Here's the long and short of my story...
In July Atlas Moving picked up my items to be moved from New Mexico to Missouri. I told the company that my items may need to be stored indefinitely as I was coming to Missouri for (what was to be) a long term contract job. After I was in Missouri, the position ended abruptly after a few months due to funding cuts. I contacted Atlas / ABC Moving and Storage, made them aware of this, paid for all the moving fees, and told them I would need to continue to keep my things in storage. I would pay a storage fee per month, and according to them, everything was fine.
While my items were in storage, I became aware through friends that had been employed at ABC Moving and Storage, at how easily things could come up missing from their warehouses. I was also told how easily this could happen, as certain members of their management was aware of it. I really didn't think much about it, but from that point on, I became more worried about certain high value items I did have in their storage.
In I was made aware that I had to pick up my items or they would be sold. After speaking to the GM at ABC Moving and Storage in Lee's Summit, Missouri, we scheduled pickup of my items. I had already paid for all my moving fees, which in the contract included pickup and delivery of my items. However, I was going to have to rent a U-Haul, and go pick up my items myself. Because my items had been in storage for such a lengthy time, I agreed to a reduction in storage fees, if I waived my rights to items damaged.
Upon arriving at the storage facility, and being assured several times by the GM that all my items were there, I went in to the GM's office to sign the paperwork. Upon reading the paperwork, they had slipped in that I would waive my rights to any claims of "all items missing and/or damaged." I protested this. However, I was not allowed to inspect my items before signing, I was not allowed any access to them at all, unless I paid and signed the waiver. Once again, the GM assured me all items were there, as she had seen them. I specifically questioned her about a new bedroom mattress set I had received one month before the move, which was a gift from my parents, because of considerable back pain I suffer due to back injuries. Once again, she assured me all items were there.
After signing the waiver, as I had no other choice if I wanted to pick up my items, I went to the warehouse. When the door swung open, I knew immediately several of my bigger items were missing, namely the new king size mattress and one box spring of the set I had shipped. I immediately went back to the GM's office, and made her aware of it. After her looking at the manifest, she told me the items missing made it to the warehouse. After asking what would be done to produce my missing items, she says they will look for them, but if they can't find them, I am essentially out of luck.
After weeks of trying to work with the GM in this matter, and getting absolutely nowhere, I took it to the VP, Director of Operations for ABC Moving and Storage. He said he had personally searched the warehouse, and could not find my missing items. His solution? For me to pay them another $1100, and they would allow me to make a claim on the missing king size mattress and one box spring. For me to pay them MORE money, and make a claim on only two items??? A claim which means I would be compensated by cents on the pound of these two missing items? I declined that offer.
From that point on, they were unwilling to work with me or unable to produce my missing items. Nor did the VP Director of Operations seem interested in determining how those items just vanished from their warehouses. The total of my items missing, stripped, or damaged beyond repair now stands at $4500. The obvious open door policy and the coming and goings of customers items from this facility is irrefutable, yet they are not interested at finding out how it happened.
So, if you value your personal items at all, I would look elsewhere other than any moving company associated with ABC Moving and Storage in Chesterfield, Missouri. You will be strung along until you pay up, misled into signing waivers without inspections allowed, then essentially left out in the cold, without your items, and with no recourse. Funny, in my dictionary, that is not the definition of ethical business behavior.
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