Complaint Review: Nationwide Moving - Bloomfield Connecticut

NOT NATIONWIDE MOVING from Bloomfield, CT (False statment) Now that he has found out that the actual company is OUT OF FLORIDA. Can we please remove our address and phone numbers from this file. We are a family owned business in service for 76 years . Our Goal and what keeps us with an excellant reputation is the service we provide to our customers. We here at Nationwide Moving & Storage in Bloomfield, Ct encourage our customers to check with the BBB and web sites such as this one, My best advise to customers prior to filing claims, besure you have the correct information, and always move with the larger vanlines such as North American, Allied, ect. Thank- you Nationwide Moving Bloomfield, CT

I did not abdicate my rights because of who is president. I simply pointed out that whatever my existing rights are, under whatever federal agency's jurisdiction, I can rest unassured that the Bush administration would not be enforcing them, as you indictated. With the recent bankruptcy laws as a perfect example, I am well aware the Democrats also put the money far ahead of consumer interests. The reason I did not have the re-weigh done was for the number of trips required to do so, as indicated in my initial report. Why couldn't the truck simply stop and be weighed, and the weigh ticket shown to me when they arrived, then emailed to me when they reweighed on the way out? I already paid the "island fee." That could have covered their expenses. Perhaps you have a more leisurely life; I don't have time to spend six hours driving back and forth from an island to the middle of Florida six times, especially when moving in what was left of my possessions took an hour and a half. Your other advice is well taken; obviously, I got burnt and learned my lesson. Actually, my wife handled this transaction and my not checking the company first was also a lesson, since I'm more used to employing the Internet to research potential scams. The reason for my post was to warn other consumers. I don't expect anything back from these thieves. The fact that they are immune from lawsuits is an absolute absurdity but one that is anything but surprising now that "free enterprise" has run amok and amounts, in this case, to literal highway robbery, legalized. In short, buyer beware. Assume you have no rights, because essentially, you don't. All rights go to business. "Personal responsibility" applies only to the consumer. Business has no responsibility whatsoever.

Paul, Nationwide is not a mover - they are a broker. They're responsibility is to find you a mover (always a scam mover) to do your move. So what you did is instead of researching a mover on the internet, you chose a scam mover to do your move and relying on the government for assistance in this matter is like asking for help in an empty room. The Interstate Commerce Commission which used to regulate the moving industry was eliminated in 1995 by the Clinton Administration as a way to trim fat from government. Currently, the Federal DOT regulates movers and at this point there is literally one (yes, 1) individual responsible for reviewing the practices of hundreds of thousands of movers in the country. During the busiest time of the moving year (the summer), he took a 2 week vacation. So, there is little to no regulation. If you ask any professional reputable mover, problems really started when deregulation of the industry began in the late 1970's when Jimmy Carter was President. So, now that the politics has been thrashed, let's get to your situation. As I said, you hired one of the worst movers out there. It's interesting that they showed up early - for most people they show up in the middle of the night 1-3 days after they said they would. My guess is that (1) there was or were cancellations out there that caused your move to be moved, or (2) they picked up a new move and you were in the area. If either (1) or (2) had not happened, they probably would have been late. When they showed up to your house, you signed an agreement with them that limited their liability to $0.60 per pound, and probably an agreement that signed your right away to survey your house before the move took place. In the case of the 1st agreement, the claim you received amounts to the $0.60/pound valuation you agreed to when signing the agreement. Whatever it is they offer you on the claim (once it's settled), I would take it. If you don't - you won't get another dime from them. I would say you made a big mistake by not having a reweigh done - it is your right under the law and you would be allowed to view the reweigh, so there would be no way to pull things like putting 2 or 3 guys in the truck while the truck is full, and add 750lbs. to your shipment. Giving your rights away that are clearly established and no one can take away from you because of whoever is President is silly. So, now what? Unfortunately, movers are immune from lawsuit damages under the Carmack Amendment - an old law on the books since the days when railroads were popular and moved most goods across the nation. It essentially exempts them from their own negligent actions. What they do need to do is provide you with Certified Weight tickets representing the fact that your load was 4000 lbs. The only way they may be able to get around that is if they decided to bill you by cubic feet instead of weight. If they're trying the cubic foot scam, the law states that once a cubic foot move has been quoted, it is bound and cannot be increased unless someone challenges the measurement. Here are options or things to do: 1. Get the Certified Weight Tickets. If they can't get them to you, ask them how they planned on legally billing you. If they can't provide them after that, tell them you'll file a complaint with the DOT for no weight tickets. That's a $10,000 fine. 2. Review your Bill of Lading (BOL). If the BOL contains anything related to Cubic Feet, then you need to point out that they you're entitled to a refund since no one challenged the weight and your bill should only be the amount quoted to you initially. If they don't listen to that, then you can file in small claims in FL for the difference between your quote and what they essentially billed you. Also, you can file with the DOT for that complaint as well. 3. Did you fill out a claim form and submit it? Keep sending them copies of what you filed until they acknowledge its receipt. If you didn't file - get the form and submit the form ASAP. Then, stay on them 1-2 times per week until they settle. Oh, and send the form to the company that moved you - not Nationwide. They aren't a moving company and won't be responsible for the claim. 4. Do not expect any of the following: a. For them to find your music. b. The courtesy check for $125 they're offering. c. A refund of the Island Fee. Probably illegal, but they'll figure something out. d. Your sanity returned after dealing with these people. I don't expect now that you're on an island that you'll be moving again. However, the industry is so wraught with scam artists that the only full-service reputable movers out there are the agents of the majors like United, Mayflower, Atlas, Allied, North American, Graebel, and Wheaton. If possible - move yourself. But, if you need a full-service mover, I wouldn't even do a move with anyone else because of the scam artists out there. Best of luck to you.

I was supposed to drive 45 minutes off the island, meet a truck at a weigh station the location of which I would have had to find by map having just moved here myself, when the truck drivers had to ask me how to get to my house??? Then I was to follow them back 45 minutes to my house, pay them up front -- in cash -- then follow them back 45 minutes to the weigh station, then return 45 minutes later to discover how much they had stolen and/or lost? I don't think so. And how about the $79 island fee? Why was that never mentioned in our quote? Finally, I was supposed to receive an initial weight of my items with the truck EMPTY. Obviously, they weighed the truck after it had been loaded with at least two households of stuff. The truck was not empty when my items were moved out of it. So what does that tell you about the accuracy of the weight even if I had gone to the weighing station?

I was supposed to drive 45 minutes off the island, meet a truck at a weigh station the location of which I would have had to find by map having just moved here myself, when the truck drivers had to ask me how to get to my house??? Then I was to follow them back 45 minutes to my house, pay them up front -- in cash -- then follow them back 45 minutes to the weigh station, then return 45 minutes later to discover how much they had stolen and/or lost? I don't think so. And how about the $79 island fee? Why was that never mentioned in our quote? Finally, I was supposed to receive an initial weight of my items with the truck EMPTY. Obviously, they weighed the truck after it had been loaded with at least two households of stuff. The truck was not empty when my items were moved out of it. So what does that tell you about the accuracy of the weight even if I had gone to the weighing station?

I was supposed to drive 45 minutes off the island, meet a truck at a weigh station the location of which I would have had to find by map having just moved here myself, when the truck drivers had to ask me how to get to my house??? Then I was to follow them back 45 minutes to my house, pay them up front -- in cash -- then follow them back 45 minutes to the weigh station, then return 45 minutes later to discover how much they had stolen and/or lost? I don't think so. And how about the $79 island fee? Why was that never mentioned in our quote? Finally, I was supposed to receive an initial weight of my items with the truck EMPTY. Obviously, they weighed the truck after it had been loaded with at least two households of stuff. The truck was not empty when my items were moved out of it. So what does that tell you about the accuracy of the weight even if I had gone to the weighing station?

This company is actually located at 6245 Powerline Road, Suite 202, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. Their telephone number is: (954) 772-1610. This is NOT Nationwide Movers out of Ohio, but I am unable to correct that info in the boxes provided. I'll begin at the very start. Nationwide Relocation obviously purposefully showed up to pick up our items two days early and without any warning or notice. This was clearly meant to catch me unprepared. Nevertheless, the movers themselves, as well as a qualified friend, estimated our total weight at about 2000 pounds, which is what we estimated and what our quote was based on. The movers noted the items would be moved on to another truck, but I thought nothing of it. Along the way, the weight of our items (clearly weighed with someone else's items also in the truck) became 4000 pounds. I contacted the company dozens of times but was only given the runaround. And despite the fact they knew, obviously, their final destination was an island (Sanibel, Florida), they suddenly tacked on a $70 "island fee." It costs trucks, and anybody else, $6 roundtrip to cross the causeway. I called and checked. In order to prove the weight of our goods, we were offered this option. I could meet the movers at the nearest weighing station some 30 miles from the island and on the Florida mainland. I would then follow them back and pay them for the full 4000 pounds. They would unload it, and I would then follow them back to the weighing station, where I would receive a refund, supposedly, for any difference. I skipped that; it was obvious they would have rigged the truck somehow or simply disappeared, in the same way a box of very expensive music disappeared. I lost probably a thousand dollars in music. I contacted the company and cc'd my new state senators. I was then offered a $125 courtesy check, which has yet to arrive after at least a month. And supposedly, my claim for the lost music would still be considered. I have heard nothing. Essentially, this company practices extortion. When I looked at the terms of what they wanted me to sign to make a claim, they offered an amount per pound that added up to about $200 less than the total amount they were charging. Thus, they could basically steal our entire household and sell it, subtracting $200 from their profit. There was nothing I could do. Like everyone, after two weeks living on air mattresses and lawnchairs, I wanted my stuff and was desperate. The drivers didn't even have any idea how to get here. The idea that they could have managed to meet me at a weigh station an hour from here, follow me back to my house, then back to the weighing station, is ludicrous. Obviously, this company is benefiting from what I can only believe are the most lax standards possible under the Bush ICC. One look at the Bush FCC will make that clear. Where to go? Is it a state issue or a federal issue? I doubt anything can be done. I suspect the National Movers Association, or whatever the name of their lobbyist, greases the politicians' pockets sufficiently to make people absolutely powerless to do anything about what amounts to, again, extortion. If a taxi driver picked me up and refused to let me out of the car unless I paid triple the fair, I'm pretty sure that would constitute kidnapping. At the least, I hope this message leads to no one ever, ever using this company even to move across the street. Last but not least, this company is properly identified as Nationwide Relocation Services, but they use the name Nationwide Movers to confuse themselves with another company, Nationwide Moving out of Ohio. Paul Sanibel, Florida

Why didn't you want to get the truck re-weighed? If they offered it I would have jumped on that immediately. That is typically how it is done by the way. The company will weigh the truck full with you present, collect 110% of the original estimated balance, unload, and reweigh with you present again. There really can't be any foul play if you are present both times. However, you must also remember that if the weight comes out higher, you will be responsible for the higher weight. In either case, they aren't allowed to collect more than 110% of the original estimate at delivery anyway.