My husband and I were moving from our furnished apartment in North Carolina to Virginia (about 3 1/2 hours away). We had several quotes from local moving companies ranging from 1075-1400$.   We were about to call and agree to have one of these companies move us when "Patrick" from Real Movers called me. He stated that he saw where I had completed a request for quotes online. He asked what the other moving companies estimates had been. He then told me that he could give me a better deal because he had an empty truck going from Georgia to Richmond for a move from Richmond back down to Georgia, and they could give me a great rate because they did not want to send an empty truck up. I went through the house as I was on the phone talking to him and told him "EVERYTHING" that needed to go. Since the apartment was furnished the main items we had were my husband's guitars (at that time I told them 15 guitars needed to be taken), a bed and dresser, clothes, shoes, and a few kitchen items. I stressed to "Patrick" that there was a "lot of clothes and shoes' to which he laughed and said no problem he'd send 17-20 boxes to cover it. I told him that would be more than enough.

I had to supply him with my credit/debit card information to confirm the move. He said that no money would be applied to the card it was simply in place of a deposit. The estimate was for 948$ half would be paid the day of pick up and the other half upon delivery. He said it had to be paid in cash or money order only. He also then told me he would be emailing me my confirmation via email. He said I didn't need to do anything with the email, it was simply showing the reservation. Since I had disconnected my internet already at that time I accepted that this was true.

Patrick also told me that someone would be calling me in a few days to set up the arrival times. I then had no further communication from them. NONE. I emailed and called multiple times. There were two sets of phone numbers listed on their web site one to the Atlanta "office" one to their Mobile, AL "office.   Both numbers went to the same exact voice mail which would only leave two options of who to speak to "Louie" and "Alex".   Neither of which return calls.

The day the movers were supposed to be there June 1 had arrived, and I still had not heard from them. I was at this point terrified that they were going to empty my checking account, so I moved everything into savings, and contacted my bank to tell them if any charges were put through by Real Movers that they were fraudulent as they conveniently only accept cash for payment.

"Louie" did then call only after I left multiple messages that day and told them I was canceling my check card. He made some excuse about the phones being "out of order" and a truck having battery problems. He told me then that they would either be there that evening or the next day. It was already late afternoon at that point, so I assumed it would be the next day and that the driver would call us before he arrived.

Well, that was not the case. Two men who spoke very little English arrived after 8 PM with a Ryder rental truck that was already almost full. No call first of course. What happened to the empty truck they had going to Richmond??? I walked them through the apartment and showed them again EVERYTHING that needed to go. I had even placed the kitchen items on the counter so there were no surprises. He said Ok, and had me sign the estimate stating 948$.

He proceeded to load the truck moving almost all of our items. My husband, having gotten distrustful enough at this point (THANK GOD!) had decided to keep most of his guitars with us actually, so now instead of the original 15 guitars, they only had to move 8. Still, somehow, amazingly enough, he said Patrick's original estimate did not give him enough square footage and he was going to have to charge me more, and those 17-20 boxes didn't make it onto the "paperwork" either, so he was going to charge me extra for packing materials. (Which actually was only 6 boxes. He charged me $93 for them and an additional $48 to pack them. I kinda thought that packing boxes was part of moving??? )

By this time it was almost 11 o'clock at night. We had to be out of our apartment the next morning and almost everything we owned was already on the truck...quite frankly we didn't know what else to do. He gave me the new estimate which was now $1675, and told me that instead of the $475 deposit, he now needed $824 (Which is only $122 less than the entire move was supposed to have cost). So, I went out of my house, pregnant, at 11 o'clock at night to get another $400 to give him.

He told me to call Louie or Alex and see what they said. I called multiple times on my way to the ATM, and finally got ahold of Louie, who was quite angry and rude. He told me to email Patrick the next day and he would help me resolve the issue.   Well, I did. That was June 2. Still no response.

I asked for delivery on June 3. Again we were only moving about 3 1/2 hours away. (This of course did not happen) Again no one answered calls or emails. Finally on Monday, June 6 Alex called me and told me my goods would be delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday.   No one came on Tuesday, of course, or Wednesday. Again after MULTIPLE phone calls I finally got Louis to answer. He was once again incredibly rude and treated me as if I had done something wrong to them. Anyone ever hear a saying called the Customer is Always Right (especially when they are!)? Well, Louie hasn't.   He was angry and yelled at me saying he wouldn't have a truck here until Thursday or Friday. I said, but Alex called me and told me it was going to be here by today. I've spent two days sitting here waiting with not even a phone call.... to which he offered to give me Alex's extension. I declined as I had already called that extension multiple times with no response.

WELLL...... It is now Friday and guess what....no movers, no call. Again I called multiple times today and eventually reached Louie who now says no it will be Sunday then gave me Alex's number to call as he is the "dispatcher". ALex says oh, yeah it looks like Sunday. I asked him why he called me and told me Tues/Wed then..... to which he answered ...a truck was delayed. I then said, but you told me Tues/Wed on Monday. On Wednesday, not having heard from you, Louis said Fri/Sat. (After wasting another day waiting for them!!!) Now you're saying Sunday?... for some reason my questioning this seemed to make him angry. He got angry and started yelling at me saying it will be here Sunday, and they will call 24 hours in advance to give me a time. RIGHT. I've heard that before. I'm not going to hold my breath.

I have since found out that after the FIRST item is placed on the truck they can not raise the original estimate, and if they do increase the estimate it can not be by more than 110% of the original estimate. (Which again had to be done before they being the actual move) In my case this would have only been an additional $94.80, not the $727 they increased it by.

Now I'm stuck sleeping on an air mattress wondering if we will ever see our things again.

Whatever you do DO NOT use REAL MOVERS LLC or REAL VAN LINES. IT IS A SCAM. .... Unless you enjoy paying people to treat you rudely and steal all of your worldly possessions.

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10 Updates & Rebuttals

Tim

Tucson,
Arizona,
United States of America

Resolution

#2Consumer Suggestion

Mon, August 22, 2011

I went through some h**l getting my things from Real Movers. After reviewing everyone's comments I finally decided to get legal advice. I'm fortunate to know a lawyer in Atlanta who helped me out a great deal. He contacted Bruce Mitchell (who has worked on behalf of many other scammed Real Movers customers, in Atlanta) and got some good information, ultimately threatening Real Movers (Louie and Alex) with legal action. Lo and behold, a few days later my goods arrived. Everything is accounted for, and I'm amazed. Almost no damage.
I highly recommend that anyone with a legitimate complaint get legal assistance. These guys prey on the uniformed and will try to get extra money from many people.
When they failed to deliver in the 30 business day window guaranteed in the contract we were able threaten legal action, and I believe that that made the difference.
My heart goes out to everyone else who is suffering from these guys. One good piece of advice I picked up in all this is to get personal recommendations on movers. Most complaintants found their movers online. Ask a local real estate agent, or someone else familiar with moving companies in your area. And remember, we're getting what we pay for. There is no doubt that Real Movers was the cheapest option for me, and I got the lowest quality service because of that

robinnola314

Beale AFB,
California,
United States of America

BBB F Rating

#3Consumer Comment

Fri, August 19, 2011

You are asking why we hire a company with a F rating with the BBB. I think if you read ALL of the reports; you will find a common theme; These crooks change thier names more than their underware. When I started the process they had just changed their name to Real Van Lines. And when I googled there was not one complaint..actually of course I could find nothing on them. NOW I know that is a huge clue. How many times does the "normal" person need a moving company? These thieves rely on that fact that WE don't know the rules or the questions to ask. And even when the questions are asked we get seemly realistic answers until they have control of everything you own. Real Van Lines had the BBB symbol on their website along with the Moving.Com Seal of Quality movers. AFTER they picked up my belongings and overcharged me etc..etc.. I have since found out Real Van Line uses the BBB sysmbol without thier permission and one of the F rating is because Real Van Lines uses/abuses the symbol; I have also found out that Moving.com "quality Seal" can be downloaded on ANYONES website. There is no quality check completed by Moving.Com. They are my hit list as well. Please understand you are addressing people that have turned over thier life's belongings to crooks no matter the reason; You should be sensitive to that. These crooks are operating within cracks in the laws. AND they are still getting customers today from Movers.Com and I am sure other webistes. Please don't judge us unless you have walked in our shoes. This is a nightmare beyond anything that can be explained in a ripoff report. By posting on the Ripoff Report website the best we can hope for is we stop this company from gaining more customers. It doesn't help our own personal cause in anyway.

Tim

Tucson,
Arizona,
United States of America

Another victim

#4Consumer Comment

Fri, August 05, 2011

Well, it seems like I was scammed as well. Six weeks have gone by and still my things have not been delivered - I'm told every week they will be delivered the next week but I came across this report and am really worried. I saw mention to a few reports being filed with police, DOT, etc.

Do you have names or specifics so that I can file as well? I don't want to lose time or items. Do I need to file with the local police or Atlanta?

Thanks for any help you can offer

delbel

Richmond,
Virginia,
United States of America

best of luck.....

#5Author of original report

Wed, August 03, 2011

No this company did not have an "F" rating when we hired them. Since it was a new name for their scam. We have had to kick and shout and scream to authorities to get our things back and yes, they were as about as much use as a handbrake on a canoe.....
My husband had to get heavy with these people to return a brand new scooter totally ruined that wont start with every light kicked in and a hotwired honda that was on the news report! Sitting right beside "alex's" desk. Yes we could all sue, but what use would that be? They owe the state about half a million in fines, so what makes you think they will pay us?!! Its all fine and well until it happens to YOU!! I bet the people who are passing the buck in this investigation would have a different thing to say if it happened to them! These people are not even american citizens and its a joke that they are getting away with this!!!!!! When my scooters were finally returned they would even make eye contact with my husband and got out of there FAST before he got the hold of them. Which would probably end him up in jail while this pack of SCUM rob decent people (most of them military like us) who move around a lot. Whatever, please read this and take notice!!! This group of thugs have been known to threaten to sign papers and will give you such a run around over your belongings you will be dizzy!!!!!!
All i hope is they get theirs...............

voiceofreason

North Carolina,
United States of America

Why on earth did all of you hire these people?

#6Consumer Comment

Wed, August 03, 2011

This moving company is F rated with the BBB. Were they not when all of you hired them? Why do people trust all their belongings to any company with such poor ratings? This is why thy continue in business ripping people off. Because they have no shortage of people hiring them without checking first. Don't trust the cops either to get your goods to you. They'll probably impound everything for evidence if charges are pending, and police are notorious for "losing" evidence. That's if these things don't disappear first. As many of you as possible who can combine together should hire 1 attorney to help out, and hope he doesn't rip y'all off. You should really be in touch with the Fox station that did the expose. They might be your best contact for getting something done.

mmcmahon

Palo Alto,
California,
United States of America

How do we get our items back?

#7Consumer Comment

Tue, August 02, 2011

It appears I too am a victim of Real Movers. I am in the process of filing reports with the FBI and Atlanta police department, but wanted to know your suggestions for recovery. I am now in California, a long way from Atlanta, and wondering if there is really anything I can do. Very sad....Any advice would be appreciated.

delbel

Richmond,
Virginia,
United States of America

New Report

#8Author of original report

Tue, July 05, 2011

We watched the news report, and saw our scooters on the video! My husband's white Honda Ruckus is sitting at Alex's desk. We've filed a report...again, this time with Surf City Police department. Dekalb Co. says they have an open investigation with real movers, and as soon as surf city PD forwards the incident report number they can (hopefully go recover out items!) We also realized as we've began unpacking that there are a few more things missing. One item, a jewlery box which I seperated and specified as an item not to be packed with several other personal items, somehow got packed (none of the other seperated items which were mostly personal with no monetary value were packed.) This particular jewlery box is one that my dad bought for his mother in the late 1960s from Taiwan when he was stationed there in the AF. It was given to me after she died. It happened to have one Movado, two citizen, and one Seiko (a few thousand dollars worth of watches) and a few other pieces of jewlery in it as well. We've looked through all of the boxes here, and it can't be found anywhere. I just want to know how these thieves are not in jail yet? They are absolutely criminals. It just seems that because they're doing it under the guise of "a business" and we're paying them to do it, no one is taking there criminal activity seriously. They have robbed us all non the less. To me it's almost worse that we actually paid them to do it, than if they'd broken into our homes and taken our things. It's absolutely ludicrous the amount of red tape and reports that must be filed to get OUR belongins back. Can someone not just arrest these crooks? My understanding is they do not even have citizenship. They're here on work visas. Why have these not been revoked? Is there anyone out there who will actually assume some responsibility for taking these criminals off the streets?

Another Victim of these robbers!

Watkinsville,
Georgia,
United States of America

Fox 5 News I-Team Investigation

#9Consumer Comment

Tue, June 28, 2011

Fox 5 News Atlanta did an investigation on this ring of thieves 06/27/11. The Feds are supposed to be investigating them. Fox 5 news showed the warehouse that was full of peoples belongings.

I pray that law enforcement will seize the assets in there and maybe return the items to their original owners. Keep the faith, they WILL be stopped! :)

delbel

Richmond,
Virginia,
United States of America

The Saga continues

#10Author of original report

Mon, June 20, 2011

Will I'm military as well, or at least was. I just got out of the Navy after 12 years, as a LCDR. It seems to me that a lot of their activity involves military personal. We did get our stuff back....kind of. I filed a complaint with the DOT, and after one day of forwarding all of my documentation to an investigator who state he is "Very familiar with these guys" and the help of a senator, I amazingly enough got a phone call from a (believe it or not) polite Alex who told me that my things would be here on Sunday. I wasn't exactly holding my breath. I had gotten this same phone call several times... only much ruder and only after MULTIPLE initial calls on my part. Well on Saturday (a day early...not that I'm complaining exactly Just glad that I was home!) at 9 AM I received a message from someone's GPS saying heading south on I 95?? So, I called the number back and it was again someone who spoke little English saying he was on his way to my house and would be there within the hour. Two men arrived, again in a rented Ryder truck, and unpacked everything only after we paid another $800. I asked the driver were he was coming from and he said Atlanta. The last time I checked Atlanta was not north of Richmond, but whatever....and why they took our stuff all the way south to Atlanta when Richmond is only 3 1/2 hours from where we were in NC I'll never know! Once they finished unloading (not unpacking don't ezpect that!) everything and putting almost every box in an upstairs closet?? We realized our two 50 cc scooters (about $5,000 worth) were not on the truck. I called Alex who answered the phone for once!....He said they didn't think it was safe to send the bikes on that particular truck they would send them up on a different truck in 1-2 days. This was a huge truck, and it was almost empty. We really didn't have that much stuff to moveto begin with. Well of course that was three days ago and still no bikes! I just want this nightmare to end. The investigator has turned my case into a higher level with the DOT. It seems to me that their activity has really escalated over the past few weeks. I'm hoping that punitive measures are taken this time. These people need to be stopped! Another fine under one company that they'll just close and open a new one under a different name the same day is not going to help!

j5888

California,
United States of America

SAME rip off done to me!

#11Consumer Comment

Mon, June 20, 2011

Did you ever get your things??????

We are military and had to move cross country to California. We loaded our things May25,2011. Of course our estimate given to us by Patrick didn't "give us enough square footage". So AFTER we gave him 900$ which was the 50% upfront.... we had to pay 700$ MORE at 1Am!!! So I went to the atm, at 1AM pregnant, when I should have just told him we wanted to cancel and to unload our stuff.... this is the BIGGEST mess I've had to deal with. Anyways, they have a 2-15 business day window since ours was cross country. Well they r officially past that. I am ALWAYS unable to get a call back or even a single answer! They will b expecting a law suit from the federal government asap. Unfortunately for them, they screwed over a master sergeant of the us marine corps. We r still sleeping on an air mattress and have had one costly experience since we have NO furniture.

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