On September 20 we contracted with Discount Moving for a long distance move from Tampa, FL to Cherokee Village, AR. The agreed upon services (as indicated in the quote attached) were for packing, loading, transport and unloading of all household goods.
Upon their arrival to pack our home, the driver and three assistants arrived over 4 hours late, did not bring sufficient numbers of boxes or packing materials and within 1 hour of their arrival, took a 1 hour lunch break. After they had been at the house for a little over four hours, they advised us that they could not finish packing as promised, and would have to return the following day, our scheduled load and move day, to finish. They advised us they would leave us boxes and we could pack your own stuff if you want to move tomorrow. This was the first breach of the agreement by the company.
Because we had no option to delay our move, we packed the majority of the remaining items, including two bedrooms, all clothing in the house, 2 bathrooms and an office, accounting for over 30% of all the items packed. Upon their arrival on 9/21/02, which was 2 hours late, they brought a rented U-Haul truck. Their web site, and sales personnel, indicated that they owned their own vehicles, and we were never advised that we were paying a premium price for a cheap rental truck. The loading of the truck went mostly without incident, except for the fact that they ran out of room, and we were forced to leave behind our Bar-B-Que grill, patio furniture, 4 chairs and several boxes. This constituted the second breach of contract by Discount Moving.
The driver's promised arrival date/time in Cherokee Village was 9/23/02, in the mid-morning time frame. The driver did not arrive until approximately 5 PM that date. Upon his arrival, the driver advised us that he had come alone, and there was no one available to help him unload the truck due to the late hour of his arrival. He further advised that he was late because he had to go to my son's ball game, then I had to drive up (in the truck containing our property) and help my daughter with her car. At this point, the driver actually had the gall to advise us that he would not release our furniture and belongings, unless we agreed to pay an additional $190.55 for excess weight. The driver provided a brief look at two weight readings supposedly obtained while en-route at weigh stations. The two numbers were not the same, and he would not provide a copy of the weight sheets.in addition, since he was driving a rental truck, he would not have been able to obtain weights at a weigh station, which is for commercial vehicles.in order to obtain our property, we were required to authorize an additional $190.55. This was in addition to the 10% extra we had already authorized to cover any excess weight since the salesman, Dan Lynch, ensured us that you'll come in under this weight estimate, and just get a rebate.
The agreement for services (attached) also specified that, as we had already paid the additional 10%, we were entitled to release of our belongings and payment could be made for any additional amount within 30 days. The driver would not allow this, and again refused to release our belongings. The driver then advised us that WE would have to unload the truck. He offered to assist, then took several breaks and at one point actually disappeared, only to be found sitting in the cab of the truck having a phone conversation. This constituted the third breach of the contract.
It was at this point that we advised the driver that we would not sign the documents stating we were completely satisfied with the move and releasing Discount Movers from any future liability. At this point, as previously mentioned, the driver refused to provide any copies of the contract or shipping contents, and he left.
We have made repeated attempts to contact the company to no avail. We are advised, on each attempt, that there is no one available to speak with us. We filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and the company refuses to respond to them as well (see attached letter from BBB).
As a result of the multiple breaches of contract, the company's refusal to speak to us and attempt to resolve the dispute, their lack of response to the Better Business Bureau complaint and the deceptive and dishonest business practices they exhibit, we are requesting that payment to this company be withheld, in full.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter upon initial contact, and would be grateful for any help you can provide.
Sincerely,
Gerald
Cherokee Village, Arkansas
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