State Gives Big Fine To 'All My Sons' Moving Company

State Gives Big Fine To 'All My Sons' Moving Company

By Tracy Vedder

SEATTLE - A state investigation that KOMO 4 News first told you about two months ago is now resulting in one of the largest fines of its type.

The state is targeting "All My Sons" moving company, accusing them of a number of deceptive business practices including overcharging customers.

"I'm very rattled even talking about it."

This woman's experience with All My Sons Moving, even though it was many months ago, still frightens her. She asked us to keep her identity hidden.

"And then he grabbed my arm," she describes her encounter with one of the movers, "he grabbed me around my arm like that and...he broke the skin." She's talking about a moving company.

The problems began when the movers started jacking up the estimated price for her move. First, an on-site estimator quoted her $445. Three days later, when the movers arrived, they bumped the price nearly 40 percent, refusing to unload her furniture until she paid.

She showed us several receipts, with prices written in, then crossed out and new numbers written in.

The final cost? "Then it went to $623.70 in cash." When asked, the woman reiterated, "he wanted cash."

But the worst was when the mover grabbed her arm.

"I was too afraid, it was awful, I was intimidated."

Short of the arm-grabbing, that's exactly the tactics the state's been investigating at All My Sons. When KOMO 4 News first broke this story in July we spoke with Vicki Elliott of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission.

"I would say All My Sons has a higher number of consumer complaints at the Commission for the size of the company than any other company that we regulate," she said.

Earlier this week, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission fined All My Sons $69,000, citing 33 deceptive business practices.

The state received 27 formal complaints -- that doesn't count the many customers we heard from, including this woman.

"I'm so intimidated and I'm so fearful of reprisal that I have not done anything."

An attorney for All My Sons told KOMO 4 News the company has fixed any business practices that needed fixing, but they are appealing the majority of the state's fine. An All My Sons Manager told us over the phone they feel the state's fine is, "unjust, that they've been singled out."

The customers who brought their complaints to us just hope no one else will have to go through what they did.

If you get an estimate from a moving company, state law does allow movers to charge up to 25 percent more on the final bill. But if a company consistently does that, it's a red flag that there might be a problem.

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