the letter...and other things...

okay, i have a little time before i leave for work this morning, so here is the letter. pictures after it, and the description of the pic is underneath it. happy reading!

June 15, 2009

To Whom it May Concern:

My name is Amy Legg (Job # 3826262-01) and I am writing in reference to my recent move from Lubbock, TX, to San Antonio, TX.

I contacted Nationwide Relocation at the end of March to prepare for my move. I gave a complete furniture list (which was later revised) and was told that I would be contacted a week or so before my move to ensure that my furniture list was still correct, my date was still the same, and in general to make sure that all details were ironed out. All paperwork was faxed to me by a Nationwide representative (John Niewoehner). I signed the paperwork and faxed it back to John.

I was contacted by Nationwide on Sunday, May 24, 2009 to verify the contents of my home. I was given an updated estimate and new paperwork was emailed to me. I signed the new paperwork and faxed it back to Nationwide on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. On Wednesday, May 27, 2009, I still had not heard from the carrier, Express Relocation Inc. about what time they would be at my home to pick up my belongings and move them to San Antonio. I contacted Nationwide and they gave me the phone number for Express Relocation. I then contacted Express Relocation and was told that movers would not be at my house until between noon and 2:00 PM on Thursday, May 28, 2009.

Express Relocation arrived at my house shortly after 3 PM on Thursday, May 28, 2009. I went over the paperwork with the driver (Amir) and signed in the appropriate places, including a release stating that any pressed board furniture should be transported AS IS and not disassembled, either by me or the carrier as stated in the contract the driver and I both signed. Part of the contract also stated that the carrier had until June 4, 2009 to deliver my belongings, but I was assured that it would be well before then. When Amir opened the truck, I saw that someone else’s belongings were already loaded in the truck. He explained that the drop off he had attempted before coming for my belongings had fallen through, and so he would have to leave their belongings in the truck and ask his boss what needed to be done with them. He explained the process for distinguishing my belongings from those of the other person and began loading, assuring me several times that all of my furniture would fit in the truck and be protected during the nine hour drive from Lubbock, TX to Houston, TX.

Several of my belongings (including several large, expensive pieces of furniture) had yet to be loaded when it became evident that my belongings would NOT in fact all fit inside the truck. The movers made the decision to leave the load/unload ramp on the back of the truck up and to load the rest of my belongings onto it and then strap them securely on. My furniture and other belongings were loaded and the driver showed me that they were secure.

I asked the driver when I would receive my belongings. He stated that it would probably be either Friday afternoon May 29 or Saturday May 30. He stated that he needed to return one of the men with him (as he was only allowed to take 2 people; himself and another person, on deliveries) and also get some sleep. He stated that he would weigh my truck shortly after leaving my house in Lubbock, TX, and that I could call Nationwide the next day (Friday May 29) to find out the weight of the truck and thus the amount I would owe when he arrived in San Antonio with my belongings. He also stated that if I had any questions, I could call him on his personal cell phone.

I arrived in San Antonio at approximately 2:30 in the morning on Friday, May 29. I called Nationwide first to find out the weight of my truck, and they stated that they had not heard from the carrier (Express Relocation). I began calling Express Relocation around noon to find out the status of my delivery. I was not able to get ahold of someone until approximately 3:30 PM Friday afternoon. I was told that the truck had just arrived in Houston and that it had not been weighed yet. I was not given a time or date for when my belongings would arrive.
Saturday morning May 30, I attempted to call Express Relocation again to find out when my belongings would be delivered. The answering machine stated that the company was closed on Saturdays, which I found odd because the driver had stated that my belongings would possibly be delivered Saturday. I left a message for my call to be returned and then attempted to call the driver, as he had stated I was welcome to do so. I called the driver MULTIPLE times on Saturday and left several messages. The phone was never answered and I never received a call back.

Sunday morning May 31, I called Express Relocation yet again. The phone was answered at 10:00 AM by Ricky. He stated that the company is closed on Saturdays and the driver did not answer his phone for religious reasons. When I stated my serious concerns about the condition of my belongings due to the fact that they had been strapped to the back of a truck and I had not been updated on their status, he stated that my truck was in a warehouse and that my belongings were covered and “everything looks good.” He stated that my delivery would be on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at approximately 8-9 AM.

Monday, June 1, I received a call from Nationwide to check on the progress of my move. I explained my frustrations about phone calls not being returned and not being informed about the condition and location of my belongings. The representative apologized and asked me to call Nationwide back if I had not heard from the movers by the time they opened the next morning.
Tuesday morning, I woke up early and made sure things were in order for the movers’ arrival. I still had not heard from the driver at 8:45 AM. I called Nationwide, and they contacted Express Relocation and had Ricky contact me. He stated that he was sorry, but it would be another hour before my belongings would even be loaded, so it would probably be between noon and 1 PM when my belongings were delivered. He stated that the driver would call me about an hour before the estimated arrival. I thanked him and hung up. At 12:30 PM, I still had not heard from the driver. I called Express back, and Ricky stated that the driver had just left 30 minutes before my call, so it would be approximately 3:30 PM before my belongings arrived in San Antonio.

The driver finally arrived shortly after 4:00 PM. I showed him where the main pieces of furniture would go and said we could just stack boxes around them. The first few pieces of furniture came in uneventfully. All furniture had been completely wrapped in blankets and taped to prevent scratching. Then the movers began bringing in my leather couch. It took them several minutes to figure out how to get it into the door, as it is rather large. In the process, the protective blankets slipped off. They merely tossed the blankets aside and proceeded to drag my leather couch through the door and across concrete, completely unprotected. It sustained several corner scratches which are documented in included photographs. Damage was also sustained to a supporting leg on the underside of a very heavy dresser. Photographs of the underside of the dresser and of the whole dresser are included. One box (photo included) sustained severe water damage. Another box had a side that was nearly shredded, compromising the integrity of the box and its ability to protect its contents. A large mirror had a v-shaped break (see photos) and one of the legs of my office desk was partially broken away from the desk, causing unsteadiness with any movement of the desk. The drivers were generally very careless about moving boxes into the house. Almost every box that had been marked “this side up” was turned upside down, and weight was unevenly distributed, causing the boxes below them to be crushed. After the movers left, I walked outside and noticed a very large pile (approximately two feet by three feet) of trash in the parking lot of my apartment complex. It contained mostly bubble wrap and large pieces of tape. The movers also left water bottles lying around the parking lot and even stuffed one empty plastic bottle into the bushes.

A few days after receiving my belongings, I realized that I was missing two end tables made of wood and a brand new vacuum cleaner, purchased only a week before my move. I found the end tables when I opened a box. They had been (obviously very carelessly) disassembled, the pieces all thrown into a box together. I never consented to have the tables disassembled and was never told they would be disassembled. The pieces of the two tables sustained multiple scratches and dings, and nearly all of the screws that would have been needed to reassemble the tables were gone (see included photographs). After consulting with my father, who was present the day of my move, I learned that he watched the movers hurriedly and haphazardly disassemble the tables in my front yard in their haste to load their truck and get on the road.

As of this writing, I am still waiting for my vacuum cleaner. Three days after I received my belongings on June 2, I finished unpacking all of my boxes and noted that the vacuum cleaner was still missing. The driver had also left a Bill of Lading with me that was blank on my copy and I needed something clearer. Ricky faxed me a copy of all of my paperwork and, when I asked him about my vacuum, he stated, “Oh yeah, we have it here. We’re going to bring it on Tuesday (June 9) when we bring another load to San Antonio.” I thanked him and hung up. I called on Tuesday at 4:30 PM to verify that my vacuum would be arriving. Ricky stated that I needed to call the driver and give him my address; that he would be at my house around 11 PM. He stated that the driver had left Houston at approximately 4:15 PM and it would take him about four hours to get to San Antonio. He would then need to deliver his first load before coming to me. I called the driver at approximately 10 PM and was told that he was already on his way back to Houston. No attempt was made to try to contact me before he left. I spoke with Ricky (who states he is the owner) on June 11, and he stated that he will call me when he has a truck in the area, probably sometime during the week of June 15th.

My family has moved multiple times in my life, and I have NEVER had such a negative experience as this one. The services Express Relocation has provided have been abysmal. Their employees have no respect for customer belongings and I have had to call multiple times almost every time I have contacted the company in order to get ahold of someone. I feel I have been outright lied to (saying my belongings would be delivered on a Saturday when the company is closed Saturday) and that they really have no concern for me as a customer. I will not be recommending their company to anyone. Although I have had a very positive experience with Nationwide, if they continue to retain Express Relocation as a carrier, I will not recommend Nationwide’s services.

I would appreciate being kept abreast of any and all proceedings following and I appreciate the help of all involved in settling my claims and making this right. Thank you again so much for your consideration and (to Nationwide) for doing all you can to help me.

Sincerely,

Amy Legg

Photograph Descriptions/Explanations
June 13, 2009

To Whom it May Concern:
This letter details explanations for each photograph. Photographs will be described in numeric order. The number in this letter matches the number on the back of each photograph and, in addition, the number in this letter is the same as the photograph’s file name (i.e., photo #1’s file name is express1, etc.).

End Tables: These two end tables were purchased two years ago and weighed approximately 10 lb. each. The tables are made of real wood and were disassembled without my consent or prior notice. The tables sustained multiple scratches to several different pieces. The tables are missing a significant number of screws/equipment that would be needed to reassemble them. The pieces were received in a box and appeared to have been thrown into the box with no care taken to prevent any scratching or other damage.

Photo is of part of one of the tables’ legs. A large scratch is noted on the edge of one of the sides. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Photo of another table leg. Long scratch noted along the side of the leg. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Photo of piece of end table documenting missing lock that would be necessary to reattach it to other pieces of end table. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Zoomed-in photograph of table leg. Note that the white screw stabilizer in the right side of the photo is broken off halfway down, rendering reuse impossible. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photos below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Zoomed-in alternate image of same leg documented in photo #4. Broken screw stabilizer is now visible on the left side of the leg. Note the gold of the screw visible due to broken stabilizer. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail photo of top of lamp part of end tables. One “halo” needed to hold lampshade in place was missing. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail view of underside of one of the two end table tops. This is the underside of the table. Only one of four sides for underside support is present; others were broken off. Also, note the presence of screw holes made to attach top to rest of furniture. No screws were found in the box the pieces of the end table came in. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail of underside of second of the two end table tops. Note again the presence of multiple screw holes with screws and attached pieces stripped from them. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

Detail of top of one of the table’s supporting legs. Attached pieces were removed in such a way that damage shown occurred. Furniture will be unusable due to no secure place to reattach connecting pieces. No zoomed out photo of complete item was able to be taken as a result of complete destruction by moving company. See photo below for documentation of complete set of pieces of end tables retained.

View of all pieces of two end tables retained in box: two tops, two lamp attachments, two lower shelves, seven single legs/connecting pieces, and three fully assembled leg supports.

Leather couch: This leather couch was purchased two and a half years ago from Lack’s furniture store. I am unsure of the weight.

Detail of small scratches sustained to a corner end of a couch. This piece had absolutely no scratches prior to this move.

Detail of rough scratch measuring approximately one inch long on the front part of a couch cushion (look carefully in the middle of the picture).

Detail of corner scratch measuring approx ½ in by ¾ inch on the corner of the couch.

Detail of scratch on bottom corner of couch. The scratch is approximately two inches long. Also not multiple scratches to the wooden sofa “leg”.

Detail of scratches and scuffs to front bottom corner of couch. The scratch under the bottom row of nailheads is three inches long. Also note scuffing to the material underneath the couch and to multiple nailheads; this is a result of the couch being dragged across concrete.


Frontal view of couch.

Framed mirror: 1 photo.

This mirror measures 32 inches x 44 ½ inches and weighs approximately 20 lb. The straight crack measures 28 inches and the curved crack measures approximately 30 inches.

Dresser: This dresser was purchased two years ago at Furniture Row/Bedroom Expressions. The dresser weighs approximately 275 lbs.

Detail photo of supporting leg under the front middle of the dresser. The wood was stripped away from two supporting pegs that held the leg in place, thus compromising the supporting leg’s ability to do what it is supposed to do. In time, because of the weight of the dresser, there is a possibility that the front of the dresser will begin to sag.

Full photo of dresser and attached mirror.

Shredded box


This box was brand new when I received it, having been used only to mail lightweight paper hospital gowns from the company to the hospital I worked in. When I received it in San Antonio, it was in this condition. The inside of the box contained multiple breakable items and decorating pieces. Fortunately, damage was only done to the outside of the box.

Water-damaged box

This box was used to move dry goods and some small cooking utensils. The box was very obviously water-damaged when I received it and was, in fact, still damp. Several items in the top of the box (approximately $30 value) had to be thrown away.

Office desk: Purchased four years ago. Unsure of the weight.

Closeup of damage to right front leg of wooden desk. Desk now wobbles when moved and is not stable.

Full photo of office desk. Damage was sustained to front right leg.

well, there you go...what you guys think?