What to Do When a Moving Company Steals Your Stuff
Most professional moving companies treat your belongings with respect. It is a straightforward transaction where you hire an organization to load, transport, and unload your things without experiencing any damage.
You can choose customization services with many moving companies, including packing, piano moving, and more. These options are usually an additional charge to the base moving rate.
The most common scam in the moving industry is to hold your belongings “hostage” for additional payment. Although you’ve agreed to a contract for a specific amount, the mover demands hundreds or thousands more to release your item.
Thousands of complaints get lodged against moving companies each year for this tactic. If this issue happens to you, here are the steps you can take.
Steps to Take When Moving Companies Hold Belongings Hostage
1. Take a moment to review federal law.
Federal laws in the U.S. require interstate movers to deliver your belongings when you’ve paid 100% of a binding estimate or 110% of a non-binding one. Although additional services or weight may cause the final charge to rise, there is no justification to hold your items when you’ve met this threshold.
2. File a complaint with the business.
When you comply with the contract, file a written complaint with the business responsible for moving your items. This step won’t fix the issue in most circumstances, but it shows that you’ve made a reasonable effort to recover your items before taking additional legal measures.
If you hired a sole proprietor or someone not licensed to provide moving services, file a written complaint with that individual.
3. Contact the authorities.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends that you notify law enforcement of the situation. When a moving company fails to deliver your items or holds them, hostage, for more payment, there is a possibility that local laws are being broken. Police officers cannot assist in a civil matter, but they can take action when state or local regulations are not met.
4. Contact the government regulator overseeing the moving company.
If you had an interstate move, try reaching out to the FMCSA – the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. State agencies cover local or in-state moves similarly to a consumer protection department.
The FMCSA may impose a fine of up to $10,000 daily against a moving company that doesn’t deliver your items. It can shut down frequent offenders by pulling their permission to conduct interstate moves.
5. Notify the Better Business Bureau about the incident.
Although the BBB probably won’t resolve your dispute, talking about the situation you experienced with the moving company can prevent others from dealing with similar problems. Having a poor review on the record can be enough pressure to cause some companies to relent and release their possessions.
You may see a different response. Some moving companies take an “eye for an eye” approach and leave poor reviews online about you. A few have even made harassing phone calls to employers, friends, or family members by searching through public records. It helps to take note of each incident to build a solid civil case against the agency.
6. Sue the moving company for breach of contract.
If you have a written contract and proof of payment, you may be able to sue the moving company for the return of your possessions. A civil matter involves what it takes to make you whole again after experiencing a loss.
If you moved to another state to take a new job, the court could require the moving company to cover your lost income if you could not take it because of their actions.
You might also have a chance to file claims for violating the Carmack Amendment and other federal laws for moves that cross state lines.
7. Talk to your insurance company.
When a moving company holds your items hostage or steals them outright, your insurance coverage may provide financial compensation. You’ll want to thoroughly review your homeowners’ or renter’s policy to see what qualifies. The moving company may have provided benefits in this area. You can also purchase coverage to protect yourself against these actions from several agencies across the country if you’re concerned about someone taking your things.
Having a moving company fail to deliver is never a positive experience. If you encounter this unfortunate incident, taking these steps may help you to get your items back.
This content should not serve as a substitute for qualified legal advice. You should speak with an attorney about what options are available to you if a moving company steals your things.
I still haven’t found my belongings, the problems I have is the co. That I hired and we paid, brokered the move to another co. That I cannot find info on and came at the very last moment so we didn’t have a choice. They up and pulled out when I had my back turned. I never got a license plate either. They left without giving me any paperwork. They got another 1,000.00 from me and could have been more except my Zell thru my bank had a limit. I had a cost from moving co for 6,000 and that… Read more »
What did you do? The same thing happened to us. They actually sold our belongs. They didn’t let us know for 2 months. I am at a loss as to what to do know
My belongings were stolen also. I have found them in a storage facility in Arizona and they were supposed to be delivered to Georgia. I filed a complaint a government agency, but I can’t even get a response from them.
We are in the same bind. How did you find out your things were in a facility in Arizona? We need help.
Can I ask what Broker you used. I have a similar situation right now.
Thanks for this information
I hired western van lines in AZ one I paid company I never seen them again. 8 months later I started getting texts telling me they were putting my stuff in storage in another state but couldn’t release it to me, when I text them I got no response. A month later Talia from the company called asking for money to deliver my goods and I got a photo of what was supposed to be my stuff but most wasn’t and what was had been damaged. I told her at this point they are delivering it for free I’ve been… Read more »
A van co that I didn’t hire or had never heard of arrived on move day. without saying a word or identifying the van co they packed and loaded my household goods. Then they put a contract in my face and told me to sign! I said NO that too much but they kept insisting and made me sign against my will! Is this legal?
My friend recently used Allied to move from Ca to NM. She paid over $15K. Supposedly the truck brakes caught fire in Colorado, and EVERYTHING was lost. She added the maximum insurance. I think this is a new scam. I think they took what they wanted from the truck and them rigged it to catch fire. She had LV purses alone worth a mint. Charges were supposed to be reversed for her loss. Nope.
We hired National Movers. What a mistake. These people will get your money and then they will hire a “family” owned truck called “Smart Movers Logistic”. When they come to pick up your stuff, they will ask for a lot of money more in cash. You will be in their hands, because they come late at night, right before your lease is due. It is a terrible scam. It has passed 30 days since they picked up our stuff. National movers does not do anything to help you, and the Smart Movers logistic will not answer the phone. They are… Read more »
I have used that company too, they have had my stuff since Jan 21. I am trying to make a police report. Any one know how to go about that.
No phone numbers or they wont bbn tell a person how to file a complaint against the company.
I got swindled on my 2,580$ deposit to Allstates moving and storage
i have been trying for two months to get my deposit from the moving services with no sucess. They will scam you out of your money too.I’m exhausted over the stress this has caused and hope no one else has to deal with this. I told my attorney about this and explained with proof he told me to complain to [email protected] . com .. They were so helpful in getting my deposit