Resident Tyler Green hired a company online to move his belongings from Philadelphia to Phoenix, and signed a binding estimate for $3,400. But on moving day another company appeared, quoting a price of more than $9,000. State investigators were on the scene when the truck arrived, and got the company to agree to the original price.
The problem had occurred because the original company Green hired was actually just a moving broker, which had hired out to another company, who then hired a third company to make the final delivery. Officials said that consumers should do their research on a company before hiring them.
"Don't go with the first low-ball, great price on the internet that you can find," Shawn Marquez, of Arizona's Department of Weights and Measures, told KPHO-TV in Phoenix.
The incident is now under investigation by authorities, who will determine whether any citations will be issued.
Moving scams continue to affect a number of Americans each year. CBS' Early Show reports that the Better Business Bureau has received more than 27,000 complaints related to moving companies over the last three years.
More News