21st Century Moving & Storage 2 guys and a Truck ****Refused to charge my Visa credit card for payment, then took my items against my will and forced me to pay $250 night storage to get my items back*** Santa Ana California

Refused to charge my Visa credit card for payment, then  took my items against my will and forced me to pay $250 night storage to get my items back!

 In summary, I needed to move my Dad's things (who had passed away) into another storage facility.  I called Robert (21st Century) to arrange for this.  I just received an email confirming that my move was scheduled @$73.00/hr, cash only (they take credit cards but at $84.00/hr. The movers arrived at the facility and packed up the items to be moved.  Upon our arrival at the new facility, the movers were starting to unload and one mover said that he needed me to complete some paperwork and pay 50%, and the balance when the move was complete.

The movers had me sign several documents, but the only documents I was given copies of were 2 yellow pages, containing some basic information and descriptions.  I told the mover him that I didn’t have cash, so he got on the phone with Robert to tell him, then handed me the phone to talk to him.  His tone with me on the phone was escalating. I told him the same thing that I didn’t have cash, but provided him with my debit card #.  I was told that I would be charged the higher rate because I was using a credit card, which I said was  fine because I did not have cash.  Because the situation was not pleasant and Robert seemed to get increasingly angry on the phone, which made me feel threatened and panicked, I forgot to tell him that since the card I gave him was a debit card, it needed to be run in 2 separate increments; because of the amount of the transaction,  it would not go through in just 1 transaction.  I then hung up with him

He called back and sounded even angrier telling me that the card declined 3 times. I tried to explain to him that the card needed to be run in 2 increments because of the large amount. His only comment was "why didn’t you tell me that before!" and then continued to repeat that it was declined 3 times.  I continued to try and explain to him why and requested that he run it in 2 increments. He refused telling me that he was going to take my items and "store" them. I told him that I would give him a regular Visa, but he continued to repeat that "card declined 3 times".  I kept telling him that the other card was a debit card, but the one I was going to give him  was a regular Visa and not a debit card. However he continue to ignore what I was saying and in an angry tone, just repeated that the "card declined 3 times". He also told me that "I was playing games"!

I basically begged him to take my other Visa credit card, but he refused and told me that they were going to take my items and that it was going to be $250 a day to store my dad's things on the truck!  Also, since they were not going to be available the next several days, I would end up paying for days they were not there/available and busy with other moves. So even though I had no choice and I wouldn’t be able to get my items that day, I would still have to pay the $250/day to store my items on his truck. nowhere in the only paperwork i was given to this point( the 2 yellow pages) did it say that items would be stored on their truck at $250/day!! To the contrary, on 1 of the yellow documents I was given, it stated that for incomplete payment, the items would be taken and placed into storage at $20/day!!!.

With that the phone was handed back to the mover and unbeknownst to me, he was telling the mover to pack up and leave (I found out later that apparently he told the mover that it was New Year's eve and that he wanted to get out of there). I believe that this was a set up to get more money from me.  I called him and left him a message the very next day to make arrangements to get my items.  However he did not return my call until the following day.  The night of the move he had quoted me $914 for 10 hours total, including everything.  However, when he was telling me what he was charging me for when he called back, somehow that 10 hours he quoted me, turned into a charge for 13 hours. I was also told that (even though he was not available for me to get my things back) he was charging me for 2 nights storage @$250/day AND 13 hours AND re delivery!!  So because he refused run my debit card in 2 transactions, or to take my Visa card, he charged me a total of $1504, instead of $914.  

It would seem in my opinion, that due to the fact this was an already a very emotional situation because the items I needed moved were my Dads, Robert could have done the decent thing and charged my card(s) and not have taken my items against my will.  But it appears to me that losing the additional $560 he made off me by doing so, was not worth it

To get my items back, he required me to pay all cash only, the entire amount upfront and not upon delivery

I would like to add that since it was just my niece and i doing this move with no males around, it s my opinion that we were easier marks for this.  Subsequent to this happening to me, I did some on line research and found that according to The National Association of realtors, that situations like mine are apparently "a scam that's more common than many realize" with movers. So much so that President Obama enacted a law to protect consumers from practices like holding owners items hostage….

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2012/09/04/movers-hold-home-owners-items-hostage