Big Man Movers Wesley Ridgwell Refused to pay for furniture damage and broken household goods. Orlando FL

It appears that the long lost brother in law put in his two cents' worth with regard to thr Carmack Amendment.

There is a clause in the Carmack Amendment that deals specically with negligence.  Negligence is excluded from the 60 cents per pound compensation stipulated in this Federal Law.

There were a total of 32 items damaged during the move.  I have taken 54 pictures of these damaged items that plainly illustrate the negligence and total lack of care and responsibility exhibited by Wesley Ridgewell, DBA Big Man Movers during the transportation of my household goods from Kissimmee, FL, to Sedona, AZ. The total estimated damage was well over $5,000.  I called a professional furniture repair person to show him the damage and provide an estimate to Big Man Movers, which he did.  That estimate totaled $2,795.  The estimate Mr. Ridgewell obtained from someone in Florida was $200.  The discrepancy is simply too large for his estimate to be anywhere near an accurate assessment.  Subsequently Mr. Riodgewell offered $500 in compensation, which I initially accepted, burt later refused, since it represented less than 10% of the actual, estimated damage.  

I contacted my real estate agent in Florida and advised that she not recommend this company to anyone. I would highly recommend that anyone seeking to hire a moving company not give any consideration to this firm.  They are not the least bit interested in arriving at a fair and honest solution to the issue at hand. The insurance that he carries stipulates a $500 deductible for damages, for which I would have been responsible.  Since when is the customer responsible for a deductible on an insurance policy issued to the company?

Nobody cares about your pictures.  Nobody cares about your communications or e-mails.  Nobody cares whether he decided to stop by afterward, or not.  None of that is relevant to your situation or to your complaint.  Here is the only thing that matters:

You signed a contract with the mover for your goods to be shipped from FL to AZ.  In that contract is a clause indicating how much valuation you are offered.  Valuation is not insurance, but is your ability to collect on your claim when there is damage.  Most small movers like this one will include valuation at $0.60 per pound in the contract.  If you read your contract, then you likely will find the valuation clause and it will probably say that valuation is offered at $0.60 per pound.

The $300 you were offered was in fact, settling the damage at approximately 500 pounds of damaged goods and under the law, that is all they are liable for.  If you opted to refuse that offer, then you are rejecting any settlement and you will receive nothing.  That is why you should have taken the $300 because under the law, that's is all you are entitled to.

If you choose to sue the mover, the Carmack Amendment (Federal law) will prevent you from collecting anything more than what is in the contract.  If you have spoken to a lawyer, or are a lawyer, then you should know this.  In other words, all you can collect was the $300.  BTW, this is not a secret - movers know this all quite well, but consumers generally don't.

Moral of the story:  Moving is not an inexpensive venture.  Choosing a mover based on price can often cost you far more than the savings you thought you could achieve by going with a small cheap mover.  Get 3 movers to come to your house BEFORE a move, have them look at everything needing to be moved.  Choose the mover you trust, not the cheapest mover.  If a mover does not offer Full Replacement Valuation (or FRV) insurance, then pass on that mover.  If a mover won't come to the house for whatever reason, pass on that mover as well.  FRV would have come closest to paying you for the full amount of your damages.

The next time he offers $300, take it.  That's all you will get.  And no, I do not work for the moving company.