Complaint Review: South American Van Lines - Moving Rate - Ronen Eliasi - United Express Moving Systems - Florida

Absolutely No Federal or State agency has been able to help me. Please read the complaint in full and my rebuttal to the claim management company. I'm ready to start a class action lawsuit and would love to hear from other nice people who have been ripped off by these particular companies and individuals. We have to shut these people down and get our money back. Since open these companies have more complaints than the BBB can handle. Please see my following correspondence.

07/27/05

To all parties involved in the pickup and delivery;

This letter serves as a complaint against South American Van Lines herein referred to as the broker and United Express Moving Systems herein referred to as mover.

Their addresses are as follows:

South American Van Lines (SAVL) United Express Moving Systems

4555 N.W. 103rd Ave. Suite 105 9819 Glenoaks Blvd.

Sunrise FL 33351 Sun Valley, CA 91352

Phone: 954-748-7126 Phone: 800-253-1535

Fax: 954-748-7853

This has been the most cheated and taken advantage of that my wife and I have felt since allowing the broker and mover to move our household items from Littleton, CO to Glendale, AZ. Both of these companies take advantage of a stressful situation of moving from one state to the other and as a result have charged more than the original quote, damaged our items and not delivered them in a timely manner. Not a single person employed with either of these companies has proven to be accountable and their story always changes.

First of all the broker. My wife originally set up the move and paid a $600 deposit toward a total of approximately $2000. Upon looking at the inventory and contracts from the broker we found out that several of our items were not on the inventory. So I called and updated the inventory and of course that increased the original move amount to approximately $2700. We put an additional $400 down with the broker for a total of

$1000.

At this time I had arranged with one agent of the broker to have the deposit and entire bill charged to my credit card upon receipt of the goods. That agent was let go during the process so my contact person changed and he assured me that everything was still the same. It wasn't until my delivery date 3 days after the contract promised that I was told by the mover that the broker hadn't agreed to allow me to pay by credit card.

My reason for paying by credit card was twofold. We didn't have that kind of available cash and I wanted a way to dispute the bill if anything was damaged. Upon hearing that the broker changed their mind I called and spoke to my contact who decided to take the day off on Friday 5/13/05 and Monday 5/16/05 or so I was told. I called back and demanded to speak to the owner of SAVL, Ronen Eliasi. I told him of my complaint and hassle that I'd had with representatives of his company and that the mover who was on their way to my home in Glendale, AZ had called to tell me that they would not deliver unless I had cash. He said that he is the only person that could authorize me to pay the entire balance to be delivered to the mover upon my goods being delivered and he had not authorized anyone to do so. He proceded to threaten me and say that if I didn't pay the mover in cash that they could hold my goods for up to 30 days if needed.

At this point I was infuriated and stuck. Either I pay the mover $2010 which had magically jumped up from the original quote or I could dispute this at the time and wait up to 30 days for my goods. Waiting wasn't an option as my wife had taken a job in Arizona that required some of our household items because she works out of the house.

We had been in the house since Thursday 5/12/05 and the original delivery date was supposed to be on Saturday 5/14/05. Our goods were not delivered until the following Tuesday 5/17/05. But I'll explain this later.

Ronen then asked why I didn't just go to the bank and do a cash advance on my credit card. I didn't want to do this because of the high interest rate and fees associated with performing a cash advance. He said that I should just do the cash advance and that he would reimburse the fee to me.

So while I waited for the truck to arrive, my wife had to run to the bank and do a cash advance on our credit card and we paid $2010 to the movers.

Now on to the movers. Our original pickup date was to be 5/10/05. Our neighbor was to oversee the move as we had to get down to Arizona to close on our house and my wife

had to start her job on Monday 5/9/05. We stayed with a friend until the closing and moved into our house on 05/12/05 anticipating that our goods would arrive on Saturday 05/14/05.

While we were packing the last of our items on Sunday 05/08/05 I received a call from the mover and said he was in town and wanted to come and pick up our stuff at 7 pm that night. He said he could have it in Arizona the next day and I explained that we didn't take possession of the house until Thursday. He said it could work anyway and that he would just leave the truck in their facility until the delivery date which would be at the latest 05/14/05. I agreed to stay behind as my wife began her drive to Arizona and then leave that night after the mover came.

By 7:30 I was tired of waiting and called the driver who

then told me that he wouldn't be able to pickup until 5/9/05. I couldn't wait anymore and left to Arizona. The driver said that he would be by at 11:00 am the following day. I left the keys with the neighbor and explained the changes. The next day I received a call from our neighbor that the mover hadn't arrived. I called the mover and he told me that he had forgotten to weigh the truck. I don't know how an experienced truck driver drives from Boulder to Littleton without weighing his truck.

According to my neighbor, when the truck arrived it already had a four-wheeler in the trailer. I think that this might account for the mysterious weight gain. The driver who was noticeably limping and the other driver then proceeded to load the truck and inventoried our items. Your company should not allow or force injured people to work. Not only is it cruel but items are damaged in the process.

According to the inventory taken by the mover everything we had was scratched, dented, chipped or damaged in some way. This was not the case. Please see the attached pictures.

A) Footboard and side rails arrived with multiple scratches and dings. This is part of a very nice five piece bedroom set that is less than a year old and was in

2 pristine condition. Also damage but not pictured was our large dresser. It was obvious that something was placed on top because there are several dents on

top. Pictures would not do any justice.

B) 2 Part Bookshelf. The back was torn off and the upper tier was completely demolished with screws ripped out and individual pieces taped together. This item is ruined and the pegs that attached them together were lost.

C) Carpet Torn in our Colorado Condo. I don't know how this happened but it appears that something was slid down the stairs instead of being picked up. This is not repairable by simply pushing the carpet on the tack strip. This needs to be replaced.

D) The chest arrived with two legs broken off and packed inside the chest

E) Both metal desks arrived with scratches and dents. Upon looking inside the truck it was apparent why. These movers do not know how to pack things. There were chairs on top of cabinets and everything was just crammed into

the truck These desks were placed on their sides instead of the feet like intended.

F) The matching file cabinet has a top that is made of clear plexiglass. This glass was scratched because it wasn't properly wrapped with a blanket.

G) These are pictures of the truck after some of the items had been removed. Clearly our items weren't treated with care.

H) The metal file cabinet is completely ruined with a large dent in the top, multiple scratches and tape that won't come off without leaving a residue. This item no longer functions. As a result of the rough handling we had to buy a new file cabinet.

I) Our mattress and box springs were soiled as a result of careless handling and unloading. They are covered with a black grease or dirt and the box spring had

a hole punched in it. These items were all in pristine condition. The plastic wrapping around them wasn't done correctly along with the filthy trucks that are used. I refused the $20 bags the driver called me about and told him to wrap them in plactic wrap just like the contract stated. According to the driver it would have cost an additional $100 to pack our 5 mattresses in plastic. Two

arrived just fine. $100 for plastic bags is absolutely ridiculous. Who would pay that?

Why would anybody hire a company and pay over $3000 to have their items ruined and be scammed in the process? According to everyone involved, anything damaged was not

their problem. So we were in our house awaiting our items to be delivered on Saturday. To make sure I

made a call to the warehouse and this person in Arizona said that our items were there but they had been unloaded and were sitting in storage. He said he would try to get them to me by Saturday but they would possibly not be delivered until Tuesday 5/17/05.

This is unacceptable. It takes at most two days to drive to Arizona from Colorado. The contract stated 3-5 days from pickup. You have violated your part of the agreement by not delivering on time.

Now on to the weight of the vehicle. The weight is handwritten. How am I to believe that this weight is correct when it is handwritten? Judging by the way that both parties conduct their business I don't believe that our items weighed that much. What if it weighed less? I should have proof of the weight of the truck prior to pickup and after pickup.

This complaint is being sent to BBB, the Attorney General's office of Consumer Protection, the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures, and both companies involved.

The stress and hassle caused by both of them is unnecessary. It is a scam devised to get whatever money possible out of people involved in moving from one state to the other. I'm seeking replacement of the items damaged and a full refund of $3010.

I believe that they use coercive tactics and threats of withholding property in order to extract as much money as possible by submission. The broker acted unethically and the mover never admitted accountability. When delivered they asked me to sign away my rights on the bill of lading before even inspecting my items. Underneath my signature, I wrote not in good condition will send a claim. As I've done more research, I've found out that my complaints and concerns are not the only ones out there. If you do a job honestly and fairly there is no need to scam people.

09/06/05

In reply to: Claim # UEMS50905

Anthem Claim Management LLC

2351 W. Memorial Court

Anthem, AZ 85086

Dear Joshua:

Josh I must first apologize profusely about my use of language when last speaking with you. I didn't enjoy hearing that I have no chance in hell or being called a swinging d**k by you and I lost my cool. I now understand that it is not your job to know or care about what is right or wrong. You are a claims adjuster and I thought I was speaking to an independent 3rd party. I now know why the drivers were so happy to say that all I have to do is file a claim.

United Express Moving Systems hides behind the laws and is more concerned about what they can get away with instead of doing what is fair. Unfortunately I do not have that who cares attitude and will do what is lawfully within my power to see that I get what I am seeking. They have ignored the value of integrity and honesty.

I am very upset with the way that the company you represent handled my move and their overall way of doing business. Unfortunately I did not have the option of actually knowing who the mover was because the broker didn't disclose that to me. Upon further research with the BBB and the Rip Off Report I would have definitely chosen another carrier.

I am going to handle this matter in another way, lawfully of course, so I need a few items from you. They are as follows:

a. The Certified Automated Truck Scale (CATS) Tickets both before and after so that I can have an actual total of the weight of my items.

b. A copy of the contents of the truck including Bills of Lading from other customers and CATS tickets. I assume that my household items were not the only move taking place, in fact I know it.

c. A copy of the Original Bill of Lading. (You will notice that I did not sign the Customer's Declaration of Value but I did sign the delivery acknowledgement with the words Not in Good Condition Will Send a Claim also I did not initial the additional disclosures on the first page)

d. The part of the contract that damage to carpeting is not the responsibility of the moving company. I see that disclosure on the front that the company is not responsible for vinyl floors or pressed for vinyl floors but I don't see anything about carpet.

e. All the names and contact information of all the drivers involved in my move. The guys who picked it up and the guys that dropped it off. These are the guys that marked everything I own as scratched or chipped. I invite you the see the items moved that made it without being damaged. We could go through the inventory and see that these items were fraudulently marked as being damaged.

I'm emailing a copy to the Arizona Republic. I'm not sure if you saw the front page of the business section on July 2nd so I included a copy of the article. I intend to have the reporter put me in touch with the other complainants. Also I intend to get in touch with all of the complainants against United Express and South American Van Lines through RipOffReport.com. If you read the complaints against either of the companies you should be ashamed to represent them. I couldn't imagine having a job defending a crooked company but it takes all kinds I guess.

While an attorney will probably not help me fight you individually there is power in numbers. I'm sure that all of the unnecessary hassle and gouging created by these less than reputable companies will bring these people forward because I know how defenseless and violated that my wife and I felt. I'm sure that a class action lawsuit would not cost me a dime. Most attorneys take these on for free and the settlement would be much bigger.

The website of United Express Moving Systems reads as follows:

We understand communication is the key to any successful move. Our specialist's work hard to see that relocation is trouble free. By combining training, education, and our commitment to superior customer service, we are building our reputation as first-class movers.

Our goals of quality service, complete customer satisfaction, repeat business, along with earning the trust of new customer, guide our efforts everyday.

That's a lofty statement but highly untrue according to myself and your other dissatisfied clients.

Since the moving business has been deregulated, there are too many companies out there that operate in the manner of the above-mentioned companies. It is unfair that they use a stressful time to be able to take advantage of their customers and we both know that these companies make a lot of money otherwise they wouldn't be able to afford attorneys or claims adjusters to act as bulldogs.

I initially called and spoke to you in order to decline the initial settlement of $255.00 offered to me and am still declining that amount because I requested the refund of the full amount of the move in the amount of $3010 and the cost of replacing my damaged items. I've never believed that people should be paid for pain and suffering. But the stress and anger that is caused by the broker and the carrier are unnecessary and has kept me awake at night. I totally trusted and paid for the service that was offered and I did not receive that service. I now understand why people seek compensation for this.

Adam

Glendale, Arizona
U.S.A.

STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!

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