When flat rate movers won't answer your calls

Back in 2023 I went through an inter-state move with Flat Rate Movers, LTD. (US DOT 488466, MC 254356). They bungled the job, damaged my stuff and my house, and then refused to talk to me or their own insurance company. I placed dozens of calls, wrote letters, emails, nothing worked. I finally got some money for the damage by working with their insurer directly. I know a lot of folks struggle with moving companies, and figured I’d write up a bit of this story in case it helps. You can skip ahead if you just want to know about the FMCSA insurer database. In November 2022 I scheduled the move with Flat Rate. We took a detailed video inventory of everything to be moved. I paid over $14,000 for an “all inclusive move”, which, per the move plan, included full packing services, blankets for furniture, boxes for electronics, lamps, and bicycles, a custom crate for a tabletop, and “extended valuation coverage”—their insurance policy. A few days before the move in March 2023, Flat Rate called ... Read full article.