Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Florida

moving household goods

i contacted a moving co online to quote moving goods from fl to hi..given a quote of 2137.00 set up sept 25 for pu..on 9/25 a ryder truck shows up loads my stuff ..my deal was 50%on pickup and 50%on del to hi..gave the driver a check for 1000. he said we still owed 4093.00and left ,,,contacted moving co and was told they subletted job..contacted them and was told the estimate was wrong and they required 100%payment before ship..went back and forth for 3 weeks..told them i wanted to pick up my stuff my self at ft lauderdale, they said no way they had shipped it to calif and it would noew cost me 4100.00to get it back to fl.i have no signed contracts only e mail..i wnat to pay 50% now and 50%on delivery but they say no..they are now adding 250.00 week storage fee..do i have any options ..i have no guarantee i will get any thing if i pay in full up front..they are holding my goods as hostage..


Asked on 10/30/02, 10:03 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
David Slater David P. Slater, Esq.

Re: moving household goods

You have been scammed. Florida movers are notorious for this. I have handled a number of

similar cases. I would need additonal information

before giving any advice. You can e mail me or call.

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Answered on 10/30/02, 10:55 pm
Randall Gilbert Gilbert & Caddy P.A.

Re: moving household goods

It depends on how much money you want to invest in your case. Unfortunately, a lot of these companies are fly-by-nights. If you just want your stuff back then you may want to escrow the funds with an attorney, and upon delivery the attorney will release the funds.

In the meantime, you should also make a police report.

In Florida there are specific statutes and county ordinances which govern the contracts and the disclaimers they must have. Apparently, there was no contract, so the moving company has already comitted themselves to one violation. Next time don't be cheap. Get a reliable moving company that has a large yellow page ad. Any company that can afford those ads have probably been around awhile. Alternatively, use two companies. This way at least you won't be at a total loss, if you are scammed. The BBB is also a good reference for checking out moving companies. Best of Luck.

Randall L. Gilbert

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Answered on 10/30/02, 11:14 pm


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