Fuller Moving & Storage Nathan Fuller Complaint Bait & Switch of services promised by sales person and actual delivery of damaged property, fraudulent packing of property scam Sacramento California

I'm actually on the consumer's side, having gone to DC to try and change the laws governing moving, and then ran into the lobby that likes the moving industry the way it is.  If you read my first response to you, it does not take the position of the mover.  I don't take your side either because you were too stupid to do any research - and you completely deserve that criticism.  I take the position of an informed consumer.

The reason there are movers that may seem to be disreputable is because there are people like you (read:  stupid) who fail to do any research about moving (BTW, there are disreputable movers out there who raise prices by 2X-3X by the time the move is complete - you just had your stuff broken and items missing, which happens in about 1 in 5 moves.  In other words, the mover you used may not be disreputable - just not very careful with your stuff).  There are plenty of websites out there that could have advised you on what to do and plan for when you are moving.

These sites also tell you things like valuation (movers cannot sell you insurance as a matter of law) and if you have a number of expensive things that will be moved - that you will need to have those items declared high value and you as the consumer need to be aware of the existence of FRV, or Full Replacement Valuation. 

The person who told you that's what you should have done is 100% correct - virtually every website I know advises doing this if you have expensive items needing to be moved.  And for that, you referred to the accountant as a "piece of work"?  You really are a moron and a truly awful person.

Lawyers, as a general rule, do not bother suing movers because of the Carmack Amendment.  The mover knows they happen to be protected by Federal Law, so I'm not sharing any secret they don't know.  I mean you can sue a mover, but then you will be filing a complaint against your lawyer because you lost.  If you have an honest lawyer, they would dissuade you from suing for 2 very important reasons:

1.  They can't collect for their clients from the lawsuit because they can't get past summary judgment against them.  Carmack stops every lawyer in their tracks, and the lawyer knows it.  So do I.  I once saw an angry consumer nearly jump out and attack a judge for dismissing his case due to Carmack.  He then attacked his lawyer I suppose for following his instructions.

2.  They can't make any money unless of course you're going to pay the fees - which I suppose you could but you'd then be throwing good money after bad because you won't collect anything other than what's stated in the contract.  The contract says $0.60 per pound.  According to Carmack - that's all you get.

I've also seen a consumer refuse the $0.60 per pound valuation amount given.  When they realized later that's all they were entitled to, the mover refused.  The contrat actually stated that if you refuse the settlement, you forfeit any amount you later agree to.

Yes, tipping is a part of any service a mover does - just as if you go to a restaurant.  It's also customary to provide at least drinking water (bottled water is better) for the people doing the heavy work.  You don't have to provide food or snacks.

So now what do you do?  You'll need to call a stone mason to replace the marble top.  Yes, it's going to be expensive, assuming you can find a stone that closely matches the rest of the cabinet.  When you get the bill from the mason, think about how much you're paying to replace it, and then think about how much FRV would have cost you?  Same with the MAC and the bed, and everything else lost or broken.  It may run you another $16K out of pocket - a cost that was fully avoidable had you purchased FRV.  Now you can't get the mover to pay you anything to reimburse you, except maybe a few hundred dollars.  If you're looking for someone to blame for the situation you're in, then look in a mirror.  The fact you didn't know about valuation is your fault - how can you not do any research??  No excuse!!

Moving is really expensive.  Choosing a mover therefore is something you needed to research, but more importantly, what happens in a move is even more important.  You had some very expensive items.  If you're paying a lot of money to move your items, then you should make sure you procure the most important part of every move - valuation. 

FRV will make sure that if the mover isn't careful, then the FRV will make sure you are made whole when something is broken or lost.  20% of all moves performed has a damage claim filed.  You decided that your very expensive heirlooms were not worth insuring.  But you said how could I have known they could have treated my items so badly?  Answer:  How could you not properly insure your items?  That's the bottom line...

No one ever explained the insurance to me and there was no information given on how it works.  You sound like you're on the side of lying stealing movers.  We have enough corruption in our world without someon protecting  the thieves. and I have every right to sue and do as much as I can to have these 2 companies investigated for criminal acts against seniors.

I hired movers because I can't move stuff my self -- that was the point. and if moving companies treat their employees as ruthlessly as they do thier customers then that practice has to be stopped. I was never told that I had to tip a company or it's employees -- it's not a restaurant. The movers created a horrible massive confusion and would not listen to anthing I had to say or ask for. Just a bunch of careless gorillas.

You should be able to find that valuation in your signed contract between you and the mover.  However, the most you will ever receive is $0.60 per pound for broken items and $0 for stuff that's missing; $0.60 per pound would generally be the minimum amount of valuation offered. 

Movers always recommend that if there is something very valuable to you - that you move that item yourself.  Jewelry and currency is something a mover will not move and is not responsible for starters, and your MAC with $10K of software on it would qualify as something you should move yourself.

However, you will NEVER receive more than the valuation you agreed to in the contract and if you wanted more coverage, then you should have purchased FRV, or Full Replacement Valuation, as the accountant had recommended to you.  Even if you decide to sue the mover, Federal Law (specifically the Carmack Amendment) prevents you from collecting more than what is in your contract.  Anything over and above that amount that you try to collect will be dismissed by the judge.  Check your contract for the amount of valuation you signed up for.  A broken marble top with a weight of maybe 100 lbs. will net you a value of $60.00.  If your'e already paying $16K to move, another $1K or $2K would have been worth it.

Also, many people klnow never to rely on the BBB for anything.  The BBB is a member-driven organization and anyone who happens to be a member of BBB will never receive a rating any lower than an A- no matter how bad they happen to be.

This company needs to be investigated for fraud, switch and bate contracts and held to account for all losses they have caused.  Well, your narrative does not indicate fraud was committed, nor was there any bait and switch committed.  Yeah, the movers left before everything was reassembled, but as you said, the minute they saw how upset you were, they left.  Movers generally don't like to be around people who are upset, so they leave - the people who unload and reassemble furniture are the lowest paid people and they live off of tips.  Upset people don't tip, so there's no need to stay longer than they should.  There is no way anyone can promise to take care of the items entrusted to them unless they were so clairvoyant that they could see the future and tell you.  If every mover handled things the way they promised, then there would be no need for anyone to carry valuation, a mover to be insured, etc...

Moving is a very complex and difficult process, not to mention expensive.  Choosing to not cover your expensive and valuable items items, when you're already paying a lot to move, is a huge mistake that will cost for far more in the long run, than if you had simply paid for the FRV.  Best of luck to you....