Complaint Review: Sea and Air International - New York New York

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF COMPLAINT AGAINST SEA AND AIR INTERNATIONAL FMC#020349N

I contracted with Sea and Air International for my international move
to the United Kingdom.  My move was timed to coincide with a break in
my breast cancer treatment.

Although I received lower bids from other movers, my husband Roger
Greenhalgh and I were prepared to pay a premium to a professional
moving company in order to make sure my move to England would be as
stress-free as possible in the interest of supporting my cancer
treatment.

Sea and Airs saleswoman, Julie Tkacz, aggressively sold their
services.  She forwarded sheaves of recommendations from previous
clients.  Sea and Air claimed to be a BBB member in good standing.
Moreover, Julie Tkacz freely cast aspersions on the record of one of
Sea and Airs competitors from whom I had obtained a quote (included
email).

Roger and I decided on the basis of Sea and Airs claim to
reputability, vouchsafed by its Better Business Bureau membership,
the (mostly) glowing encomia, and carefully crafted descriptions of
its service as displayed on its Web site, www.sea-air.net, to hire
this company which represented itself as offering white glove service,
rather than hiring the low bidder (included email).

It became clear the moment Sea and Airs employees entered my
apartment that I was not going to receive anything resembling the
services I had contracted for.  From the moment they arrived, Sea and
Airs employees were incompetent, negligent and abusive (included
email).

On my own in my apartment with this group of thugs, I became
increasingly frightened and anxious about what I would find once my
belongings arrived in England. I rang both Yaniv Risman, Sea and Airs
CEO, as well as my husband, Roger Greenhalgh, in England in a state of
rising panic (included email)

Yet unfortunately, by then I was stuck.  I had to be out of the
apartment by the end of the month.  If I dismissed these men I would
lose the $500 deposit Id already paid to Sea and Air.

Rather than the white glove service Sea and Air so exuberantly
advertised, what I received for my $5,091.25 dollars was intimidation,
extortion and damaged property (included email), an ordeal that has
proven damaging to my recovery from breast cancer.

Words fail to express the level of my incredulity, both at the way Sea
and Air represents its services (included email), and at the manner in
which its CEO, Yaniv Risman, chose to respond to my grievances:  by
accusing me of exhort [sic] our company through threats and
slandering of our good name (included email).

Perhaps the Better Business Bureau,of which he is a member, should educate
Sea and Air CEO, Yaniv Risman, about the role of the Better Business
Bureau as well as the International Consumer Protection and
Enforcement Network (ICPEN/RICPC) and the US Federal Trade Commission
in protecting vulnerable consumers such as myself from the ruthless
business practices of companies like his.

I stated previously I would settle with Sea and Air for $1,740.06
(included email).  In light of what has transpired, however, I expect
a refund of Sea and Airs full fee, $5,091.25

online flickr album of damage:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mspoggis/sets/72157622611183296/