Imagine going through a stressful move and expecting your belongings to be delivered your way, only to find out you’re not getting them. This is quite a common occurrence nowadays, especially with moving scams on the rise.
Those items are yours to receive, so what happens when the company puts a lock on them? Do you have no option but to pay their “ransom,” or can you do anything about this situation? This article will give you some insight into the matter of safely moving.
When Can Movers Legally Hold Your Belongings Hostage?
When you hire a moving company to transport your belongings, they are bound by contract to offer quality services. Your valuables should be delivered undamaged within 30 days or a deadline you previously agreed on. That said, they are not the only ones with responsibilities; you are, too. This means that they can legally hold your items under the following circumstances:
- You did not pay the amount they agreed upon for moving the services
- There was a legitimate dispute over the charges (e.g., you failed to mention there were complications such as stairs)
- You did not respect the terms of their contract
Aside from legitimate non-payment issues or matters you already signed for from the contract, they cannot legally hold your items. Should this happen, you are entitled to take legal action.
Steps to Take if Your Belongings Are Held Hostage
If you suspect an illegal hostage situation, you don’t have to give in to their demands. Around 7% of consumers have complained of hostage-load situations before, many of which were not the owner’s fault. Should you be part of that percentage and you expect fraudulent activity, you may take the following steps:
1. Contact the Move Coordinator
This is the first thing to do. Unless you were contacted beforehand and specifically told the items were purposely held, chances are that they are only experiencing a delay. If it was caused by their end and the items were delivered past the legal deadline, you can probably even get compensation.
2. Know Your Rights
If the situation is indeed a hostage one, then you need to learn how the contract protects you. Movers will usually offer binding and non-binding estimates, and if the former was your case, they should not ask for more than what is on the contract.
After all, a binding estimate is provided after inspecting the goods, so they should not ask for more.
On the other hand, non-binding estimates have more leeway that the movers can take advantage of. Based on the weight of the items, you can even end up paying less. Still, even with a non-binding agreement, movers cannot legally charge more than 10% of what was initially estimated.
3. Contact Relevant Personnel
If your belongings are being held hostage, it’s time to make some phone calls. The first should be to the moving company, in case the move coordinator is acting solo. If that doesn’t solve anything, you can get in touch with the local police for domestic moves or the FMCSA for international moves. If they illegally hold your items in the long term, you have the right to take legal action.
4. Write Evaluations
A bad review can deter up to 80% of customers from using a service, and movers do not want that. Chances are, if they disregard the complaint you sent them, they won’t ignore it when you post a bad review.
In an attempt to change the bad review into a good one, they will find some middle ground that is acceptable to you. They’ll probably also release your belongings to get you to modify the rating.
The Bottom Line
Moving companies are required by consumer service law to offer quality and reliable services. If they refuse to comply, then contacting the business and perhaps the authorities if things get ugly can help you obtain justice.
