HOUSTON – It’s been nearly eight weeks since movers took off with some of Sara Eriksen’s dearest possessions.
She has no idea where they are or if she’s ever going to get them back.
What’s making matters worse, she says most of the items that are missing could never be replaced.
When Eriksen’s parents died, she held on to their belongings, hoping to keep their memories alive.
“So, my mom had stuff from her childhood, including her journal that she kept since she was in high school. I had all of that. The most important thing was my mom’s wedding dress,” Eriksen said.
The sentimental items are now a distant memory. Eriksen says she hasn’t seen them since Feb. 5 when movers packed them away for a move from California to Houston.
Tuesday, she got the runaround.
“He said it left the warehouse and the driver would keep me updated. But still no update,” Eriksen read from a text message.
Eriksen says she was originally told the move would take two weeks. Nearly eight weeks later, with no clear answer as to when her property will arrive, Eriksen reached out to us. We called US Pro Moving and Logistic, the broker company Eriksen hired to facilitate the move.
During the call, a representative told us the company would contact Eriksen directly, and that they couldn’t release any information regarding the file.
Instead of a call back from the broker, Eriksen got a poorly worded text message from US National Van Lines, the company the broker pegged to do the move.
“He said, ‘You think (the) news will help the truck get to you faster.’ But I knew what he meant. He’s basically threatening me,” Eriksen said.
When we called the same number, we were told we had the wrong number before the person hung up.
We clicked on the US National Van Lines Facebook page and found dozens of reviews echoing Eriksen’s frustrations. Some calling the service terrible, unprofessional, reporting missing and broken items, and accusing the company of holding belongings hostage.
Eriksen said she’s not sure what happened to her stuff, but she’s still hopeful.
“I just want my stuff. I want you to go your way (and) I want me to go my way,” Eriksen said.
Eriksen says she didn’t research the moving company beforehand because the broker didn’t tell her which one they were using. Eriksen who says she’s already shelled out $3,000 has now hired a lawyer.
