It didn't help. All her belongings were hijacked Dec. 28 by a mover who left them in a storage unit in Ohio and demanded more money than the agreed-on amount for their delivery.
"I really didn't think this would happen to me. As far as I'm concerned, my stuff has been stolen," Frings said.
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Although a portion of Frings' items arrived Jan. 27, nearly a month late, a number of high-end items remain missing.
Although the Internet offers a great deal of convenience to consumers looking for a moving company, it also offers unethical movers an opportunity to represent themselves as licensed and insured through professional-looking Web sites that offer an illusion of a full staff, office and trucks.
In reality, the companies tend to consist of one or two people with a computer who simply broker moving contracts to rogue moving companies looking to scam consumers.
As a high-growth state, Arizona offers a wealth of business opportunities for moving companies. Unfortunately, such opportunities not only attract legitimate moving companies, they also attract unethical movers. Mover fraud ranges from overcharging for moving materials to holding a person's household goods.
In the latter case, a mover refuses to deliver a customer's possesses, stores them in an undisclosed location and demands that the customer pay a much higher amount than quoted, often by many thousands of dollars.
The journey begins
Frings, 34, chose to move to Phoenix to be near family while recovering from a serious injury she suffered in a car accident last year while living in Indianapolis.She searched for a moving company on the Internet and decided on Transport Van Lines because the company said it was a member of the American Moving and Storage Association. According to Frings, Transport Van Lines also had a good rating with the Better Business Bureau.
When a moving van appeared at her door on the day of her move, Frings took it for granted that the movers were from Transport Van Lines. She said she didn't know that Ron Supertino, sales supervisor of Miami-based Transport Van Lines, had sold her moving contract to another company. According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration interstate moving guidelines, a moving company is required to inform the customer beforehand of all motor carriers participating in a move.
It was only after Frings' household goods were loaded onto the moving van that she learned the movers were from a different company, US-1 Van Lines. In addition, the movers gave her a contract to sign but refused to give her a copy.
"In hindsight, I probably should have called the police at that point, but again, I really didn't think this would happen to me. Plus, I knew my rights," Frings said.
When the moving van with her possessions failed to show up in Phoenix, Frings contacted the movers with US-1 and was told the delivery would not be made until she paid $6,000, well over the $2,400 initially agreed upon. Frings contacted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Although regulations to protect consumers from mover fraud are in place, the agency lacks the resources and personnel to enforce the regulatory system. Frings' only recourse was to file a complaint.
"I feel stupid that this happened, but at the same time, I did my homework beforehand and checked everything out," Frings said.
In addition to wondering whether she would see her furniture, clothing and other possessions again, Frings was especially concerned about her exotic pets, a turtle and two rare bearded dragons. The animals made the move safely with her, but their tanks and specialized filters were with the rest of her belongings.
Government help
Frings continues to communicate with the federal agency as well as with a representative of the American Moving and Storage Association, the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures, Phoenix police and the FBI.With rogue movers targeting Arizona and the lack of resources on the federal level to deal with them, the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures has stepped in to help consumers. In the past two years, the agency has worked on 80 such cases, saving consumers nearly $100,000.
"Our goal is to spread the word that if you come to Arizona, you'd better play by the rules," said Steve Meissner, public information officer with the state agency.
Mover's delay
Danny Vaittsman, president of US-1 Van Lines, said earlier in January that he no longer wanted to be involved in Frings' move and would return her deposit of $1,200. He said her household goods were in a storage facility in Beachwood, Ohio, and said Frings was welcome to pick up her belongings.Supertino, of Transport Van Lines, said neither he nor Vaittsman have done anything wrong.
"She didn't have a contract with us (Transport Van Lines). We just gave her an estimate on the phone for her move. She signed the contract with US-1 on the day of pickup," Supertino said.
After repeated contact from industry and federal agencies, Vaittsman of US-1 Van Lines decided to fulfill his end of Frings' moving contract. A truck with most of Frings' household goods showed up on her doorstep on Jan. 27.
J.J. Stroh, a specialist with the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures was on hand to have the truck weighed in order to avoid any overcharging by US-1.
The total cost of Frings' move, including her initial $1,200 deposit, ended up being $2,564, far less than the $6,000 that US-1 had demanded while they held her possessions.
"I'm here doing what we shouldn't have to do," Stroh said.
Unfortunately, Frings' high-end items, including a full-size refrigerator, two 32-inch televisions and a $500 knife set were missing.
"I'm so excited to finally have my clothes and the tanks for my animals, but I wish I'd gotten everything back," Frings said.
Frings plans to file reports on her missing items with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, American Moving and Storage Association and the police.
"There's some valuable stuff missing, but I'm optimistic because the federal agency and state agencies are involved," Stroh said.
Frings said she is grateful for the support she received from the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures.
"I can't even say enough about J.J. He was fabulous," Frings said. "And I'm grateful for the media attention. The only way to shut these people down is to get the word out."
