ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The Better Business Bureau has received hundreds of complaints nationwide about items being severely damaged by movers or disappearing altogether.
Moving is stressful enough, but Dannie Williams-Hopson had a little added pressure to get into her Maryland Heights home.
“I was due in a month before we had the baby,” said Dannie Williams-Hopson.
They hired a local mover to help, and Williams-Hopson quickly noticed something wasn’t quite right.
“We had a corner cushion that was completely ripped,” said Williams-Hopson. “It looked like they took a greasy tool and wiped it on the edge of her couches.”
Some of Williams-Hopson’s belongs didn’t show up at all.
“How does a whole bed go missing,” asked Williams-Hopson.
David Florence had a similar experience after movers he hired to relocate his daughter from St. Louis to North Carolina showed up in a U-Haul with an unusual request.
“While Shiply.com says pay us at the end we don’t do that,” said David Florence. “If you want us to put the stuff on the truck, and she’s leaving in three hours to drive, pay us.”
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He sent the movers nearly $1300 on CashApp only to have his daughter’s stuff disappear.
“She had all of her furniture and stuff from her memories that are gone,” said Florence. “She only has 3 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of shoes.”
Unsuccessful in his attempts to contact the company Florence traced the truck, which had been returned to Kansas City.
“He didn’t go to Raleigh, or wasn’t near Raleigh when he said he was, so he was obviously lying to me,” said Florence.
According to Sarah Wetzel at the Better Business Bureau cases like this have become all too common.
“The Better Business Bureau, as of now, has about 226 complaints,” said Sarah Wetzel.
Unfortunately, under Missouri law companies are only required to refund $.60 cents per pound of the item moved.
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“It’s hard to get your money back,” said Wetzel.
“It’s frustrating because even though they are just things, your things, you trust this company to get your things to your home safely,” said Williams-Hopson.
Wetzel says you can protect yourself by paying with a credit card, and getting everything in writing, but she suggests another step.
“Look at getting an insurance policy yourself on these items,” said Wetzel. “It’s always important to ask the moving company if they have an insurance policy but push them to prove it.”
For more information from the Better Business Bureau on how to protect yourself while moving click here.
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