‘I was sick to my stomach’: Woman paid movers who never showed up

[ ALSO READ: Families say Charlotte moving company jacked up prices, held belongings hostage ]

Muse hired Progressive Van Lines to move her from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Denver, North Carolina. However, when moving day came, no one showed up.

She showed Stoogenke her contract. It said the company was not a mover but a “moving coordinator / shipper agent / broker” – more of an agent that matches people with movers.

Muse says she knew that, but it didn’t worry her. Now she thinks the company never found anyone interested in moving her and didn’t tell her.

“Nothing. No apology. No nothing,” she said.

Muse said she put down $1,737.85, but the contract says deposits are not refundable.

“We were kind of in a panic because I had to be out of the apartment or I’d have to pay another month’s lease,” she told Stoogenke.

Muse’s sister purchased a trailer and drove it all the way to Utah to help her move, but not all of her things would fit in it.

“If it wasn’t for my sister renting that trailer, I would have came here with the clothes on my back,” she said.

Stoogenke researched Progressive Van Lines and discovered that the company is based in Florida. He contacted the state attorney general’s office, which said it has received nine complaints about the business.

The Better Business Bureau gives the movers an “F” rating and had an alert on its website about consumers reporting no-shows.

When Stoogenke called the company, he got a recording that said it was “one of the nation’s top-rated moving companies according to ConsumerAffairs for 2020 and 2021.”

Stoogenke checked with ConsumerAffairs and the organization’s lawyer told him Progressive Van Lines “is not a partner of ConsumerAffairs” and that he’d be contacting the company to have the information removed from its phone systems.

Stoogenke has tried contacting Progressive Van Lines multiple times since September. The company did not respond in time for this report.

[ CMPD: Fake moving companies scamming families out of cash, belongings ]

Stoogenke offers this advice when hiring a mover:

Research the company:

- Use the Better Business Bureau website here.

- For interstate moves, use the U.S. Department of Transportation’s mover search tool here.

- For in-state moves, call the North Carolina Utilities Commission’s public staff at 919-733-7766 to see if they have received any complaints against the company.

Licensing:

- Make sure the mover is licensed.

- If it does business across state lines, it needs a federal U.S. DOT number.

- For in-state moves, it needs a state certificate or C number. Check with the North Carolina Utilities Commission’s public staff at 919-733-7766.

Estimate:

Get the estimate in writing and be suspicious if the company gives you an estimate without seeing your belongings.

Payment:

Be suspicious if the movers want most of the money up front. Pay with a credit card if you can. It’s easier to dispute the charges that way.

Property:

Take photos and video of anything valuable, so you have proof if something is lost or damaged.

Contract:

Make sure you get a contract that spells out the price, delivery dates and what happens if you are not pleased with the mover.

Insurance:

Make sure you know what your homeowner or renter insurance covers.

Consider purchasing extra insurance if the mover offers it. Interstate movers are required to offer two choices of insurance: 1) Full value: It costs more but the mover has to pay for anything it loses or breaks. 2) Released value: This doesn’t cost extra, but the mover only has to pay $.60 per pound for anything it loses or breaks.

Also, make sure you don’t sign anything waiving the company’s liability.

(WATCH: They have possession of everything’: Families say local company made moving a nightmare)