Seattle-Bound Couple Warns Of Difference Between Broker, Moving Company

DENVER (CBS4) - A couple moving to Seattle wants to warn others about the need to properly research companies before signing contracts and paying deposits. While the moving company they hired disagrees with their complaints, both the customer and the business owner acknowledge the need to understand the relationship between a third-party broker and the actual moving company.

"The moving company really did try to take control of the situation as soon as possible and put pressure on us," said Tyler Cain, who left Colorado with his fiancée this week. "We felt that in the end it was a bit misleading after reviewing all the facts and the information in the contracts and what has happened since."

Cain and his fiancée Rachel Johnson have not been working because of the pandemic so they were excited when Cain got a job closer to Johnson's family. They used a broker to find a moving company and paid the deposit. But they quickly found some issues with the service they were receiving, so they reported their concerns. The broker told them the $1,000 paid would not be refundable so they decided to work with the company as much as they could.

"There was the knowledge that he has our things and a lot of those items can be replaced but at the end of the day, a lot of them cannot," Johnson told CBS4. "We have not been sleeping, and really not been eating, it's been extremely stressful."

The couple said they learned H&M Relocation Services would be their moving company when the crew showed up but the team did not arrive at the agreed time and they later found some bad reviews online. So they decided to cancel the move and wanted their items back. They were ready to take the loss on their deposit and travel with their belongings on their own.

"We are a legit company," said Dawood Zoda, the owner of H&M Relocation Servies. "We are really trying to do our best to provide with best services we can. Customer satisfaction is number one priority for us."

Zoda spoke to CBS4 about the case involving Cain and Johnson and acknowledged there are some bad reviews for his company. But he says he does 30 to 40 jobs a month and he would not still be in business if these concerns were serious. Zoda also explained that another company with a similar name has caused his business to get negative feedback online.

"We felt very uncomfortable with proceeding to having them move our things to Seattle," Cain said. "He said this was our last chance, he yelled it at me, and said he would walk away."

When the owner raised his voice and made it difficult for the couple to schedule a time to pick up their belongings, according to the couple, they called the police and filed a report. They also asked friends to help them pick up their items.

"I felt that I had to sign in order to get our things back and so I did," Cain said.

They did not check all the items as they were packed in boxes but say they did get an inventory check completed with Zoda. Days later, they rented a moving truck to drive themselves to Washington.

"Those things are so critically important to us and we don't have a lot of things," Johnson said. "All of our things fit in a 15-foot U-Haul, but the things we have really matter to us."

The couple did share text messages with CBS4 and a voice recording of two phone calls where they felt he was raising his voice and not polite.

"I never get mad, I never yell at the customers," Zoda said in response to the claims made by Cain and Johnson. He also denied keeping their items against their wishes. "Oh no, no, no, that's not true, sir."

There was a change in the price for the couple's belongings to move from the original estimate. Zoda says as the foreman along with a moving crew, they must determine the final cost that may not be the same as the quote from a broker.

"Brokers they can give you guys, that quote can be changed anytime, can be less, can be more," he said.

Zoda did provide a number issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation to show his status to move household goods as a business.

"I think we both feel that we were treated unfairly in this exchange and the service that we requested was not provided," Cain said.

CBS4 reached out to the broker and could not get anyone on the phone to comment on this case. Emails sent to the company did not lead to a response, only that someone had forwarded the request to management.

The couple says they are reluctant about using a broker in the future and caution others to study extensively who will be taking their belongings any distance.

"Just for people to be really aware of their rights as a mover and to really do their research on the people who are moving their things," Johnson said.