Military couple from East Tenn. wronged by moving company
EL Paso, Texas (WATE) - If you have ever moved from one state to another, you know what a hassle it can be and that anything can go wrong. A young soldier and his wife from East Tennessee had a terrible experience recently. Their moving company has yet to give them important papers.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration monitors long distance moving companies. Under government rules. the moving company you use is supposed to provide information about your rights and responsibilities. Most legacy carriers don't require you to pay until the end of the move with a guaranteed form of payment. In their move to Texas, the couple says they regret the carrier they chose.
Korie Bunch and her husband Corey are newlyweds. He's a PFC in the Army. They now live at Ft. Bliss Texas in El Paso. They moved from their home in Maryville in November. They didn't have a lot of furniture to move. Paperwork prepared by the mover lists 18 items.
The company that arranged the move is Presidential Moving out of Arlington, Texas.
"They did require that we pay half of it upfront. I thought that a little odd, but maybe it was normal so,"said Korie Bunch.
The couple said the binding estimate was $2,000. Half of the fee was required in advance, plus they paid a $500 deposit. Corey Bunch said the Army advanced him money to pay for the move.
"They gave us an advance for our move to get our stuff here. So they gave us a thousand dollars upfront,"said Korie Bunch.
Delivery to their on-base enlisted housing at Ft. Bliss took Presidential Moving two weeks. The couple says when their things arrived, it was a mess.
"It was awful. Everything was thrown on top of each other, all of the boxes were crushed,"said Korie Bunch.
That was just the beginning of their move gone bad. The estimated volume of their move was 500 cubic feet. Corey Bunch said to be reimbursed, he's required to turn in what's called a weight ticket, but he had not been given one.
They said Presidential Moving told them they will check with the driver about the weight ticket.
"The last time I called and told them we were supposed to get weight tickets to submit to the Army to reimbursed for our move. They had originally said it wouldn't be an issue. They didn't give (the tickets) to us when they dropped our things off. So when I called and told them that,she said,
'I'll get a hold of the driver,'"said Korie Bunch.
They've had no luck reaching the driver. Presidential Moving hasn't helped them either in finding him.
"I'm sitting here trying to serve my country and I'm getting the runaround by the very people I'm serving,"said Corey Bunch.
The couple was supposed to get a booklet when they moved, outlining your rights and responsibilities. The Bunches said they never received this information, but they should have according to federal rules
When a legacy moving company packs up your household goods and before your goods are trucked off, their method of payment is simple. You get either a binding contract at a guaranteed set price or a non-binding contract in which final charges will be based on the actual weight of your shipment and services provided. Legacy companies say you don't pay until the shipment arrives. The usual payment is by money order.
The Bunches' contract required they had to pay a lot upfront. Now with no weight ticket to hand in, they're stuck.
"The Army is going to take money from us because we don't have the tickets, the information to give to the Army, so we are probably going to lose $8-9,000 as it is,"said Corey Bunch.
A message WATE 6 On Your Side sent to Presidential Moving has not been returned. The Better Business Bureau grade is an F for Presidential Moving in Arlington, Texas, the office that arranged the move.
The couple has turned to social media about the company.
"There are a lot of people we've talked with that have also become victims of this company. It's sad because they're complete scams,"said Korie Bunch.
As many people know, moving household goods is stressful and has been for the young couple. The best way to resolve any issues you may have with a moving company is to contact them and try to straighten things up. Since that hasn't worked for the Bunches, their next step is to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Once a complaint against a mover is entered into the government's database, measures against the mover could then be made.