage load situations.  Often consumers use the internet to find a mover, and many movers who reside on the internet are scam movers, so a consumer might get 3 quotes, all quoted in cubic feet, they all quote inexpensively, and they all promise the world over a phone because they can.  So consumers believe since they contacted 3 movers (or more), they researched each mover, and therefore did their due diligence.  What they have instead are 3 scam quotes from 3 scam movers, and the consumer has zero idea they've set themselves up for a disaster when they choose one of the 3 scam quotes.

The laws protecting consumers aren't going to change anytime soon;....our representatives in Congress are not sympathetic to the consumer, despite the fact they know full well what's happening.  Best of luck to you.

Hi Jim - you seem to assume that you know a lot of detail about my move. That means you are either connected to Uptown, or you are just making broad assumptions. I do have certain specifications in my contract, that were paid for, and were not delivered upon. That is breach of contract. And while there may be a few things that fall into the "too bad, so sad" category, I also have admissions from company representatives that this move was done poorly.

Unfortunately, Uptown was not the least expensive option I had. I actually chose to pay more for their services, believeing their spoken and advertised claims that they do not outsource and that they provide professional and quality movers, trucks and supplies. I just want other potential customers to know that this is simply not the case. The Uptown sales guys you talk to are actually pretty nice, and come across as transparent and honest. It's too bad that our experience spiraled into what it did. 

And you make good points: do not hire a company who doesn't perform on-site estimates, and make sure your quote is is pounds. Uptown only did my estimate over the phone (and I even called them back to add items and make sure it was accurate), and they charge based on cubic feet. So you are right, I should not have hired them. 

Unfortunately, whatever you were promised on the phone from these guys doesn't transfer to the final contract.  The estimate they provided you for $6,000 isn't binding on anyone because in moving, you actually have to have an estimator come out to see everything for it to be binding.  The moving contract is boilerplate written to protect the mover in every possible way.  Promises made by an estimator over a telephone would never be part of any moving contract.  No mover, not even a legitimate mover can promise a move won't be outsourced to guys on either Craig's List, or some other listing they keep either, just for starters.  The only employees in a moving company work in the office and maybe the warehouse.

Insofar as owing thousands, I suspect the contract says they will fulfill claims at $0.60 per pound.  Unfortunately, it means the final claim will settle for about a few hundred dollars.  All of the statements you took at destination are irrelevant in a court; the Carmack Amendment is Federal Law and protects the mover from consumer lawsuits for negligence, fraud, misrepresentation, or any other civil tort you can think of.  Carmack limits you to only what the contract says, your lawyer would be able to tell you that, and the mover knows this - which is why all of the statements indicating the truck was stuffed, or things weren't packed as promised, wouldn't matter.  It's unfortunate, but I've seen customers act with complete disbelief after Carmack got their suits tossed.

I understand I am expressing very little sympathy for your situation but I am always asked how companies like this stay in business?  The answer often is that consumers select them because they happen to be cheaper, and as long as they perform to the boilerplate contract they created, they don't have any problems operating because the law allows it.  Most consumers move maybe 2-3 times in their life; consumers assume moving is just like any other business; it isn't close to being like any other business.  It's unfortunate this happened, but I also think people should be aware the heartbreak doesn't stop simply because the move is completed.

Moving is not inexpensive; it is labor intensive, no automation, and no two moves are alike.  Choosing a mover local to you at your origin (examples are United, Allied, North American, Mayflower, Bekins, and a few others) is your safest choice to getting a good move.  These companies are not cheap. but the likelihood that your items will arrive intact are far greater with these companies.  If you believe these companies are out of your budget, all you have to do is look at all of the damage at destination, you paid $10,000, and then ask how much did the move really cost you?  When you invite a legitimate mover to come see everything before the move, ask them questions face-to-face and assess them.  Overall, select 3 different movers.  Their quotes should be in pounds; if the quote is done in cubic feet, they should be eliminated as a possible mover for you.

I'm sorry this happened to you and best of luck...