Don't let this happen to you

Henderson, NV (KTNV) - Chances are you have moved once or twice in your life. So when one Henderson woman used a local company for her move, she thought she was quoted a fair price. But it all changed on moving day and she didn't understand how. So when You Ask, We Investigate. Action News reporter Drew Karedes went to talk to the moving company.
"They lowball you then they get you at the end when they have all of your furniture in the truck," said Sandra Linton.
Sandra's husband of 46 years had just passed away and she was battling cancer. So she was looking forward to moving closer to her family last fall. But says her move from Lake Havasu to Henderson was anything but pleasant.
"They shouldn't be allowed to conduct business in the way that they did," said Sandra.

Sandra says when all was said and done she paid more than $7,000 for a 140 mile move. She found Triple 7 Movers online and got an over the phone estimate of about $2,400.

"I said ok I'll go with you," said Sandra.

So Sandra put a deposit down and started packing. Triple 7 Movers showed up on a Sunday in October and started loading her boxes. She says after most of her stuff was in the truck, the foreman gave her a revised estimate of nearly $7,200.

"I asked him if he had checked the footage because I couldn't believe it was that much," said Sandra.

Sandra says she may have had a few more boxes than originally anticipated but she says the difference was shocking. With everything she owned on the truck, she says she had no other choice but to sign the papers and pay half the bill. Once she got to her new home in Henderson she said the foreman asked for more money.

"He wasn't going to unload it until he got the money," said Sandra.

So she paid the rest but not without complaining about the bill and even sending an email to Triple 7 Movers President. When she never heard back she emailed Action News. We headed straight for Triple 7 Movers' office for some answers.

The president wasn't there so we talked with the supervisor of Triple 7 Movers, Tom Dadon. We asked him about the final cost of the move versus the earlier estimate.

"We're talking about $4,800 do you agree that that is a big difference,"asked Action News reporter Drew Karedes.

"I do agree but do you also agree that if over the phone you tell me yeah I'm moving a bed, a couch, 10 boxes, and a tv I would give you a certain price. But if all the sudden I'm moving 100 boxes, 5 beds, 2 couches, and another dining room set, it's going to be substantially different," explained Tom.

Sandra was livid she wasn't told about the revised estimate until about 90 percent of her things were loaded in Arizona. But according to Tom, they did make her aware the price would be three times the amount than first quoted.

"You can see that she signed here that we told her what the new price and we also told her this in person prior to loading," said Tom.

On the paperwork there isn't a time stamp meaning it's Sandra's word against Triple 7 Movers. Sandra says if she was told the price prior to her stuff going in the truck, she wouldn't have used Triple 7 Movers.

"I was down right mad," said Sandra.

After the interview with us, we heard from Triple 7 Movers' lawyer. He wanted us to give the company's president the chance to talk on camera. We set up a time, but in the end only their lawyer talked with us.

"Do you think this individual case maybe raises some red flags about maybe there should be a time on there as far as when the document was signed so there is no gray area," asked Action News Reporter Drew Karedes.

"Well I suppose a time here would be beneficial," said Jason Barrus, Attorney for Triple 7 Movers.

Triple 7 Movers is certified with Nevada Transportation Authority. After some investigating we found something similar to Sandra's story on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's web site. Three complaints in 2010 and 3 so far this year against Triple 7 Movers of disputes between estimates and final charges.

"I don't know anything about the other incidents," explained Jason Barrus, Attorney for Triple 7 Movers.

"We have very good reviews online," said Tom.

That's right, they do on their own web site. But on Ripoff Report it's a different story. Customers talking about the company offering a low bid, then doing a bait and switch. Sandra says she hopes her experience is one no one will have to go through.

"They just shouldn't have charged me that much," said Sandra.

Sandra did finally sit down with the president of Triple 7 Movers last week.

Their lawyer emailed us saying Triple 7 Movers mailed Sandra a check for $611, the amount she paid for packing materials.

In addition to our interview with him, he did send us a statement. Click here to read it. Each party still has a different story about what happened. The lawyer in his statement says Sandra clarified during their meeting that she did know about the increased price before her boxes were loaded. But Linton is holding her ground saying she never said that.

If you are planning a move it is important to do your homework. Check to see if the mover is certified with the Nevada Transportation Authority on their web site. You can also check out their complaint history with the Department of Transportation.

Full story and vido at: http://www.ktnv.com/youaskweinvestigate/121103269.html