OCEANSIDE, Calif., July 1 (Laguna Beach Daily) — A Southern California couple says a moving company more than doubled the cost of their cross-country move after loading their belongings, then kept the shipment when the family disputed the bill.
John Nelson said he and his spouse hired a broker to move their household goods from Oceanside, California, to North Carolina. He said the original contract was for more than $16,000, and he paid a $7,000 deposit.
Nelson said movers arrived at the home at the end of May and then claimed there were far more items than initially assessed, pushing the price to $32,000. He said the couple had told the company they would not be in North Carolina until June 10.
Even so, Nelson said the company attempted delivery on June 3. After no one was there to accept it, he said the company charged an extra redelivery fee.
Nelson said he suspected the June 3 delivery attempt may have been staged after watching video of the truck arriving. “I suspect they just drove up with an empty truck to create a façade,” he said.
He said the couple filed police reports in Oceanside and in the North Carolina city where the shipment was headed, and submitted complaints to agencies including the Better Business Bureau. “They have $30,000 and our belongings… they are essentially holding it for ransom,” Nelson said.
The account did not include a response from the moving company.
