On September 15, we signed a contract with Hansen Bothers Transfer and Storage of 6860 Coal Creek Parkway, Newcastle, WA 98056 to pack our household goods located at 1826 101st Pl NE in Bellevue, WA and move them into storage until further instructions. Hansen Brothers asked us to identify and place a value upon items considered high worth, and list same on a separate portion of their contract. We complied with this request. On this list were two Queen Anne chairs, in excellent condition, heirlooms of our family. They were valued at $10,000 ($5,000 each).
On October 4 and 5, Hansen Brothers personnel packed and loaded our household goods and drove off, presumably to their storage facility. Our household goods remained in the storage facility until further notice. We paid homeowners's insurance on these goods the entire time they were in the facility, and took out full insurance coverage for their transport.
On August 16, we notified Hansen that we had moved to Visalia, CA and wanted our household goods delivered to our residence. Hansen is an agent of The Bekins Company, P O Box LaGrange, IL 60525 and the transport and unloading of our goods would be handled by Bekins. Bekins requested a listing of the items in storage from Hansen, and a separate list of valuables from us. Once again, we complied. We also elected to purchase the maximum insurance available from Bekins for this move.
On September 22, the Bekins truck showed up at our residence in Visalia and Bekins personnel began off loading our household goods. After the truck departed, my wife noticed that the two Queen Anne chairs were not delivered. We notified Bekins that the chairs were missing, and they stated they would investigate.in spite of numerous phone calls and letters, Bekins would not acknowledge any responsibility, but did send a check for $250 to settle the account (they had promised this amount to cover damage to and cleaning of items requiring so after the move). Bekins sent a refurnishing contactor to our home several times to attend to major scratches, etc. We did not cash the check for $250 inasmuch as we did not want the account settled in such a manner, and returned it to Bekins.
Since Bekins was unwilling to accept responsibility for the missing chairs, we employed the services of a local attorney in an effort to help us. Our attorney, Martin Malkasian of Visalia, CA, sent several letters, with significant corroborating material to support our claim, to Bekins. After more than 6 months, Bekins sent a letter stating that they never received the chairs from Hansen Brothers in the first place and were rejecting our claim.
Our attorney started the process all over again, this time with Hansen Bothers. To date, Hansen has not responded to his letter of August 31.
Our frustration with this matter has gotten to the point where we want to bring it to your attention. We employed Hansen and Bekins in good faith, paid them, even took out extra insurance, and yet neither is accepting responsibility for the missing chairs.
We have not enclosed any supporting material, but have plenty, and all of it has been furnished to Hansen and Bekins, most of it on their own forms!
We feel that somewhere along the way we have been ripped off by one or both of these companies and felt compelled to bring this matter to your attention in the event that other consumers may have been or will be similarly treated.
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