BBB: Be careful when choosing movers

8:06 PM, Jul 2, 2012   |    comments
  • Share
  • Email
  • Print
  • - A A A +

The Denver/Boulder BBB says a local moving company 9NEWS profiled last winter has had a rash of complaints.

Damon Henry is one of the customers who filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Damon should be settled into his new Centennial apartment by now, but boxes are still scattered.

"We had to basically put our lives on hold for about 3 or 4 weeks now," Damon said.

Damon says he hired Empire Relocation based in Denver in April to move his girlfriend to Centennial, Colorado from San Antonio, Texas.

He says the company kept pushing back the early June date, and when they finally agreed on a date, things still didn't work out.

"Nobody had shown up, nobody had called to let us know," Damon said.

Damon says he was given another date, and when that date came around, he says the mover told him his truck had broken down.

Damon was tired of the "runaround."

"We would have been better off moving ourselves," Damon said. "We had the deposit of $307.00, which I'm still waiting to see back on my card."

Empire Relocation made the news in February when Student Movers in Denver was about to go out of business.  Empire Relocation's owner, Jason Price, offered to help the stranded customers move their belongings out.

Student Movers has since been bought by a new owner (Buehler Moving and Storage) which is continuing to use the Student Movers name.  Both Buehler and Student Movers have A+ ratings from the Better Business Bureau. 

Empire Relocation, on the other hand, has been racking up a lot of complaints at the BBB. 

"In the last 45 days we've had 7 pending complaints, and that's why they don't show up now," Dale Mingilton, Denver-Boulder Better Business Bureau President/CEO, said. "We're still processing them. They're that fresh coming in."

When customers like Damon search Empire Relocation on BBB's website, they'll find they're not accredited.

What customers may not know is that Price, according to the BBB, is the former owner of 67th Avenue Movers, a company with an "F" rating by the BBB.

The BBB says complaints against Empire Relocation include damaged or missing furniture, and that there are 154 complaints against Price's former company.

"They're furniture is being held hostage, change in price in contract," Mingilton said.

Damon says he was fed up and decided to hire another company to help with the move.

"If you're going to treat customers this way, you should have nothing to do with moving someone's valuables and moving their life," Damon said.

Other customers 9NEWS spoke with are out deposit money. One customer claims he is still missing a section of his couch, an electric guitar and amplifiers.

We asked a manager at Empire Relocation to have Jason Price contact 9NEWS for a comment or an interview, but we haven't heard back.

Moving companies remain on the Better Business Bureau's top 10 complaints list.

The BBB suggests consumers should avoid hiring moving companies that don't come out to the customer's home and won't give them a firm estimate.

Be careful when using a moving broker. The BBB says sometimes a middle man can cause more problems.

Be sure to read the contract and don't sign a blank contract, the BBB says.

Also, beware of low-ball offers. The BBB says that's often times how they get customers in the door and then find ways to jack up the price.

Jason Price made the following statement Monday:

In 45 days I have 750 moves, so I don't think the 7 pending complaints is a fair reflection on how I run my business. I bought the company with an 'F' rating and we've made all the necessary changes since November that the BBB and the Public Utilities Commission have asked us to make. Any time there's a claim we process it, and if there's money owed we pay it. We even have a claims adjusting firm that handles these complaints. I have no intention to burn anybody.

You can find more information from the American Moving and Storage Association.

 

(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)