;
  • Report:  #5229

Complaint Review: State to State Van Lines moving - Davie Florida

Reported By:
- Tempe, Arizona,
Submitted:
Updated:

State to State Van Lines moving
8930 State Road #84, #122 Davie, 33324 Florida, U.S.A.
Phone:
1-800-994-9609
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
My family and I are in the process of moving from Palo Alto,

California, to Houston, Texas. On February 12, 2001, I called

State to State Van Lines at the number 1-800-994-9609 to ask them to quote the cost of moving my furniture and other stuff

from Palo Alto to Houston. Mr. Michael Parker answered my

phone and gave me a quote. I also asked him to send me an

e-mail to confirm what I had discussed with him. Here is his

e-mail:

******************

Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 16:37:42 -0500

From: state to state van lines



To: MY E_MAIL

Subject: State to State Van-Lines Moving Estimate

State to State Van-Lines

Job Order:

Customers Name : Mr. MY NAME

Tel. Number : MY PHONE

Scheduled pick up date: 2/25/01

Scheduled pick up time: 12 Noon

Origin address: MY ADDRESS

confirmation # : ZA-2394

the cost for your move to TX is approximately $1,350 includes up to 350 cu. ft. , Door to Door pick up and delivery , Labor loading and unloading, And insurance for the move.

Mr. MY NAME , i would like to stress that i will be completely

involved in all aspects of your move, from the early planning

stages to the point of completion. i look forward assisting you

with your up coming move.

Sincerely,

Michael Parker

Relocation Specialist.

State to State Van Lines

1-800-994-9609

http://www.statetostatevanlines.com/

**********************

On February 24, just one day before the scheduled pick up

date, Michael Parker called me and told me that they could

not pick up my stuff on February 25, and asked me whether

they could pick up my stuff on February 26, at noon? I said

OK. At about 10:00 am on February 26, I called Michael

Parker and asked him whether the driver will be on time? He

answered yes. At noon, I had not seen any driver yet, so I

called Michael Parker again. He told me that the driver would

be late because of the traffic. I waited until about 4:00 PM,

two drivers appeared and they started loading my stuff. At

about 6:00 PM, they finished their work. The driver told me

that they did not have time to measure the exact total volume

of all my belongings, so they just wrote 350 cubic feet in the

contract. I asked him what is the total cargo space of the

truck. He told me it is 1800 cubic feet. All my belongings

occupied less than 1/4 of the cargo space of that truck.

After they picked up my stuff, I scheduled my flight and

prepared to fly to Houston on March 21.

Before I took off on March 21, 2001, I called Michael Parker

several times at the number 1-800-994-9609 and tried to ask

him to deliver my belongings on March 22, 2001. Everytime,

he asked me to hold. I waited for him until 11:00 AM, just

before the taxi driver came in to pick me up to San Francisco

Airport. I quickly called my wife, and asked her to continue

call Michael Parker to make sure they deliver my belongings

to my apartment at Houston on March 22, 2001. Then I left for

the airport.

When I arrived at the Hotel at about 9:00 PM Houston time, I

called my wife. She told me something wrong with the

moving company State to State Van Lines. She told me that

Michael Parker asked us to pay an additional $3000.00 by

cash before the delivery. My wife refused to pay the

additional $3000.00 because she thought it is not reasonable.

On March 22, in the morning, I called Michael Parker and

tried to solve the problem. He told me that they are not going

to deliver my belongings unless we pay them the additional

$3000.00 by cash. He also told me that they have to get the

money before they can arrange the delivery, and the reason

why they charge us the additional $3000.00 is that the total

volume of my belongings is much greater than the initial

estimation. I asked him what is the actual volume and I said

we can pay some additional amount based on the actual total

volume. He said he did not know the actual volume. I asked

him to give me a written invoice otherwise I refuse to pay any

additional amount.

On March 22, in the afternoon, I wrote an e-mail to Michael

Parker. Here is the e-mail:

***********

Mr. Michael Parker

I, on behalf of my wife and myself, am writing to officially

I request your company, State to State Van-Lines, to deliver

our belongings you are holding to my address, which is:

MY ADDRESS AT HOUSTON

I request your company to deliver our belongings today

March 22, 2001), or Saturday (March 24, 2001) or Sunday

morning (March 25, 2001). If I do not get our belongings

before noon of March 25, 2001, you and your company (State

to State Van-Lines) are responsible for any physical,

psychological, financial and other charges and damages to

me and my family.

I have talked with my lawyer. Here are just some examples of

the damages for you to consider in making your decision.

(1). There are some books in my belongings that are currently

held by your company. Those books are necessary for me to

do my work. Without them, I cannot work. I am currently

working as a consultant. I charge my client at the rate of US

$250.00 per hour. If I cannot work because I do not have those

books, your company is responsible to pay me at the same rate.

(2). My bed is also being held by your company. Without the

bed, I have to sleep on the floor. As you may be aware,

Houston is pretty cold at night lately. If I get any health

problems because your company is holding my bed, your company has to take the responsibility to cover all my medical expenses and other financial consequences.

(3). Psychologically, because your company is holding our

belongings, both my wife and I are very depressed. If anything unexpected happened, your company has to take all the responsibility.

Having said that, let us discuss your request. To my understanding, you are trying to make as much money as possible. However, one good thing for people living in the

United States is that everybody has the equal rights, and a

court can justify any dispute including presidential election.

So the legal way to make more money is by hard working

rather than by over charging your customers.

As you said to my wife yesterday, and me today on the

phone, you requested us to pay an additional amount of

$3000.00. I believe your request for the additional $3000.00 is

unreasonable. If we add $3000.00 to the amount written in the

contract, the total will be US $4479.50. As clearly written in

the contract, your rate is US $4.00 per cubic foot. So how

many cubic feet is your calculation based on? About 1100.00

cubic feet?

Your driver, Niz, told me that the truck, which he used to pick

up our belongings, only has 1800 cubic feet of cargo space.

All my belongings occupied much less than one fourth of the

total cargo space of the truck, which means much less than

450 cubic feet. So you are charging us at the rate of more

than $10.00 per cubic foot. If you want more money, the total

amount has to be reasonable! Do you think your request is

reasonable?

If our belongings take more than 350 cubic feet as you argued, we still have two ways to approach your argument. The first way is that we refuse to pay any additional charge because we have the contract and I believe you have a copy too. If the actual volume of our belongings is not 350 cubic feet, why your driver wrote 350 cubic feet in the contract? As you may know, the contract was signed by both your driver and me.

The second way, which is more friendly, is that we pay some additional charge provided the additional charge is reasonable based on the actual total volume of our belongings. In this case, you need to e-mail me the actual total volume. Also, we will not pay any amount before our belongings are delivered to my apartment. This is also the rule written in the contract.

Which way we are going depends on your decision. After said so much, I hope you could understand what I mean, and I hope you could make the right decision.

Please feel free to e-mail me. You can always reach me by

e-mail. You can also call me at MY PHONE NUMBER if you

like, but I cannot guarantee that I am at this phone all the

time.

Take care and good luck with your business!

MY NAME

******************

I know they have received my message because after I sent

my message I got an automatic reply from them. Here is the

automatic reply:

*****************

Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 16:28:27 -0500

From: info

To: MY E_MAIL

Subject: Thank You from State to State Van Lines

Thank You from State to State Van Lines

Dear Customer:

We have received your E-mail. A relocation specialist will be

in contact with you shortly. If you have any questions or

concerns regarding your move, you may call us at:

1-800-994-9609. For special offers or moving tips visit our

website @ WWW.STATETOSTATEVANLINES.COM

Thank You,

State to State Van Lines

[email protected]

**************

Because I could not get my belongings at Houston, I could not

live there. So I flew back to California on March 25, 2001.

On March 27, 2001, I sent my complaint to the Better Business

Bureau through their on-line service. All the information

above was included in the complaint. I have not received any

reply from the Better Business Bureau yet.

On March 28, 2001, I sent my complaint to Moving.com. That

was where I found the advertisement of State to State Van

Lines. On April 4, 2001, I got a message from Ms. NAME from

Moving.com on my answering machine. She asked me to call

her back at 1-800-655-2932.

On April 5, 2001, in the morning, I called Ms. NAME. She told

me that she had called Michael Parker and Michael Parker

told her that he did not ask me for the additional $3000.00.

Then she said she would ask Michael Parker to call me.

On April 6, in the morning, I called Ms. NAME again because I

had not received any phone call from Michael Parker. I told

Ms. NAME that I could not trust Michael Parker at all. I

proposed that if Michael Parker wanted to solve the problem I

would like to ask Ms. NAME to be a third party to make sure

everything is fare. I suggested to send a check to her and ask

her to hold the check before my belongings are safely

delivered to my place at Houston. She said that it is a good

suggestion and she said she would ask Michael Parker to call

me within 5 minutes. I asked her to send me her mailing

address by e-mail. I waited at the phone for about 10 minutes,

but I did not get any phone call from Michael Parker.

On April 9, 2001, early in the morning, Michael Parker called

me. He said that nobody had ever asked us to pay the

additional $3000.00. He asked me whether I still wanted my

belongings. I said yes. Then he said he would arrange my

belongings to be delivered before the 16th of April. He said

that if I wanted my belongings to be delivered, because I was

still in California, I should ask my friend to pay the drivers by cash before they could unload my stuff. I said I could not ask my friend to pay them by cash and I insisted to send a check

to Ms. NAME at Moving.com. We could not reach an agreement on the phone, and he got very angry and terminated the phone call. After the phone call, I realized that I might not get my belongings because he asked me whether I really wanted my belongings. So I wrote an e-mail to him. Here is the e-mail.

**********************

Mr. Michael Parker,

Thank you for calling me this morning. I realized that I have

to write this e-mail to clarify the following three issues and

tell you what I am thinking.

First, I would like to emphasize that I need my belongings.

That was why I flew to Houston on March 21, 2001. That was

why my wife called you on March 21, 2001, and I called you

on March 22, 2001. Also, that was why I e-mailed you an

request on March 22, 2001.

Second, as you said when you called me this morning, nobody asked us to pay the additional $3000.00. Well, you can deny everything you talked with my wife and me because we did not record our conversations on a tape and you refused to send us a written notice when I asked for that.

However, if you did not say that, why you did not deliver my

belongings within the three days (March, 22, 24, and 25, 2001)

I proposed?

Third, you mentioned when you called me this morning that

you called my wife last week. I checked with my wife right

after you called me. My wife said that nobody from State to

State Van Lines called her last week. If you want to prove

your contact with us, please send us e-mail next time.

As I suggested to Ms. NAME at Moving.com, there are two

options you can take now. The first option is you buy me the

airtickets. So I can fly there and you can arrange the delivery

and I can pay your drivers right after the delivery. The second

option is that I ask my friend to open my apartment and you

arrange the drivers to put my belongings in my living room.

As you clearly indicated when you called me this morning,

you are not going to buy the tickets for me. So I realized that

you would like to take the second option.

For the second option, I am concerning about that you are

not going to do the job if I pay you in advance. Also, even

you do the delivery, you may refuse to work with me if

anything damaged during the moving. You may worry about

that I am not going to pay you the remaining $739.75. To

make life easier for both of us, I suggest that I mail a check

(payable to state to state van lines) with the remaining

amount indicated above plus tips for to drivers to Ms. NAME at

Moving.com. I am going to ask her to hold the check until I

am in Houston and am able to check my belongings. After I

make sure all my belongings are in good condition, I will tell

Ms. NAME to release the check to you.

Please send me an e-mail and tell me what you think and the

date and time when you can deliver my belongings at Houston. Thanks.

MY NAME

*****************************

On April 13, Michael Parker called me early in the morning.

He said if I wanted my belongings to be delivered, I had to

ask my friend to pay them by cash. I said I could not do that.

He said that I had complained in a few places and caused

damages to his company. I said you deserved it. He got really

angry and said shame on me and he would put my

belongings into trash and asked me to say bye-bye to my

belongings. Then he terminated the call. I got very upset after

his call. I realized that I had to write an e-mail to him. Here is the e-mail.

********************

Mr. Michael Parker:

This message is to clarify why I do not trust you, why I cannot

pay your company by CASH, and request your written apology for what you said to me this morning.

First, why I do not trust you. Well, in one sentence, it is

because you always deny what you have said.

On March 21, 2001, when my wife called you, you said we

had to pay an additional $3000.00 by cash. Otherwise, you

were not going to deliver my belongings. On March 22, 2001,

when I called you, you said the same thing, plus, you said

that my belongings were in Houston, and if we paid you, you

were going to arrange the delivery. However, when Ms.

NAME from moving.com called you and asked you about that,

you denied what you said to my wife and me.

On April 9 and 10, you called me twice before 8:00 AM.

Basically, you were trying to arrange the delivery and you

said you were trying to deliver my belongings on Saturday

(April 14, 2001). I said fine, as long as you sent me an e-mail

to repeat what you said on the phone. You said you were going to send me an e-mail on Wednesday (April 11, 2001).

But until now, I have not received any written message from you yet. So basically, you always deny what you said to me and my

wife on the phone. Based on what you said and did, how can

I trust you?! If you were me, what you would do?!

Second, why I cannot pay you by cash. Well, why I should

pay you by cash? Is that written in the contract? If you do not

remember, let me remind you that I paid your driver $739.75

by check on February 26, 2001, when they finished loading

my belongings. Why I cannot use another check this time?

Third, I request you to send me a written apology for what

you said to me this morning. If you do not remember, let me

remind you. You said SHAME ON ME! I have been curious

about what made you say that. Is that part of your company's

culture or policy of treating your customers? Also, I am not

sure who should be shamed. Did I deny anything I said earlier to you or anybody else? Did I ask you to pay an additional $3000.00? Did I interrupt you when you were talking to me on the phone and not letting you to say anything? If the answers to these questions are yes, please continue say what you said to me. Otherwise, please say it to yourself!

Also, you said on the phone that you are going to put my

belongings into garbage. Well, what you are going to do

depends on yourself. However, you must be fully responsible

for what you do before you do it!

I hope you understand my points. As I suggested in an earlier

e-mail message to you with a copy to Ms. NAME from

moving.com, the best way is to send my check to her because

I do not trust you at all. If you forget the message, you can

read the copy below.

By the way, I will be at Houston on April 22, 2001. If you like

to solve the problem soon, you can ask your driver to delivery

my belongings on that day. But remember, you can only get

paid if nothing is damaged and my belongings are safely

moved into my apartment. Also, I can only pay you by check,

not by cash!

MY NAME

**********************

During April 15 to 17, 2001, I had a business trip to Miami,

Florida. On April 18, I called Ms. NAME at Moving.com and

asked her about the situation. She told me that Moving.com

decided to remove the advertisement of State to State Van

Lines because there were a few complaints against State to

State Van Lines and Michael Parker refused to work with her

on those complaints. Also, she told me that she was not being

able to look into my complaint because of that.

During April 19 to 21, I drove my car from Palo Alto, California, to Houston, Texas. I decided to drive instead of

taking an airplane because I really did not want to get into

another trouble with a moving company. For the same

reason, I will fly back to California on May 26, 2001, then I will drive my second car to Houston.

On April 23, I called the Office of the District Attorney,

Consumer Protection Unit, San Jose, California, at the number 408-792-2880, and asked them the status of my complaint against State to State Van Lines. They told me that they sent a letter to State to State Van Lines and never got any response. They suggested me to call the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Office in San Francisco at the number 415-744-3088. I could not talk to anybody because the office was closed for some reason.

On April 26, I called the Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration Office in San Francisco again and got a phone

number from their message, which is 708-283-3577. I called

this number and got a new number, which is 1-888-368-7238. I

called this number at about 5:30 pm. An officer took my call

and filed my complaint.

I post this complaint here for two reasons. First, I would like

people know about how State to State Van Lines has been

treating me. Second, I hope someone overthere could help

me to get my belongings or give me some advises.

I need my belongings for my family to live at Houston.

Presently, my wife, my daughter and me are living in our

apartment without any furniture. We bought two airbeds last

weekend. Otherwise, we had to sleep on the floor.


1 Updates & Rebuttals

State to State Van Lines should be taken out of commission

#20

Tue, July 03, 2001

This email is a rebuttal to RipOff #5229.
It was sent by Don Purser at [email protected].

State to State Van Lines ..rip-off moveing company from hell. (#5229)

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Don Purser
Their phone number: 504-397-1842
Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
A similar situation happened to me concerning this con artist of a company. State to State Van Lines should be taken out of commission and the moneys derived from their grift operation should be distributed among all those whom they ripped off!!

Reports & Rebuttal
Respond to this report!
Also a victim?
Repair Your Reputation!
//