A newlywed couple - dedicated to serving others as first responders- ended up needing help themselves after hiring a South Florida-based moving company. They were desperate for answers after months passed and the company still hadn’t delivered their goods.
“It’s been heartbreaking,” Ian Collier said. “We’re kind of weirdly numb.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of still coming to terms with it at this point,” added his wife, Thalia Cronander.
Ian and Thalia’s journey started in May, after an online inquiry connected them with In & Out Movers of Coconut Creek for a cross-country move.
“I probably did like 5 or 6 bids and ended up choosing this one because it was the least expensive bid by almost $1,000,” Thalia said.
Not only was the company the cheapest, but Thalia says it also promised a quick delivery.
“The estimate they told her over the phone was 7 to 10 days,” Ian said.
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So the couple gave In & Out Movers more than $1,500 - most of the cost for the job. The movers picked up the shipment in Bowling Green, Virginia on May 16. But when weeks passed and nothing had arrived at their new home in Oakland, California, the couple became concerned.
“I started calling them and being like, ‘OK, listen, you’re not being recorded. Is it a matter of money? What can I do to get my stuff here?’” Ian remembers saying. “I just gotta do whatever it takes.”
Ian says he only got excuses, so he filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation.
“We had this illusion that OK, alright, the government is involved, things are being investigated, we’re making moves and, at the end of the day, they can get fined, but that doesn’t make our stuff get here,” Ian said.
That’s why the couple ended up calling NBC 6 Responds. We wanted answers for Ian and Thalia, so we went to the moving company in Coconut Creek and found out it had a new owner - Zoltan Hajdu. Hajdu invited us inside their offices and told us he let go of nearly all the employees. He said he was trying to sort through the mess the previous owner left behind, adding that he had “knowledge about a warehouse full of stuff, but they have to deliver, that’s the only thing.”
We asked Hajdu about Ian, reminding him that he and his wife were still waiting for their belongings.
“What I can promise, I try to fix the problem,” Hadju responded.
Weeks later, Hadju texted us pictures showing the couple’s stuff - offering a glimmer of hope.
“I recognized the bikes more than anything and the bourbon barrels, which were really prominent in the photos,” Ian said.
When we got an address for the warehouse, Ian flew to the East Coast to pick up his stuff. A friend documented what they saw, noting that the warehouse appeared to contain “tons and tons of people’s personal belongings.”
They eventually found Ian’s pallets, loaded up a truck and drove back West to Ian’s new home with 61 of his 66 boxes. The couple is hoping to move on from this frustrating chapter.
“In the back of my head, for sure, it was like ‘Victory! Yay!” Ian said with a smile.
Still, he wants a refund and he also asked to be reimbursed for the missing boxes and the money he had to spend to go retrieve his stuff.
Hadju told us - in a text message - that he was willing to issue the refund and would send Ian information on how to file a claim for the rest. Ian says he has not received anything from Hadju.
The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also investigated In and Out Movers. Its website lists 31 complaints against the company for a variety of issues including holding a load of goods “hostage.” That’s the industry term for what happened in Ian’s case.
The agency confirmed it fined In & Out Movers $15,470 based on complaints. If the fine isn’t paid, the company could face losing its license to do business.
FMCSA offers ways to research a company and protect your move. You can access that information here.
