MoveSafe Relocation

In March 2024, I utilized a relocation website to recommend movers from one state to another. As expected, numerous quotes were submitted and Movesafe was among the companies to bid.

Their initial bid was placed by "Michael" but when he made a follow up call, I informed him that a lower bid for the move had come in and thanked him for his time. Michael requested to know what the quote from the competing mover was. I saw no harm in telling him the bid and did so. Michael warned me that this bid was entirely too low and that this bidder might be a "scammer".

He advised me to look up the company's registration on a relocation association website and, if this company was not listed there, they were not "legit". I did, in fact, check on this company and Michael was correct, while that winning bidder was not listed on this association website, his company, MoveSafe was. MoveSafe was the second highest bidder for the move. This was ultimately the bid that I forwarded to the organization paying for my move.

A deposit was requested for the move, which I paid via Debit Card over the phone.

At the end of the call, I was told that I would next be contacted about a week before the move. At this time, I would make another payment to secure the contracted emloyees. After the movers loaded the truck, I was to make another payment. Next, as I had not yet secured my new address and would be staying in corporate housing, my belongings were to be placed in secured, temperature controlled storage for free for one month.

Finally, the movers would then take my goods its ultimate desination, at which time (prior to unloading), final payment was to be made. I was agreeable to all of the above and signed an invoice to this effect.

One week prior to the move, I was indeed contacted by another employee for my next payment. As promised, I made and documented this payment. I was sent and signed the Bill of Lading, indicating that all charges as agreed upon were now finalized.

At this time, I was also told to expect the movers on March 29th somewhere between the hours of 9am and 1pm. I told the employee that this was fine.

On March 28th, I was contacted by another employee and informed that the movers would arrive on March 30th between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. I informed the woman that we were expecting them tomorrow. I was told that weather in the area might be causing the delay and she was only passing on the information.

Disappointed, as we had plans to visit family for the Easter holiday, I expressed my frustration with the employee who simply said there was nothing she could do.

On March 30th, the movers arrived and upon surveying the area, began loading the truck prior to payment. About mid-way through the move I was informed that the original bid had accounted for fewer square feet than my belongings were actually occupying on the truck (an additional 300 square feet). The Bill of Lading indicated that (and Michael confirmed) I was to pay the movers $700 at the time of load in, which the remainder due at the final destination. I had already arranged for a Certified Check, made out to MoveSafe for this amount and it was ready for the movers to accept as we agreed.

Additionally, it was now after-hours on a holiday weekend; all banks were closed.

Suspicious, I informed the mover that this was an issue between he and his co-worker Michael. I had already signed the Bill of Lading. He informed me that he didn't know Michael. His boss was Mohammed and he had just been assigned this job.

At this point, his co-worker (whose name I did not catch) began to act nervously. He became fidgetey and was clearly uncomfortable with the escalating circumstance. The sun was also going down as the movers had arrived late. There was no way for me or my son to see how much space our belongings were taking up in his truck.

He continued to press the issue and demanded more payment to continue loading the truck.

I sternly asked him how much he wanted. He initially replied that he wanted an additional $1,300 to continue loading the truck. I lost my temper and things began to escalate. At this point, I told the mover that I was going to be contacting the Duluth police department, who would then instruct them to unload the truck.

I would hire a new moving company to complete the job.

Clearly, he did not want this and insisted that I speak to his boss Mohammed before calling the cops. While he arranged to get "Mohammed" on the phone, I instructed my son, Kieran, to snap pictures of their truck, tags, any identifying information (there was a magnetic sign affixed ajar on their truck), and pictures of both of the movers. He did so. We were quickly able to ID both men via various OSINT databases and save their information.

I spoke to "Mohammed", who attempted to assure me that this was simply a misunderstanding.

But, he could not accept the cashier's check as it was made out to the wrong company. Again, I prepared the check just as Michael had instructed me to do so. He asked if I could, instead "cash-app" the money to him. I told him that, sure, I would use a secure service like Venmo to send him the very same amount.

He insisted that Venmo wouldn't work and that I must use GreenDot. To my knowledge, while GreenDot is secure, I suspect that he did not want me to use Venmo as payment reversals typically default to the buyer. Regardless, I concluded that in an effort to end this chapter of the fiasco (I was already anticipating more), it would be best to pay him $700 at that time, as I would simply contact my bank after the holiday and re-deposit the cashier's check. We needed to get on the road.

Thereafter, we were forced to drive all night from North Minnesota to Central Illinois in an effort to see family before the holiday weekend ended (we failed to do so).

Meanwhile, I was told that I would be contacted on April 1st with the storage location, address, phone number, etc. where my belongings would be stored. As suspected, they did not call.

I finally heard from the movers (after having held possession of my belongings for well over 48 hours) late on the evening of April 2nd. At this time, the employee was now requesting a total of $3,600 to be paid now; prior to delivery, of course.

I asked where my belongings were and he would not tell me. I told him I would next be calling Michael at MoveSafe. Michael had told me at the time of the sale to contact him should I encounter any problems. I told the mover that this would be my next step and I would contact him after having done so.

I called the number Michael had given me and it was disconnected.

It didn't take long to locate the new number and via their "dispatch", I managed to track Michael down. I told the answering service to inform Michael that not only was this matter urgent, it was a matter of life and death - probably his! The dispatcher and I had a good laugh over that and, sure enough, Michael called me back. Upon learning of the nature of my complaint, Michael became annoyed and said that this was not an "emergency".

I calmly but firmly explained to Michael that he needed to cut his losses on this scam first thing in the morning and deliver as promised.

If I did not hear from him tomorrow, April 3rd, I would be proceeding with my own remedies. I feel that it's important to note that I quite clearly explained to Michael that I would not be taking this siutation lightly and that I would personally make sure that the consequences for his business would be catastrophic. His response on April 3rd would determine how we proceed forward. Michael indicated that he understood the implication and that I was very serious about this.

However, he might require a few days to "sort through the paperwork" to find out what went wrong.

That day came and went and this company will not tell me where my items are located, or what condition they are in.

They have also stopped responding to my increasingly angry phone calls (and I have EVERY RIGHT TO BE PISSED). Updates to follow.

Updates to follow.