Complaint Review: USA Movers and Storage

This company is running an absolute scam and are fraudulently charging customers.

I was contacted by the company after posting details regarding my short move on a moving website. Their representative assured me that the company charged had "no minimums" regarding hourly charge rate. I clearly expressed that my budget was $200 for the move and that I was not interested in paying more than that. I told the representative that if that wasn't adequate, I'd find another moving company or hire workers off Craigslist to assist with my move. In order to coax me to use their company, the representative offered me 50% off travel. Understanding that an hour of travel equalled $95 and that I'd only be getting charged $50 + an hour of moving ($95) on a one hour, I figured $200 was more than enough to cover the job. 

The representative sent me an email with a contract and asked me to fax over a signatured form in order to initiate the move. I told the representative that I was uncomfortable signing anything just yet so he suggested I reply to his message stating my agreement. I replied to the message explicitly describing what terms in the contract I had agreed to ($95/hr + 50% off travel + 5% discount). I verbally agreed to a $100 holding charge that the representative stated would be refunded upon completion of moving services. 

On the day of the move, a driver and two workers show up with a truck. The driver tells me I need to sign a host of forms before they start moving items. I initial one form that states that the movers showed up. The driver then explains to me that he cannot start moving unless I pay for $200 minimum in packaging materials. I knew that something very shady was going on at this point -- it entirely undermined our previous agreement. I tell the driver to cancel the move and that I'm not willing to sign any more papers. The moving manager calls me and gets very angry that I'm cancelling the job. I told him that the new charges presented to me in the last minute are untoward because they had never mentioned them and we had never agreed to them. He begrudgingly accepts my refusal and cancellation. The moving crew leaves without providing any moving services.    

Four days later, I look at my bank statement and realize that I've been charged $600 ($100 for the holding charge + $500). I immediately challenge the charges with my bank because I'd never given my signature to authorize the job and no services were ever rendered. The claims specialist and I get on the phone with the US Movers manager and the manager says the charge was a $600 cancellation fee. This cancellation policy was never mentioned by any of the company representatives whom I spoke to and I never signed any document to suggest agreement with this. They fraudulently charged $600 for services I never agreed to nor signed for. This company is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau and have had a few recent complaints resulting in an "Alert" on them.     

This company disregarded a verbal agreement and fraudulently authorized payment on an unsigned contract. This is not only a rip off, this is a criminal act.