Moving Scams? Georgia Women Says Moving Company Is Holding Her Property For A Ransom of $14,000

All Angela Forte was trying to do was move into her new apartment for an inexpensive fee. Now, as WSB-TV reports, the preschool teacher from Georgia claims the moving company is holding her property hostage.

Forte says MMG Moving has held her things for almost a year and demanded she pays $14,000 in moving expenses or her things will be auctioned. She says they are taking advantage of her with extra charges that weren’t included in their original agreement. She told reporters her apartment looked empty because of this exhausting nightmare. “They’re just holding it hostage. Holding my things hostage,” Forte said.

“For me to live like this, I am so ashamed.”

Forte, who was moving from California to Atlanta, admitted to signing a binding estimate for $4,600, which turned out to be a moving broker who passed the job on to another company. The MMG movers showed up late on the day of the move and claim she signed a new contract. After she already paid more than $5,000, MMG said she agreed, in writing, to pay another $5,700 on top of that – resulting in $11,000 to move contents stored in a 9′ x 10′ storage unit. MMG demanded $5,700 before unloading the truck here in Atlanta.

“Well, you do have a balance and it has to be paid before the things can get off the truck,” Forte says the movers said. Forte is certain the “balance due” line for $5,700 was filled in after she signed the document and now the movers are threatening to auction her personal belongings. “I can’t afford to pay that to anybody. Even if I had the money to pay, I wouldn’t pay because they don’t deserve that,” Forte said.

Moving scams are occurring more and more, especially in Georgia. George Hunter told CBS 13 earlier this year he was fighting to get his belongings back after movers “jacked up” the price, mid-move, and refused to return his stuff. He refused to pay an additional $8,000 after the company told him he underestimated the weight of the move after he used an online calculator.