I was recently seeking a mover for my move from Lancaster KY to Sunrise FL. Among other places, I solicited bids on uShip.com.
One of the bidders was uShip member marshall2732. He offered a bid of $ and was, I believe, the first to place a bid.
I asked several questions and reviewed his feedback. He seemed to be reputable, the price was right, the timeframe was right, and I thought a small mover would provide better service than a large mover. His bid, incidentally, was only slightly lower ($59) than the bid I had received from relocationandstorage.com. I also checked his BBB profile.
It took longer than I expected to secure my rental in Florida. Eventually Marshall's bid expired, so I called him, concerned that he had canceled the bid on purpose. He advised me that he was still available and suggested going 'around' uShip since his bid had expired. I wound up canceling my listing and gave him a verbal commitment to pick up my order. He asked for a $500 cash deposit when he picked up my items. He wanted the $1500 balance paid in cash as well, upon delivery of my items.
On Thursday, December 15, he and an assistant, Frank, showed up (late) at my parents' house in Lancaster KY to load my items from their two car garage. He was driving a white Budget truck, I believe 23', which he had leased. (I did not realize he did not have his own truck. I later found out he did not have his own dolly, either.)
Before loading my goods, he had to unload some items he had picked up in Chicago. I believe this was the shipment in question:
Their items were unloaded in my parents' driveway, then Marshall and his assistant began loading my items on the truck. They did not take an inventory of my boxes or items, nor did they mark my items in any way to differentiate them from other items that were loaded on their truck. This is a violation of my rights as a consumer, per:
Http://www.protectyourmove. Gov/consumer/awareness/rights/RightsE.htm#Etwo
As well, Marshall did not provide a copy of Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move, did not provide an order for service, and did not provide a bill of lading.
The person in Chicago had three complete sets of mattresses and box springs. My mother advised Marshall not to store anything above my two motorcycles, but he placed these sets above my motorcycles and said they would not touch the bikes. My mother also advised him to cover and protect my handbuilt burl walnut speakers and to strap the speakers to their bases, but he did not heed this advice.
As it turned out, the people in Chicago had underestimated the amount of items they had. There was no way both my goods and their goods would fit on this truck. Marshall eventually came to this conclusion, around 7 PM.By this time, it had started to rain. He knocked on the door and asked my parents for a big favor — he needed to store the Chicago person's items in my parents' garage overnight. He said he would return the next day with a uHaul trailer and then reload the other person's items and be on his way. Some of the items, including some end tables, had gotten wet. My mother actually went into the garage and dried them off, or they likely would have gotten damaged.
Marshall did not call and did not return the next morning. My mother began to worry. Eventually she reached him and he said he was renting at UHaul in Stanford and would return shortly. A few minutes later, my mother called the UHaul dealer in Stanford and the person she spoke with indicated that they could not rent to Marshall because he owed UHaul $4,000. He did say that if Marshall could find a UHaul without a computer system, he would be able to rent.By this point, my mother was ready to call the sheriff. She called Marshall's cell phone and left him a message to drop off all my items and cancel my delivery.
Marshall showed back up, around 2 PM on the afternoon of the 16th. He indicated he had not checked voice mail. He came back in a UHaul truck to pick up the Chicago person's items. He said he had left the Budget truck at the UHaul rental office. He proceeded to load the other person's items and took off.
That evening, Marshall called my cell phone and left a message indicating that he was on I75 and would be delivering my items on the morning of the 18th at my place in Sunrise. I did not hear from him again until the morning of the 18th.
He showed up at my place before I did (at 10 AM) and had already started unloading goods. My 1992 Honda Nighthawk 750 was in the driveway when I got there. I started it and road it into the garage, where I parked it. I went inside my townhome and came back out a few minutes later.By this time, my 2000 Suzuki SV650 had been unloaded and was placed inside my garage, with the left side of the bike facing and near the wall.
I helped Marshall and his assistant unload some items. As items were being unloaded, I noticed various damaged goods. It started when I noticed that my black metal shelving in the garage had yellow paint on it. I inspected my yellow dresser and, indeed, it had run into the shelving and was gouged in several spots on the back corner. I also noticed some new damage to my coffee table, and some minor damage to an oak bookcase I had finished. Then I noticed damage to my speakers. The veneer had bubbled up in several spots, and some of the spikes in the bottom of the speakers and stands had come out. Additionally, my floorstanding fan had scuffs and paint damage on it.
I pointed out some of this damage as we were going along, and Marshall said we would do an assessment when he was finished. I believe everything was done by 1 PM. Regarding the damages, Marshall said things are bound to shift in a 1000 mile move. I did not understand, however, why my goods were not protected better so that any shifting would not result in damage. I think many items were simply not covered and not secured properly.
Marshall downplayed the extent of the damages, and offered me a $20 discount. I told him I felt that it was worth at least $50, especially considering that he had gotten free storage overnight in my parents' garage. He agreed to this, but due to the cash he had on hand, the discount wound up being $59.
However, the extent of the damage only became apparent two weeks later. Because of my busyness with moving into a new home and unpacking and the holidays, as well as the congested roads in the Ft Lauderdale area, I did not take my motorcycles out of my neighborhood until New Year's Eve. Upon returning to my Nighthawk in a parking lot, I noticed some dents in the tank that were not there previously. I believe they had been partially masked by the large tank bag I had on the bike. As I began inspecting closer, I realized there were multiple places where the tank was damaged. Additionally, the fairing I had installed on the bike was scratched.
When I got home that evening, I inspected my Suzuki. I was shocked to find that it had been damaged as well. The rear tailpiece was cracked on the left side, and the bar end weight on the left side was bent and scratched. Additionally, I found a piece of my Throttle Rocker (a small plastic device that grips over the throttle) lodged behind the seat. Clearly the Throttle Rocker had been broken, and someone had placed the piece of plastic behind the seat. It simply could not have gotten there on its own.
I was shocked and horrified to discover all this damage.in retrospect, I do not feel that it is coincidence that my Suzuki was placed in the garage with the left side facing (and near) the wall. The movers simply had to know about this damage. Either the bikes had taken a spill in the back of the truck, or perhaps they were placed so close together that they were able to rub into each other. At any rate, I knew that I was looking at hundreds of dollars in repairs.
At my insurance agent's suggestion, I filed a claim on my 1992 Nighthawk. My 2000 Suzuki did not have comp/collision coverage, so I could not file a claim there.
My bike was towed by Motorcycle Rescue to Rick Case Honda. The estimate came back at ~$1624. Because of the book value of the motorcycle, the bike was deemed a 'total loss' by the insurance company and they issued a certificate of destruction title on the motorcycle. This means that the bike can never be re-titled nor re-insured. I posted a thread recently on SVRider.com on this topic:
In the meantime, I got an estimate on the Suzuki damage from Broward Motorsports. The estimate is approximately $260 for parts and labor. I faxed this estimate to Marshall on 01/09 and asked him repeatedly to file a claim with his insurance company. He responded on January 13 with a brief email stating that he received my fax and would be contacting me. I did not hear from him again until January 24, when he stated that would process the claim and be back in touch within two weeks. It is now more than three weeks later, and I still have not received payment for the damage to my SV650.
Further investigation into Midwest Moving & Transport, LLC has revealed the following:
-They are not a member of the BBB.
-They are not a member of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association.
-They are not a member of the American Moving and Storage Association.
-The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions has no record of this company existing. Further, when I called their office, they were unable to locate any company with Marshall Larson as a registered agent.
-A search of the US DOT FMCSA online database does not list this company as a licensed interstate mover.
-The phone number listed on their website (
Their behavior, from start to finish, was unprofessional and unethical. I would like to make as many consumers as possible aware of what they may encounter should they elect to hire these individuals. I would further advise any consumers considering this company to review the warning signs for rogue movers posted on the FMCSA website:
Http://www.protectyourmove. Gov/consumer/awareness/protect/red-flags.htm
My desired resolution:
-Pay $260 for damages to my SV650.
-Pay $100 for the deductible on my NightHawk 750.
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