On 2/15 I was contacted by Mike Maier of Maier's relocation to arrange a household move from Lawrenceville New Jersey, to North Port Florida and to ship my 1993 Nissan 240 SX in a COVERED trailer.
Prior to scheduling a pick up I requested to purchase additional insurance on my household goods (valued at approx. $20,000). Repeatedly I was told a package would be sent for this, but never received it after two months and have never received it to date.
On 4/2 I flew from Florida to New Jersey to meet Mr. Maier to deliver my goods to him for shipment and sign the contract for delivery (Attachment 1, estimate); with the intention of flying out after the pick up was completed. At that time I again inquired about insurance, however, was told that given the day was a Saturday; it was not possible to gain further insurance beyond $10,000 due to his insurance broker being closed. He assured me he had never had any claims and indicated it wouldn't be necessary. However, he provided no proof or information the alleged insurance indicated on the contract.
On that day Mr. Maier was five hours late showing up to pick up my belongings. At that time he indicated he didn't actually have his truck with him as it was broken and was being fixed that day, but assured me he would return the next day to retrieve my items. Reluctantly I gave him the keys to my home, and car for picking this up, given that I had to catch my return flight and needed to move as scheduled. He assured me there would be no delay in reaching the agreed upon destination at the agreed upon delivery date of (4/7). See the contract (Attachment 1 and 1a)
On the 6th of April I called to confirm delivery and was told it would take two more days due to an ill employee; on the 9th I was told two more days due to a mechanical issue with the trailer carrying my car. I was further put off for four more days, each time being told a different reason. On the 14th I was guaranteed by Mr. Maier I would receive delivery on the 15th at 9 am. I took a day off of work and sat at my home all day on the 15th only to have Mr. Maier lie to me for 18 hours about where he was with my personal belongings. Ultimately I received delivery on the 16th around mid day.
Upon arriving, my car was not transported in a carrier but rather driven, without my permission or knowledge. Mr. Maier never notified me it was being transported by a driver. I was told it would be transported in a covered carrier, further, their website boasts this as an added benefit of using their service, and additionally the contract points this out. (See Attachment 1 & Attachment 2)
Upon arrival I noticed my car was damaged in the rear in what appeared to be forced entry to the hatchback key hole. Further, my windshield was cracked in two places, one tire punctured with a screw, and missing one hubcap. Additionally my car was full of dog hair, food, and garbage, spilled coffee, and smelled of smoke. When I questioned this I was told it was driven due to mechanical error with the trailer. Again I was never advised of or granted permission for someone to drive my vehicle. Additionally the distance from Lawrenceville, NJ to North Port, FL is approx. 1178 miles; however, the vehicle had nearly 1,600 miles driven on it. (I have receipts, photos, estimates, and mileage data to prove my damages, and mileage prior to the move)
At that point I demanded an explanation of my bill which was now being presented for a higher amount than the estimate. The estimate was based on a shipment of 10,000 lbs, for a bill of about $3200.00 but I was now being told my bill was over $4000 for a shipment that supposedly weighed 8,143 lbs. Mr. Maier couldn't explain this and only said it was due to my TV being bulky and various other surcharges as he called them.
I refused and explained I would pay based on the estimated rate, times my shipment weight. Additionally Mr. Maier could not produce a weight receipt and never has. Further I demanded a discount for the late shipment of no less than $500.00. He agreed to a payment of $3500.00 (see attachment 1a)
Prior to opening the truck, which he seemed very reluctant to do Mr. Maier demanded that I pay him in full first and called the police in an effort to force me to pay him in full prior to unloading the truck. His excuse was that he only took cash or money orders and I only had a check. Prior to the pick up and delivery I had repeatedly told him that my bank was in Washington D.C. And a check was the only way I could pay unless a wire could be accepted, which he would never provide account information for. The North Port, FL police actually let him leave with my goods, however, I later convinced him to return and deliver my goods with payment at the end.
Upon delivering my household goods, nearly every item in my shipment was damaged or destroyed.including a 53 inch High Definition TV that sustained massive trauma to the screen, mirrors, and lenses. Additionally, all bedroom furniture, mattresses, and other items were severely damaged some beyond repair. Three items are missing, including a Black and Decker weed eater, a Scott's spreader (fertilizer), and of a futon couch.
Additionally, the company was not prepared with equipment or manpower to remove my goods from the truck; rather they slid it down the back of the truck to the ground three feet below. The truck was too small for my items and some of the damaged was sustained by the opening and closing of the truck door. It should be noted, that no list of my goods was provided by Maier's relocation, ever, and no list was signed by me stating receipt or inventory after delivery as it was not provided. No explanation was every provided as to why there was a ten day delay for the household goods, when the issue was supposedly with the car trailer which was never used. Further, the damage to my goods as of now equal or exceeds the cost of the move, $3500.00 (see contract Attachment 1a).
Prior to completing the delivery he again called the North Port Police and requested that they force me to pay him, they advised they could not and this time told him it was in fact against the law to hold my items from delivery or leave with them. He then completed the delivery.
Further, prior to Mr. Maier leaving after delivering my goods I asked repeatedly what his company was going to about my damages. He continuously avoided the question, loaded his truck and left. I assumed this was consensus that he agreed the damages were greater than the delivery costs. He provided no insurance information for claims, provided no list of my goods, and only repeatedly stated that the damages were not his fault and the truck bounced. Further he never asked me to sign a list of what was shipped, received or damaged.
Later the next day he began calling and threatening that he had some of my items and would only return them if I paid the amount owed in full. I ultimately had to change my phone number to stop the harassment. This was definitely intentional as I personally inspected the truck cargo area to ensure all of my items were removed and there was nothing left in the truck.
To date I have not paid this bill and have receipts, photos, and full documentation to support my claim.
Below are bullet items and issues with this move, some of which are violations of the laws and regulations governed by the FHA (Federal Highway Administration).
Delivery was late, with no explanation, simply excuse and lie after lie. Every delivery time given was broken almost as if they were avoiding delivery.
No list of goods every produced nor signed for, only a bill of lading provided.
No proof of insurance, no information provided on how to make a claim.
No proof of weight of shipment every provided, even when requested repeatedly.
No permission was ever granted by me to drive my car from NJ to FL. Over 500 extra miles put on car than necessary to go from Lawrenceville, NJ to North Port, FL
Multiple damages to the car.
Malicious treatment and neglect of my household goods resulting in costly damage.
Truck was too small for shipment, causing further damage
Mr. Maier kept three items and called to blackmail me to pay him.
Bill had a different calculation for the estimate vs. The actual and various unexplained surcharges.
Mr. Maier never responded to my complaints of damaged items when I asked for compensation; prior to leaving he never asked for payment. I perceived his silence to be consensus with my complaint and request for a waived bill.
Maier's relocation claims to be a member of the Better Business Bureau however, the BBB claims no affiliation now or ever (See attachment 2 & 3)
While I understand it may not be possible for this agency to assist me in recovery of my loss, I only ask that you do what ever you can in your power and authority to stop this company from doing business in this state and prevent them from victimizing any other families. They claim to make regular trips to Florida and are not operating within the FHA required regulations. Further they seem to be very experienced at taking advantage of people and their personal belongings.
Pete
North Port, Florida
U.S.A.
0 comments