Monica Hansen hired Presidential Moving Services to move her furniture and other home items from Idaho to Texas in November of 2017. Hansen to Channel 6 the company made some very specific promises.
"The gal on the phone told me she would be with me from beginning to end," Hansen said. "They assured us that everything was going to stay in the [same] truck because they were not a broker."
Hansen told Channel 6 the moving company was thorough about creating a list of items to be moved.
"They walked me through the house room to room with a camera on," Hansen said. "She would say 'what about that?' and I would say 'yes we are taking that.' She would add it to the list."
But Hansen said those promises would not be kept. She showed Channel 6 her initial estimate and contract provided online. It said her estimate was just over $3700. She paid around $900 up front.
When the movers came out however, another contract given to Hansen, which Hansen showed to Channel 6, showed the movers adding around $1300 to her cost estimate. Hansen said she had to argue with the movers to get all the items, which had already been listed, on the truck.
While the move was happening, Hansen said the called the company and paid another $2200, so she would only have to pay a few hundred dollars, or so she believed, when the truck arrived.
On December 11, she said a different truck loaded with the goods arrived at their new home in Texas. She was shown a third contract, which she also showed to Channel 6. The contract's estimate showed no change in regard to the $2200 Hansen already paid. Hansen said the movers told her she had to pay around $4400 in cash or by money order to get her things.
"It was scary," Hansen said. "What could you do? Here's all your stuff. Do you just say 'forget it ill get everything brand new for the money you would charge me to get my stuff?'"
Hansen said she had no choice but to pay. She was able to get the $2200 back later, but also said several items, including her television and dinner plates, were broken. She said they cost around $2000 to replace.
If Hansen had looked up Presidential movers on the Better Business Bureau website beforehand, however, she would have found the company had an F rating, more than 60 complaints, and reviews posted by customers who had similar experiences.
Better Business Bureau regional director Adam Price said the company has not responded to the majority of the complaints filed against them, which is the main reason they have an F rating.
"They are not responding to our requests to make a good faith effort to answer complaints." Price said. "62 in the last 12 months. That's a huge concern, and that's just complaints to the Better Business Bureau. There's got to be more than that."
If a person is looking for a moving company, Price had several guidelines to keep in mind.
1. Research the company on the Better Business Bureau website. One review stated that Presidential Moving Services had a four star rating on several other sites.
2. Don't make a large down payment, or wait to pay until the movers come out. If the moving trucks look like rentals, or don't have company logos, Price said that is a bad sign.
3. Read the contract carefully. Price said the moving company is required by law to give customers a contract. In Hansen's case, the contract given to Hansen at the time the truck left with the goods showed the extra charges that she would be hit with later, and was different than the initial contract.
You can look up moving business on the Better Business Bureau website. Channel 6 News reached out to Presidential Moving Services, along with the BBB, about Hansen's case but did not get a response.
