A Jacksonville man said a local moving company he hired is now holding his belongings hostage.
Robert Matthews said he hired 1st Coast Express after his apartment flooded.
“If you can imagine your entire life getting wet, put that in a truck and watch it drive down the road,” Matthews said.
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Their website claims that they are a licensed and insured professional moving company based in Jacksonville, offering quality local and long distance moving services at affordable prices with no hidden fees.
Matthews said he put his trust in the company and hired them.
“I said, ‘Hey, if I have to do an emergency move, are you ready for that?’ They said yeah, we don’t need a lot of days notice we can do it the same day,” Matthews said.
He said he received a verbal offer over the phone for $3,000 to $4,000. It was to pack and store his two-bedroom apartment, which is about 1,100 square feet.
He made a $150 deposit, and the movers were out.
“They didn’t finish work until 5 a.m.,” Matthews said. “When they left, they left behind things that I was already accused of.”
He said he received a bill for $10,000 for approximately 28 hours of work at the company.
“They were like this, you had to pay it in cash the same day,” Matthews said. “This was supposed to be an emergency move. You were supposed to just box it up, with towels, and get it to the truck.”
Matthews soon learned that the company’s license had expired in 2022, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Business News Jax Alexus Cleavenger went to try to speak with the company owner at the company address listed.
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When she showed up, it was a house, and the woman answering the door told Clevenger that her son ran the business, but he didn’t live there.
So I tried calling, but there was no answer.
Matthews said he filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which listed the company as not BBB approved.
“I ramped it up another notch and said, ‘Hey, this has to go to state,’” Matthews said.
Matthews filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is now reviewing his case.
He also contacted the State Attorney’s Office. We asked them if they were looking into his case, and they have not gotten back to us yet.
Matthews said he hopes something will be done so he can get his belongings back.
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