I thought that I could escape the rip-off of this company. After having read all of the Patriot Moving consumer complaintss on this site, my husband and I sent our contract cancellation letter well ahead of the seven days from our move date... Certified with return receipt. We received a phone call from a NMN rep asking why we were cancelling. My husband stated that we were doing the move ourselves. The rep told us that we could expect our deposit to be returned the following week.
I kept checking our credit card account online to see if the credit had been posted. After a week, I called and left a message at National Moving Network (aka Patriot Moving) asking when we could expect our deposit back. What follows is unbelievable. Here is the actual email I received:
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Dear Ms.
Please be advised, that the credit card terminal that your $500.00 deposit was charged on, has been closed. However, once a credit card terminal is closed, the vendor (i.E. Patriot Moving) is unable to issue a credit to a closed terminal. With that said, contact your credit card company to dispute the charges and our organization will allow the dispute to occur. Should you have any further inquiries, please contact Patriot Moving either via e-mail or at 1-800-446-0929.
Thanking you in advance for your kind attention and cooperation.
Regards,
Sandra Bedoe
Customer Relations Specialist
1.800.446.0929 ext. 2039
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First of all, our deposit was $750. Secondly, this email is so badly written that I didn't understand what this rep was saying about "terminal" being closed. After several more email exchanges, being passed along abruptly by the Patriot Moving operator to voice mail, an actual phone conversation with Ms. Bedoe, and then an email from Ms. Bedoe's supervisor (below), I finally understood what they were trying to tell me. They were saying that THEIR machine was no longer in operation and therefore they couldn't issue me a credit! I demanded that they write me a check. They ignored my demand... Never offered any other method for returning our deposit.
I then wrote an email stating that my next call would be to the Miami-Dade Police Department reporting them as having stolen our deposit and naming Ms. Bedoe personally responsible. I then received this email:
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Dear Ms. H:
Again, Patriot Moving is NOT attempting to withhold your deposit. Therefore, please refrain from making any slanderous and/or libelous remarks and govern yourself accordingly.
Furthermore, our organization has recently switched credit card processing agents; hence, the reason for closing the previous credit card terminal. The credit card terminal that your $750.00 deposit was charged on, has been closed. Once a credit card terminal is closed, a vendor (i.E. Patriot Moving) is unable to issue a credit to a closed terminal. With that said, you must contact your credit card company directly in order to dispute the charges and our organization will allow the dispute to occur.
Patriot Moving finds the aforementioned matter closed and no further correspondence to our organization is necessary.
Regards,
Marlene Fonseca
Account Representative/Supervisor
Patriot Moving
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My final response:
Dear Ms. Fonseca,
I will reiterate. The problem is not ours nor our credit card company's. You need to send us a check in the amount of $750.
My remarks have been neither slanderous nor libelous. I have spoken with both my credit card company and the Miami Dade Police Department and they have advised me on a course of action. I will not stop until we receive our deposit back from your company.
Thank you for providing me with your name as well.
Most Sincerely,
H
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What did I learn?
1) That your credit card company has 60 days within which to dispute charges. Past 60 days, the dispute (if your credit card company is willing to go the extra mile) becomes extremely complicated and involved. It appears to me that Patriot Moving intentionally waited the 60 days because they knew that credit card companies cannot dispute charges past 60 days.
2) This is a civil matter and you can take Patriot Moving to court.
3) Do your research before you pay any deposits.
H
Palm Harbor, Florida
U.S.A.
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