Moving Company Threatened To Sue Me For Defamation After Reporting Them to BBB

[gomzilla]

VA

We used a NY moving company back 6 months ago to move from PA to VA. To cut the story short, they did a bad job, charged us way over estimate, damaged our items, dodged our phone calls after the move. I reported the incident in detail to BBB. And I just got a call from the manager from the movers who I was dealing with. She says to expect a call from their lawyer for defamation of their reputation. I'm not sure if thats the right term she used. She was raising her voice saying shes sick and tired of people like who me who wants a free ride, blah blah, and she hung up at me.

Can this be legit? Or is she pulling off a scare tactic?What is the name of your state?

 

[moburkes]

The FA Crystal ball is out of service, yet again....

Why didn't you file a claim with your homeowner's insurance company?

 

[gomzilla]

The FA Crystal ball is out of service, yet again....

Why didn't you file a claim with your homeowner's insurance company?

I was in transition. I'm not sure how homeowners insurance is related to this?
Id like to know what this moving company can do to me or are they just hollow threats?

 

[moburkes]

Again, the crystal ball is out of service.

How does your homeowner's insurance relate to this? Very easily. They are the company that you pay insurance premiums to, in order to have your damaged property insured.

 

[fairisfair]

I was in transition. I'm not sure how homeowners insurance is related to this?
Id like to know what this moving company can do to me or are they just hollow threats?

Unless you lied, nothing, truth is total defense in defamation, libel or slander cases.

 

[fairisfair]

Again, the crystal ball is out of service.

How does your homeowner's insurance relate to this? Very easily. They are the company that you pay insurance premiums to, in order to have your damaged property insured.

that is interesting, I never thought about homeowner's insurance providing for damage during a move. thanks. not that I am planning on moving any time soon.

 

[gomzilla]

Again, the crystal ball is out of service.

How does your homeowner's insurance relate to this? Very easily. They are the company that you pay insurance premiums to, in order to have your damaged property insured.

Ah.. I think it finally clicked what your saying. So your saying you can't predict the future.

Anyways, about the homeowners, I have a $1000 deductible and the damaged items are 500$ and the movers estimate was off by $1000. So claiming is really not an option for me.

But I guess the answer I was looking for is, does she stand a chance of what she is claiming? My concern is the money, time and effort I have to spend, and I really can't afford that.

Thanks again.

 

[justalayman]

as fairisfair posted previously, if you are sued, the truth is your defense.

You never state what the moving company is trying to achieve with their threats.I assume it would be a retraction of your report to the BBB.

If you fear being sued and wasting the time (even if you do win), recant the BBB report. Due to the history of the moving industry and their reputaion, I would guess you got off pretty cheap.

If you don't want the hassle, recant. If you are honest and want others to be warned, tell them to pack up their threats and run them down to the courthouse if they desire.

The truth shall set you free.

 

[gomzilla]

as fairisfair posted previously, if you are sued, the truth is your defense.

You never state what the moving company is trying to achieve with their threats.I assume it would be a retraction of your report to the BBB.

If you fear being sued and wasting the time (even if you do win), recant the BBB report. Due to the history of the moving industry and their reputaion, I would guess you got off pretty cheap.

If you don't want the hassle, recant. If you are honest and want others to be warned, tell them to pack up their threats and run them down to the courthouse if they desire.

The truth shall set you free.

They didnt ask me to retract my BBB report. What she said was their lawyer will contact to sue me for defamation of reputation or something like that.

What do you mean by "I got off pretty cheap". Do you mean the money I paid? It wasnt cheap. I paid way more than the estimate. This company charges by volume. But what they did not reveal is they charge by volume on HOW ITS ORGANIZED in the truck. I measured all my boxes and I sent her my list. By the way, most of my items were not odd-shaped, most furnitures were flat-packed but I still padded 1-2 inches for blankets and "just-in-case".

This would be like David vs Goliath. How do I stand a chance? What do I know about legal issues. All I know is I'm out 1,500$ from my own pocket.

 

[justalayman]

What I meant about getting off cheap was since seeing several expose's by some of the major news programs, $1500 above quote doesn't seem like a lot (don't get me wrong, I'm not saying waht they did was correct or fair). Some of the folks interviewed ended up paying many many thousands of $$ in "extra" fees and such not clearly disclosed in the contracts.

These types of businesses do not have a generally good reputation.


Since the phone contact did not actually tell you they wanted you to do anything to prevent them from suing you, it would seem there isn't much you can do to prevent this, if they actually do intend upon sueing you.

If you believe you have been wronged, you seem to have taken the appropriate steps up to now and if you wish to continue to try to reclaim the money, you will be relegated to suing them in small claims court. David is a bit more equal to Goliath in small claims courts. They were designed to be a it more accessable to the average person. Many states do not allow attorneys at all. I believe some do in limited situations.

Also don't forget, David slew Goliath.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

The FA Crystal Ball is working just fine, it just wasn't needed.

 

[moburkes]

The FA Crystal Ball is working just fine, it just wasn't needed.

Dang! Thanks for checking in!

 

[longsally111]

answer

It is NOT defamation if it is the truth. You had every right to report them to the BBB if you feel you did not get good service. If you went all over town and told EVERYONE you know that the driver of the truck smokes weed, that would be. You can tell anyone you want about your experience as long as it is the truth. Can they sue you? Sure, you can sue for almost anything. Would they win? probably not.