Susan A.'s Report

We started looking for movers in early February. Howards was not the cheapest company, but it was not the most expensive either. February 6, 2026 The salesperson made the company sound honest and reliable. We had also read several positive reviews and believed they were a trustworthy moving company. February 16, 2026 I signed the contract after reading it carefully and asking questions. The salesperson, Robert Knight, assured me that the contract was mostly a formality. He said they already had a truck headed to Tampa and that our belongings would be delivered within a few days. We scheduled the pickup for March 5 because we were closing on our house on March 6. I paid half of the quoted price, $3,321.82, from the total estimate of $6,845.40. Another quarter was due at pickup, and the remaining $1,660.92 was due at delivery. February 26, 2026 As promised, the company called to review our move. During that call, I removed six items from the inventory list. I should have received a reduction in the estimate, but that never happened. Instead, I was told that 40 boxes would not be enough because anything not listed on the inventory would count as a box. To avoid problems, we increased the estimate to 90 boxes, which added about $1,600 to the cost. I paid that amount the same day after being assured that any unused boxes and the six removed items would be refunded. To this day, no refund has been issued. March 3, 2026 The company called and said they wanted to pick up our belongings on March 4. We repeatedly told them that the pickup date had always been March 5. After considerable back-and-forth, they finally agreed to keep the original date. March 5, 2026 The movers arrived in an unmarked truck. Neither the driver nor the crew wore anything identifying them as Howards employees. The driver repeatedly claimed that he worked for Howards. The other workers did not speak English. After walking through our house, the driver said we had far more belongings than expected and demanded an additional $8,000 instead of the $1,660.92 that was originally due. At that point, I felt trapped. We were closing on our house the next day, everything was packed, and I already had a flight booked to Florida. Finding another moving company on such short notice was impossible. Knowing this, they pressured us into paying more. We eventually agreed to pay $4,000 immediately and another $4,000 upon delivery. The final price was now more than double the original guaranteed estimate. March 6-27, 2026 During this period, I called the company every day and sent daily emails to customer service. The responses were always the same: During the first week, we were told our belongings were "in the final stages of being loaded." During the second week, we were told the company had seven business days to move our shipment. During the third week, we were told our belongings had been loaded onto a truck and were on the way. When that story could no longer be maintained, they returned to saying our belongings were still "in the final stages of being loaded." Eventually, I asked if I could simply pick up my belongings myself because I no longer cared about the money. Every representative said they would check, but no one ever followed up. We contacted the Upper Darby Police Department. The officer who spoke with the company was told that our contract gave them an additional 14 days before they could be considered in default. We also contacted police in Fairfield, New Jersey. We knew our belongings were there because we had placed a tracking device inside our china cabinet. The tracker showed our belongings at a Noble Moving and Storage warehouse in Fairfield. The USDOT number on the truck that picked up our belongings was associated with that company. The warehouse was only a few blocks from the address Howards listed as its office, which appeared to be vacant. Fairfield police reported that they could not locate anyone at the listed office address. They assigned a detective to the case, but he was overwhelmed by the number of complaints. We also contacted the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, but they advised us to continue working with the Upper Darby Police Department. March 26, 2026 We received a call saying a driver would contact us with an estimated delivery time and that we should have cash or a cashier's check ready. Since we had heard similar promises before, we were skeptical. March 27, 2026 The driver called and said he would arrive the next day. We obtained a cashier's check for the remaining balance. March 28, 2026 The truck arrived around 9:00 PM. We were then told that payment had to be made in cash or by USPS money order. We explained that we had been instructed to obtain a cashier's check. The driver called his supervisor, who yelled at us and claimed no employee would have told us to bring a cashier's check. The driver eventually left and said that if we could get the money by the next day, he would deliver our belongings, but it would cost an additional $500. Because it was late Saturday night, we were unable to obtain the money. March 29, 2026 Fortunately, a local TD Bank was open. We withdrew $5,000 using our Bank of America credit card, which cost us approximately $350 in additional fees. We called the driver and told him we had the money. He arrived with one helper who did not speak English. The driver called his supervisor and handed me the phone. The supervisor again yelled at me and claimed the additional charge was not $500 but $1,500. I told him we did not have that amount. He responded that if delivery was delayed until Monday, the charge would increase to $3,000. After a lengthy argument, we agreed to an additional $750 because that was all I could pay, and I informed him that the police would be contacted if the situation continued. The driver and helper unloaded the truck, but they did not provide the level of service we had paid for. We had been told our furniture would be placed and reassembled as it had been in our previous home. Instead, the driver said they only unload items and leave. When I asked him to contact his supervisor, the supervisor stopped answering his calls. Before the truck left, we discovered that our safes had not been delivered. My husband checked the truck and found one of them still inside. The driver claimed he had another load and that the safe might be mixed with someone else's belongings. He said he would call us if he found it, but he never did. We later discovered that one of our safes, a vacuum cleaner, and a suitcase were missing. In addition, many of our belongings were damaged, including: A rocking chair, Mugs and glasses, Pampered Chef cookware, Hardware for our kitchen table. The wheels on one of our storage shelves were also severely bent. The metal stems were more than an inch thick, suggesting that an extremely heavy object had been placed on top of the unit during transport. Aftermath Since receiving our belongings, I have repeatedly called and emailed Howards without success. They continue to claim they are looking for our missing items. I filed a claim through the company that handles claims for Howards, no response. I contact the Department of Transportation with a claim, no response. I have contacted our local investigative news team, no response. I also contacted ICE because I believe some of the workers may have been undocumented and potentially exploited, no response. The driver who delivered our belongings told us the company had organized crime connections. Based on our experience, their paperwork, and their business practices, I believe they operate like professional scammers. Their contracts appear designed to protect them from responsibility while leaving customers with little recourse. This move was one of the most stressful and frustrating experiences we have ever endured.

Reported Mover