ANNOUNCER: FROM THE STATION ON
YOUR SIDE, YOU ARE WATCHING WAVY
NEWS 10 AT THE CLOCK.
-- 6:00.
TOM: TONIGHT, ON YOUR SIDE WITH
A WARNING FROM THE LOCAL FAMILY
WHO ALMOST LOST HUNDREDS OF
DOLLARS HIRING A MOVING COMPANY.
ANITA: THEIR MESSAGE
IS, IT IS
EASY TO AVOID IF YOU KNOW WHAT
TO LOOK FOR.
WE HAVE YOUR STORY -- THEIR
STORY AND TIPS TO PROTECT
YOURSELF.
REPORTER: PEOPLE MOVE IN AND OUT
OF HAMPTON ROADS MORE OFTEN THAN
MOST LACES, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S
ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO LOOK FOR
RED FLAGS WHEN YOU ARE HIRING A
MOVING COMPANY.
FOR THE COMPANIES INVOLVED IN
THIS CASE, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE.
WE HAD BUDGETED ALL OF THIS
MOVE VERY TIGHTLY.
REPORTER: THAT IS BECAUSE
SHANNON WASN'T USING HER G.I.
BILL TO FINISH UP AT ODU.
HER HUSBAND WAS THE SOLE
SUPPORTER.
FOR $600 AND MORE TO BE GONE
WOULD BE DEVASTATING.
REPORTER: THEY STARTED PLANNING
THEIR MOVE FROM CHESAPEAKE TO
AFFORD MONTHS AGO.
-- FLORIDA MONTHS AGO.
SHE PAID A DOWN PAYMENT TO A
COMPANY CALLED SAVANNA VAN LINE.
THEY HAD A GOOD WEBSITE, THEY
WERE VERY QUICK TO RESPOND AND
PROFESSIONAL.
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FINE.
REPORTER: FAST FORWARD TO
NOVEMBER, WHEN SHE CALLED TO
GIVE THE COMPANY A SPECIFIC
MOVING DATE.
HE GOT A BUSY SIGNAL OVER AND
OVER.
THE COMPANY'S WEBSITE WAS GONE.
EVEN THE
RECEIPT HAD BEEN WIPED
FROM HER HUSBAND'S EMAIL.
I WAS THINKING, THIS IS NOT
GOOD.
SOMETHING IS WRONG.
THE COMPANY DOESN'T EXIST
ANYMORE.
I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH.
I FOUND HORRIBLE REVIEWS.
REPORTER: OVERWHELMINGLY
HORRIBLE, AND ALL OVER ON YELP
AND YELLOW PAGES, RUN AWAY NOW,
WORST OF SERVICE EVER, AND IF I
COULD GIVE A ZERO START READING,
I'D DO IT.
CLEARLY, ANYONE CAN BE
SCANNED.
REPORTER: SHANNON WAS
PERSISTENT, SO HER STORY TAKES
ANOTHER TWIST.
SHE HIM OUT THE COMPANY UNDER A
DIFFERENT NAME PRETENDING TO BE
A DIFFERENT CUSTOMER.
TO HER SURPRISE, SHE GOT A
RESPONSE FROM ANOTHER COMPANY,
MOVING EXPRESS AND STORAGE INC..
THEY SAID THEY HAD BEEN
CONTRACTED TO FINISH REMOVED,
BUT AFTER THE FRUSTRATION, SHE
JUST WANTED HER MONEY BACK.
EVENTUALLY, SHE GOT THEM TO
CENTER A RECEIPT FROM SAVANNA
VAN LINES, BUT THE COMPANY
DENIED ANY TIES, AND SAID SHE
WOULD HAVE TO CONTACT YOUR BANK
TO GET MONEY BACK.
I CHECKED OUT THAT COMPANY AS
WELL.
IT ALSO HAS OVERWHELMINGLY
NEGATIVE ONLINE REVIEWS, AND
SINCE 2012, HAS BEEN FINED MORE
THAN $120,000 FOR SAFETY AND
CONSUMER VIOLATIONS.
HIS FAMILY WAS RELATIVELY
LUCKY,
NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
REFUNDED THEM.
THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR
SHANNON,
AND THAT'S WHY SHE CONTACTED 10
ON YOUR SIDE.
I STARTED LOOKING THROUGH
FEDERAL DATABASES.
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION IS INVESTIGATING
90 COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEIR
OTHER COMPANY.
NOW, THERE
ARE 63
INVESTIGATIONS.
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW
SIGNIFICANT THAT IS, THOSE TWO
COMPANIES MAKE UP ABOUT 5% OF
THE TOTAL COMPLAINTS THE U.S.
DOT WILL HANDLE ABOUT MOVING
COMPANIES THIS YEAR.
IT'S JUST NOT FAIR.
$630 MIGHT NOT BE A LOT TO SOME
PEOPLE, BUT IT MIGHT BE
CHRISTMAS TO OTHERS.
WE NEED TO GET MONEY BACK.
REPORTER: IT'S POSSIBLE THEY
COULD, BUT A SPOKESPERSON FROM
THE DOT SAYS IT TAKES TIME.
WITHOUT THEM, GETTING THE
COMPANY TO COOPERATE MIGHT BE
UNREALISTIC HERE IT JUST LIKE
SHANNON SAYS, BOTH COMPANIES
SEEM TO HAVE VANISHED, AND ARE
NO LONGER LEGALLY ARRIVED --
ALLOWED TO OPERATE.
THE DOT COULD FIND THEM TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
I FOUND THE OWNER, WHO WOULD NOT
COME TO THE PHONE.
A CUSTOMER SERVICE
REPRESENTATIVE SAID HE'S TRYING
TO TURN THE COMPANY AROUND, AND
SHE ALSO SAID THEY ARE SIMPLY
HIRED BY SAVANNA VAN LINES TO
COMPLETE THE MOVE, AND SHOWED ME
WHERE THAT IS SPELLED OUT IN
FINE PRINT.
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE
MOVING COMPANY, YOU SHOULD
REPORT IT RIGHT AWAY TO THE
AGENCIES LISTED IN THIS STORY
ONLINE.
IT IS IDEAL YOU NEVER END UP IN
THE SITUATION, AND THE DOT HAS A
HELPFUL CHECKLIST ONLINE.YOU CAN
ALSO FIND THAT WITH