Horrendous nightmare with Nationwide Relocation Services
Lisa,
(Before we start I must refer you to our disclaimer, since the answer to your question can result in various scenarios that you should be prepared for).
I am really sorry to hear that you got into this mess. NRS are quite known in the industry for the long list of unhappy customers as you probably already noticed from their BBB report and from other consumer sites (here is a thread on our site about them: Consumer Report: Nationwide Relocation Services).
Here are few scenarios that I can suggest for you to consider. Today you are facing two problems: one is the fact that you need to move (probably immediately), and the other is the fact that you have your money tied with NRS that you probably no longer want to use for your move. Lets see how you can deal with each one of those.
Your problem with NRS: I assume you no longer want to use them, and you do want to recover your deposit (if you are thinking about still waiting for their truck, and only because you do not want to loose your deposit, then I would suggest you to think again - what if the mover they send to you will try to rip you off in the end? Obviously, you have no control over who they will send to you, so it might actually be cheaper to loose the deposit - considering the worst case scenario).
One thing that worked for me once when I bought a service from a shady company (not moving related, but still shame on me for not checking them out prior to giving them my AmEx...) was credit card charge dispute that I won, and got my payment of $1000 back in full.
You see, in the contract that you have signed with them there is no clause that says what happens in case they fail to fulfill their part of picking you up within the time period written on the contract (June 29-30). Therefore their requirement of 5 business days prior to the designated pickup window for cancellation does not really apply for your case - after all you wanted the service, but they failed to provide you with it.
Regardless of all the legal loopholes in this agreement (again, I am not a lawyer, so please consider consulting with one before you do anything) I would suggest you to look at this situation from a realistic point of view: you have enough proof that would be required for your credit company to rule in your favor (make sure you take dated photos of your packed and ready to go belongings in your Ohio residence), and the amount in question is relatively small ($700 is just not enough for a company of the size of NRS to have a legal war over).
Once you establish that you have a strong enough case - consider disputing the charges with your credit company (you can call them and discuss this option prior to that, to learn about the process and to make sure they give you a fax number to fax all your evidences, including things that might help you to describe what kind of a company NRS is, such as BBB reports and printed info from consumer sites like ours).
Make sure that once you did that you call NRS and notify them of your decision not to move with them, so that they will stop the process of sending you the truck (if they ever started it anyway...). Its important that you have a proof that you did that, for example you can fax them a written notice and keep the fax outcome printout.
Keep in mind there could be some not so good outcomes of this plan, but in any case the stronger the case you make the less riskier it will be for you.
Your actual move: Although you probably have very little time to find a replacement for NRS, however it is important that you do at least some research on each mover that you consider hiring. Try to get several moving quotes online (write "Last moment move" in the comments), and make sure you invite each of the candidates for an on-site estimate (at that point I would suggest you limit your search only to the movers located in your area). Only accept flat price offers after a thorough visual in your house.
That process could possible take you a few days, but it is necessary to make sure your move does not turn into a nightmare all over again.
Good luck with your move,
Alex Z. @ MovingAnswers.org
GENERAL ISSUES
-> Moving problemsJul 01, 16:12
Question by OKCnurse (Lisa Krivenki)
How do I get out of this nightmare? The company schedule moving dates 6/29-6/30/07. They never return phone calls, never brought a truck, and have charged me $700 deposit. They have a crazy cancellation policy, in which you must provide numerous types of notification to cancel at least 5 business days prior to the pick-up date. They never showed, nor informed me of any future truck. How do I get out of this mess and get my money back?
I am sending you a document of the details. Also, I will send a copy of the contracts; they are scans of the paper in a jpg/picture format.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Lisa Krivenki
Jul 01, 23:49
Answer by alexzehn (Alex Z.)
(Before we start I must refer you to our disclaimer, since the answer to your question can result in various scenarios that you should be prepared for).
I am really sorry to hear that you got into this mess. NRS are quite known in the industry for the long list of unhappy customers as you probably already noticed from their BBB report and from other consumer sites (here is a thread on our site about them: Consumer Report: Nationwide Relocation Services).
Here are few scenarios that I can suggest for you to consider. Today you are facing two problems: one is the fact that you need to move (probably immediately), and the other is the fact that you have your money tied with NRS that you probably no longer want to use for your move. Lets see how you can deal with each one of those.
Your problem with NRS: I assume you no longer want to use them, and you do want to recover your deposit (if you are thinking about still waiting for their truck, and only because you do not want to loose your deposit, then I would suggest you to think again - what if the mover they send to you will try to rip you off in the end? Obviously, you have no control over who they will send to you, so it might actually be cheaper to loose the deposit - considering the worst case scenario).
One thing that worked for me once when I bought a service from a shady company (not moving related, but still shame on me for not checking them out prior to giving them my AmEx...) was credit card charge dispute that I won, and got my payment of $1000 back in full.
You see, in the contract that you have signed with them there is no clause that says what happens in case they fail to fulfill their part of picking you up within the time period written on the contract (June 29-30). Therefore their requirement of 5 business days prior to the designated pickup window for cancellation does not really apply for your case - after all you wanted the service, but they failed to provide you with it.
Regardless of all the legal loopholes in this agreement (again, I am not a lawyer, so please consider consulting with one before you do anything) I would suggest you to look at this situation from a realistic point of view: you have enough proof that would be required for your credit company to rule in your favor (make sure you take dated photos of your packed and ready to go belongings in your Ohio residence), and the amount in question is relatively small ($700 is just not enough for a company of the size of NRS to have a legal war over).
Once you establish that you have a strong enough case - consider disputing the charges with your credit company (you can call them and discuss this option prior to that, to learn about the process and to make sure they give you a fax number to fax all your evidences, including things that might help you to describe what kind of a company NRS is, such as BBB reports and printed info from consumer sites like ours).
Make sure that once you did that you call NRS and notify them of your decision not to move with them, so that they will stop the process of sending you the truck (if they ever started it anyway...). Its important that you have a proof that you did that, for example you can fax them a written notice and keep the fax outcome printout.
Keep in mind there could be some not so good outcomes of this plan, but in any case the stronger the case you make the less riskier it will be for you.
Your actual move: Although you probably have very little time to find a replacement for NRS, however it is important that you do at least some research on each mover that you consider hiring. Try to get several moving quotes online (write "Last moment move" in the comments), and make sure you invite each of the candidates for an on-site estimate (at that point I would suggest you limit your search only to the movers located in your area). Only accept flat price offers after a thorough visual in your house.
That process could possible take you a few days, but it is necessary to make sure your move does not turn into a nightmare all over again.
Good luck with your move,
Alex Z. @ MovingAnswers.org
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