Complaint Review: globe moving and storage

This is a documentation of the events of our move from Ogden, Utah to Corpus Christi, Texas.
In late April, I received several moving bids, and they all said that the bids should be within a couple of hundred dollars of each other. I did inventory lists with all of them and they all came in around the 6100lb to 6300lb mark.
Globe came in way under the most expensive by about $2000 so I asked why they were so much cheaper than everyone else. Hank, the sales rep said that with the economy the way it is they are just really needing to drum up business.
All the companies, including Globe said that a 2 bedroom apartment should run around 3500lbs to 5000lbs, but when a representative from Allied came out to look at all our things including what is in storage, he said that I have more like a 3 bedroom apartment because the kitchen was bigger than the average apartment and I was using some of it that would be considered an office. So based on that and storage he came up with the 6300lbs. So Brian and I decided we needed to get rid of some heavy things, so we got rid of the large sectional that had 3 recliners in it, a 42 HDTV that was a big tube TV, the bunk beds and those 2 twin mattresses, a very heavy large IKEA wardrobe closet, a large desktop computer, a 30 tube TV, several sets of weights that totaled about 166lbs, over 100 videos and DVDs and some of the girls toys. So we figure we got rid of at least 1300 pounds maybe more. But to be on the safe side I went back on got bids for 5000lbs from the different companies and of course Globe came in the cheapest. Hank and Sebastian and Chris (the sales reps) all said that they are an A+ rated company with the BBB and that they have never had a complaint in the 6 years of business thus far. But I find it hard to believe that no one has complained. People complain, its human nature however, one of the other companies said that the BBB means nothing because they can be bought off but to just make sure that they were registered with protectmymove.gov, and they were. They have no rating on the BBB and I have rechecked several times over the course of 3 weeks. Also Hank said that he would be with us all thru the move and what ever I needed he was our go to guy. He would tell us where the truck was and when it would be there. However, once they received our deposit of $617 from a total bid of 2479.45. Then we would pay the remaining half at pick up and the rest on delivery. I booked the move date for June 4, 2011. After that when I would try to call no one would answer. Then I finally got a call to confirm our date and June 5th would be a back up date. They never told me about a back up date and we had a tight schedule to keep due to Brian needing to be back at work by the 8th. I finally got a hold of Hank and he said he has no control over dispatch but that he would call and find something out. He called back and just repeated what dispatch already told me. Anyway, they did show up on the 5th and they were an hour late. They were supposed to be there between 9-11am and they didnt show up till just before noon. However, overall that part of the move worked out okay. Then the driver, Gardner gave us an Interstate Bill of Lading Contract for the 5000lbs with the 2 sheets of inventory. Then he gave us an Interstate Revised Written Estimate based on 1000 Cu. Ft. that was on an Order for Service page with a new amount of 7000lbs and that brought our new total to $3619.45. Brian and I clearly disagreed with this amount and he said that we could just call the office and they would go over it with us and do adjustments, he could not do adjustments. Plus there were charges on there for materials and bulky items. We were told that the price they gave included everything. So Gardner said he would take the $150 for the bulky item off. So Brian did sign the revised estimate that was now the Binding Estimate. Then Brian followed them to the scales since we strongly believe that are stuff ways far less than 7000lbs. During the packing process one of the movers did ask where our heavy stuff was and I said that we got rid of it to keep the poundage down and he said why would you do that? Thats how we get paid.ha-ha. So after the truck got weighed with our stuff on it Gardner then tells us that our stuff weighs 9000lbs. We were both distraught to say the least. He gave us his empty ticket weight that he did in Commerce City, CO and then the loaded ticket that was done in Ogden, UT. (later we were told by another company that they are suppose to weigh no more than 50 miles out before they get our stuff) so there is one law that was broken. So the first thing Monday morning while on our drive to Texas I called the office and got the voicemail. Later that day around 2pm someone called to ask how our pick up was and I told them what happened they told me to call McKayla in customer service. So I called her and explained everything to her and she said that she wouldnt have the weight tickets until Tuesday Morning and for me to call back then. So Tuesday morning I called and got the voicemail. No one called me back, I called later that day and left a message and no one called back. I called every single day 2x a day for 10 days and no one called me back. I had Hanks number on my phone still so I got a hold of him on June 11th (I think that was the date) and he said that I needed to call dispatch, that he doesnt do any of that. Yet he told me if I needed to know anything he was my go to guy. So he left me out to dry. However he did give me McKaylas direct line. I called that number and left a voicemail and she did not call me back. So then the 14th comes around and I still have not heard from anyone. By this time, I am growing very concerned about this weight issue, but I really just thought there was a math mistake and that it would resolve itself out once someone would call me. I get a call around 1:30 on the 14th and its the driver of the truck and he told me he would be here around 3:00 and I owed him a balance of 3524.22. I couldnt believe and I started to go off on him, I did apologize because he had nothing to do with it but that we didnt have that kind of money and no even called to warn me a couple days in advance. So he was going to have someone call me and I was going to try McKayla again. This time she actually answered. But she wouldnt talk to me, she just gave me another number and told me to ask for a manager. So I got put off again. I called that number and got a woman and started to tell her what was happening and she put me on hold and then a man came on the phone. By this time I am so irate that I start to raise my voice then I just start yelling. To no avail he would not hear me, he just kept repeating that it came to 9000lbs. and that we owed the $3524.22. I was do dumbfounded that I started to cry. Then he put an owner on the phone by the name of Roy Bernsand he just did the same thing, wouldnt listen to me and then went on to patronize me and we just kept going back and forth. He said that the driver was on his way and we needed to give him cash or a cashiers check and I again said to him that we didnt have that. I kept telling him that I had been trying to get a hold of someone to discuss this before our stuff got here. He just would listen to me. No apologies for such a change in price no empathy no validating how I felt. He just wanted his money and for me to go away. He did tell me that someone should have called me at least 2 days prior to the driver calling me telling me that he was almost here but no one did. If someone would have returned my call within those 10 days this could have been avoided. Of course Brian also got on the phone and that got nowhere. He asked why no one called us back and McKayla admitted to just not wanting to because of the issue.

 You cant have that large of an increase (double) and call right before youre here and tell someone that you owe way more than what you were told before. I told the owner not to deliver until this got settled, but he insisted. I figured out why, it was so he could say he delivered but we wouldnt pay, knowing then he could charge storage fees at $500 a month and a redelivery charge. This company has treated us so badly, and the amount of stress we have been under is just getting to be too much. They dont care about you. They dont care what you have to say, they do things at their discretion without any regard for the consumer and the monies paid to them to provide a valid service which at this point has never been met. Roy Berns asked me what would make me happy and I told him that the original price would. Yet another thing to add is that there is no Chase Bank here in Corpus, the nearest one is in San Antonio. He told me that we should have budgeted for this, no one budgets for double the amount..no one. So then, he said if we could pay $3000 he would call it even. Again, he wasnt listening to anything I said. I tried my very best to talk to someone way before the delivery and no one called back. I feel very strongly that they do that on purpose so they can change the higher amount last minute and still deliver even when you tell him you dont have that kind of money so he can say they tried to deliver but we were unwilling to pay. Then he can make even more money from you with storage fees and the redelivery charge. Then at one point the said that he would take $2500 with a credit card. We dont have a credit card. However I did call my parents and they let us use theirs, but then Roy didnt want the Credit card anymore. At this point we wanted to have the stuff reweighed, then we would pay them, then have the trailer weighted again to really see what would happen with the 9000lbs. Roy the owner wouldnt let us do that. He then said if we do that he wants $3524.22 cash now, then we could do that. This all just went from bad to worse. So then they drove off with our stuff. A man and company with any kind of integrity would have handled this so much differently. First of all a man of integrity would have called us back days prior to all this when I first called. Then he would have said Wow, that is a huge difference, and I completely understand how your feeling. Lets go ahead and reweigh and see how it comes out. A crook treats you the way this company and these people have treated us. NO RESPECT, NO VALIDITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS, TOTAL DISRESPECT OF THE CONSUMER.

 On Wednesday June 15th, I then made calls to the consumer rights people and thru the different calls was able to make a complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. A representative Ashley took my report then referred me to Move Rescue and James Dubose. They specialize in this sort of thing. I left a message with Mr. Dubose and Ashley said that she would send him a copy of the report. As of the 17th I have not heard from him, I am still waiting. I have left 2 messages. When I called Move Rescue, I talked to a man, and I dont recall his name, but he informed me that revised written estimate is a binding contract and they can not bill us for more than the 7000lbs. So based on that we then only owed $2007.11. So why would this company knowingly try to bully $3524.22 out of us. They were being totally illegal. However he also said that they did try to deliver on the dates they said they would be here and regardless of what they wanted from us, we had the numbers from the paperwork before we left and we should have been prepared to pay the binding estimate. Okay, fair enough, however, I will say it again. Because of the large discrepancy on the weight and the fact that I tried like hell to talk to someone about it and that they purposely didnt call me back and waited to slam this large sum on us last minute is unacceptable!! So we called my Dad and he put the money in our account so we could pay these people. When Brian called Roy to tell him, Roy said he still wanted $2500 and that his driver dropped the trailer off at some location that he didnt know and that we would have to rent a truck and transfer everything from that trailer to a truck we have to rent and then move everything ourselves. The whole reason we pay someone else is so we dont have to. So now we are paying to just get our stuff and no service. So Brian has to take time off work to handle this and by doing that he is losing $1800.00 for two days wage plus the cost of the truck.
I am trying to be specific and to the point with this but there is just too much to tell. I am sure that I have left some things out, but again Im trying to get to the point.

 June 22, 2011: UPDATE--We agreed to wire money to his account of $2500 and he would then release us the location of our goods. We did the wire on 6.17.11 at 3:45 but the bank said that due to weekend it will not go thru until Monday 6.20.11. Monday came around and we looked at the account first thing in the morning and it had been pulled, but no call from Globe as to where our stuff is. Brian resumed to call the number that Roy gave him as a direct contact but now it just goes to voicemail. So now its 6.22.11 still no word as to where our stuff is. We then call the regular customer service and they said that he just got in and hell call in a few hours. This is unacceptable..we paid and he should do what he said. At this point we feel like we are not going to get our stuff at all. If it was just furniture I would let it go, buts its photos and a couple of dressers that were my great grandparents and our clothes. Too costly to just go out and replace.
Brian looked on line for their numbers and there was another story just like ours on there and they never got there stuff, and it said that the company is under investigation.
This has been a very expensive lesson, and money we can get over, but not the loss of our goods.
Sincerely,
Brian and Jenell H