WSVN — When you move, one thing is certain: It is a lot of work. The key, of course, is to get a good mover and get one thing done before you move. When that didn’t happen for one South Florida man, he turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
If you like a lot of space — decorators call it Spartan living — you would love Kip Rabin’s new place.
Kip Rabin: "I had quite a bit of furniture. It was a lot."
Kip’s empty apartment is not by choice. Instead, it comes from a moving mess.
Kip Rabin: "I assume they knew what they were doing. In hindsight, it wasn’t my best move, I am not going to lie to you."
Two different moving companies came to his townhouse and gave him written estimates to pack up and move him to a condo. One was for $5,400, another for $8,000. Then he called a third company, and they gave him a verbal quote over the phone.
Kip Rabin: "I told them what was in every room. I told them I had a lot of very heavy furniture. He said it would be about $1,200."
Twelve hundred dollars. Too good to be true, and Kip knew it would be more.
Kip Rabin: "Twelve hundred dollars wasn’t going to be the right number — $1,200 plus the storage, plus the crating, plus also the delivery back to this apartment."
That was on a Friday. On Tuesday, they came to move him and put his stuff in storage. They made a list several pages long of everything they moved.
And then they told him the price.
Kip Rabin: "They said, ‘Oh, by the way, your bill is $11,800, and I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’"
Nearly 10 times the price from the original quote.
Kip Rabin: "He said, ‘You had a lot more stuff than we thought.’"
Kip offered them $6,000, in between the bids from the two other estimates he got from other companies. They said no. They wanted $11,800.
Kip Rabin: "I’ve offered to take part of it, and let’s fight about the rest. They have the rest as collateral. They weren’t interested in doing that."
Kip then filed a complaint with the state and Miami-Dade County. In a detailed response to the state, the mover wrote that Kip misled them, only describing about a third of the furniture to be moved, and left much of it unpacked.
Kip then bought an air mattress to sleep on and a printer for work. You see, Kip is a forensic accountant, and the movers holding his business files is killing him.
Kip Rabin: "My clients have given me their information to prepare their taxes. I don’t have it, and I can’t get it back."
The mover has his files and furniture, and wants $11,800 to bring them to his house. Kip doesn’t think that’s fair, so Howard, legally, what can he do?
Howard Finkelstein: "Kip won’t believe it, but legally he is in good shape. A moving company has to give you a written estimate before they move anything. If they do not, it violates state and local law, and the mover can be fined up to $5,000. The problem: Agency investigations take time, and Kip needs his files and his furniture now."
I talked to Virgil Hale, the owner of A-1 Fargo Van and Storage. He said Kip wanted something for nothing, that Kip wouldn’t let him come out and give him an estimate, that they packed 381 pieces at his townhouse.
Hale then told me he would knock $2,800 dollars off the price, lowering it to $9,000. Kip said no.
Hale told me, if Kip would give him $6,600, he could then hire another moving company to come get his furniture and files from storage. Kip said no, but they bargained some more and came to an agreement. Kip paid A-1 for their work, then hired another company to move his stuff to his new condo.
Howard Finkelstein: "If you are hiring a mover, do not let them touch anything until you have a signed written estimate laying out the maximum price. And make sure you have a copy of it that is easily readable."
As part of the agreement between the moving company and Kip, they can’t talk about each other anymore, and Kip has to withdraw his complaints with the state and Miami-Dade County. But Kip has his furniture, and more importantly for an accountant, his clients’ files.
A moving mess. That’s why the state and county are ready to step in to investigate things for you. Now, if you are going to hire a mover, or you have a complaint about a mover, we have put together the links below.
Got a problem you want to move out of your life? Given up estimating when it will be solved? Contact us, and let us pack it up and haul it away for you.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
For helpful information from the State before you hire a mover:
www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Consumer-Services/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-Protection/Moving-within-Florida
Intrastate move
To file a complaint with the State:
www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Consumer-Services/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-Protection/File-a-Complaint
To file a complaint with a county:
Miami-Dade County – www.miamidade.gov/business/consumer-protection-tips-mover.asp
Broward County – www.broward.org/PermittingAndLicensing/Forms/Documents/GeneralConsumerComplaint.pdf
Interstate moves – Regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Complaints can be filed online at:
www.fmcsa.dot.gov/consumer-protection/household-goods/protect-your-move
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
E-mail: helpmeHoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
On Twitter: @helpmehoward7