"Avoid Being Scrammed"

Yeah, I think Florida Southwest Van Lines meant to word that slightly differently. Your best bet: if you ever encounter Tevel Bennoon and one of his crooked companies, tell him to scram.

By the way, watch out for more name changes. The website's main page already uses the subtitle Florida Movers. Watch out as Tevel tries different names out for a test drive, such as Palm Bay Movers, Gainesville Movers, and St. Augustine Movers.

Some less-than-satisfied customers

Here are a few complaints found at Consumer Affairs. Suffice it to say, don't hire this company, unless you want mayhem. William of Gainesville:

The driver and assistant loaded my furniture onto the truck, drove 4 miles and then demanded $180 additional money. The quote was $503 and they wanted $683. I called the office and they said "travel expense". While I went to the bank, they unloaded the furniture and left gouges, marks and smudges all along a twenty-foot entry wall which had just been newly painted by the condominium. I was threatened with "we will drive away with your furniture on the truck" if you do not come back with the additional money.

I have five pieces of furniture which were too heavy for me to lift, moved by them and they damaged my bed frame, desk, couch (which left the gouges and smudges on the wall) and my armoire is unable to open and close. They refuse to answer letters or email and sent me a settlement of $150. Stay away from these thieves. The drivers were trained to take your furniture hostage and demand more money. Once the furniture is on the truck, you are helpless.

 Janet/Eva:

It was a nightmare of an experience. This company was subcontracted by World Wide Van Lines. My mother moved from Florida to Minnesota. Her belongings were picked up by Florida Southwest Van Lines on September 27, 2011. Today is November 8, 2011 still no delivery. Tevel requested 75% of the money to be collected, before delivery could be set up. We paid the $3,083 balance. He Lied.

Eva is 88 years old. This company has taken everything my mother owned. I reported this to BBB. I received no response from the company. I have found information online, about this company, after the fact. If you get your things back, you are lucky. You contact agencies for help, but everyone is afraid of Florida Southwest Van Lines. They are not held accountable for their actions.

As I've read, "If you want a living nightmare, this company is for you". We are trying to replace some of the items, but they have the personal items with sentimental value, that can't be replaced. We have contacted Attorney General, and the Ocala Police, so far no results. You pay to "move" your things.

Instead they take, and hold your things. Don't worry, they will sell them back to you in the end. You have to pay another hefty price to receive you items back.

My Mother lost everything! Her belongings are being held somewhere. Despite the payment we made, Florida Southwest Van Lines/liar Tevel, has taken yet another person's belongings, to eventually auction off. I will continue to file complaints. Next is with DOT and AMSA. 

Barbara:

This company was hired to move my grandmother's things from Florida to Maine. She paid them $2,315.00. She was supposed to receive her things within the week. It has been a month and a half, and this company has not delivered her things. She has called the police and nothing has been done yet about this. She has been promised day after day that her things will arrive. Now, the company won't even speak to me. They keep hanging up on me.

They took everything she has worked her whole life for. She is an 86 year old woman and now has nothing. She doesn't work, so replacing her things won't come easy, not to mention, the sentimental items. This company needs to be stopped. What they are doing can't be legal.

Janet:

Curt ** had made a contract with a woman whom had worked at Southwest Florida Vanlines, Inc., and our original estimate to move one bedroom set, one dresser, and numerous bins and file boxes came to $1,200.00 (twelve-hundred dollars). He was informed that if the weight was a little more than, only then would we be charged of any extra fee. When I spoke with Sharleene **, the woman who Curt had made the contract with, I asked her straight out if there would be any hidden charges or fees, and her exact words were, "Nope, you're all set!". So, the truck showed up on May 31st to pick up our items. When they were through, I was told that they still had to drive back to Ocala and put our things on a smaller truck. When they were in the house, I googled earth to show them where they were to take our things in LaFollette, Tennessee, neither of them took a look at the page.

After loading, they sat in front of the 50-foot trailer we lived in (their truck was 52 feet long, longer than the trailer we lived in). Needless to say, when we arrived in Tennessee, they demanded $1,700.00 (seventeen-hundred dollars in cash) before they could make the delivery. They also told us that they could not get the big semi-truck they brought our items on, up to the house. Curt gave them the cash and they were going to leave, but I phoned the Sheriff's Department. The driver and rider acted very sketchy and after the deputy left, they took our things to Jacksboro, the next city over, and shoved all our items off the truck (damaging a lot of things). There were 3 (three) different contract numbers, the one that I signed was blank, until after they loaded the truck. There were no weight tickets, there was also absolutely nothing in the original contract about this, and the day they picked our items was the day I was informed that Sharleene ** was terminated. She is the one that we struck the deal with and made a contract with. This complaint is just the short of a long line of documentation, photos, and videos that we possess.

We have contacted the D.O.T., as well as several other entities. This is not over. I contacted the Sheriff's Department in Ocala, Florida, and when I spoke with the officer, he told me, "I thought we had taken care of this business, but I guess they are at it again". I certainly hope that anyone who makes plans to move, should make a research on any and all companies they might consider dealing with. This Tevel ** has operated under several different names, the B.B.B. cannot even verify an address for this company. There are so many numerous complaints out there regarding this company, who rip people off!

Beware! The Consumer Affairs told us that we were lucky to have even gotten our items. Do not use this company! They will do to you, what they have done to us!

Jermaine (former employee):

I was hired by this company a couple months ago, but I have worked before that at least 5 years. I noticed all kinds of messed up things about the company, like ripping people off of their money. I actually have seen the owner boost up the price on a elderly woman. The older lady was crying because she couldn't believe how much her bill came out to be. It started at $6,500; then at the delivery it went up $20,000. That's not right to the people that are working in paying the money for a proper move.

This guy that goes by the name of Tevel ** also goes by three other names also, so he's a not a honest person to do business with or work for. I worked a whole month with this company and when it was time for me to get my check, he called the police on me and had a trespassing put on me. Working for this company, I never received. Now I'm been forced to move out my apartment and I'm now living on the streets. That's not right at all. If a man works, he must get paid.

The final complaint is by someone who's already been mentioned here. But, yeah, you get the picture. This is a company not to be trusted.

Keeping you up to date

We don't get to update this blog very often, but not to worry...we have not moved on. Since our last update, it appears that Tevel Bennoon has removed websites for several of his former moving companies. His primary focus for now seems to be Florida Southwest Vanlines (the new website even manages to look slightly less amateurish). Needless to say, Florida Southwest Vanlines has the same type of sordid history as did Apple Movers.

We've also noticed that Tevel Bennoon appears in a number of mugshot websites. Regrettably, none of these sites actually list the charges for each arrest, although I'm sure at least a couple of them have something to do with passing bogus checks and domestic violence.

Finally, we're renaming the blog, to better put a spotlight on Tevel's current con, and since the company that we encountered in 2010 no longer exists.

We'll keep you up to date as time permits. The moving biz in the US is a barely regulated free-for-all. Your only defense is knowledge.

An update: What's going on with Apple Movers

Let's get caught up on what's been happening since the last time I updated this blog. First, according to the US DoT, Apple Movers is now inactive. The last complaint with the DoT was filed earlier this year, for "estimates/final charges" and "unauthorized operations". Apparently the last time that the goons tried to move anyone, they did so without authorization from the FMCSA.

Now don't get too excited. The person running Apple is notorious for shutting down an operation under one name once there's too much heat, and then resurfacing under another company name. And indeed, we may be seeing the unveiling of the heir to Apple, Green Bay Movers. If you compare Green Bay Movers' site to that of Apple Movers, you'll find that the site content is essentially identical. The site's webmaster was quite sloppy, as "Apple Movers" is still showing up in the html code on some of the pages. Green Bay Movers is just another rotten apple in a very rotten barrel.

Speaking of the rotten barrel, Lone Star Relocation Services, another of the Omni Van Lines shell companies, is getting rebranded as Manchester Moving Services. Again, content is identical. Only the address and phone numbers have changed. Tevel Bennoon is also getting a bit more cunning: any mention of the company's DoT and MC numbers has been removed. After all, those numbers might allow consumers to find out the ugly truth (which is ugly indeed), and scam artists cannot have that.

In the meantime, if you've come to this website because you're getting ready to move, beware of these companies. If you do business with these crooks the one thing you can be guaranteed is that you will be ripped off. I would not wish that on anyone. As new information becomes available, I will update you. Until then, stay vigilant.

Another satisfied customer

Here's yet another complaint regarding one of Tevel Bennoon's past companies:

VERY SIMPLY:

1. I permitted All American Van Lines to credit my visa $598.00 on April 13th for a move that was to take place on the 3rd of May.

2. The buyer of my house backed out the very next day.

3. I phoned All American Van Lines the following day (2 days after my deposit) and asked for my deposit to be refunded. They replied, "no problem".

4. According to their contract; a full refund is available as long as the request is placed 72 hours before the scheduled move. My request was approximately 3 1/2 weeks prior.

5. After nearly 3 months of calling more than 18 times and speaking to the manager, Marlin, who informs me that he has done everything to convince the owner, Tevel Bennoon, to return my deposit, I am finally told that Tevel openly refuses to refund anything.

I am out of nearly 600.00 of my money and am going to small claims court to attempt restitution. This is a fraudulent company and I hope that who ever reads this will not place their trust in them.

Here is more contact info so that this company can be passed over for more of a reputable one:

ALL AMERICAN VAN LINES
502 CENTRAL PARK DR.
SANFORD, FL 32771

866-554-6683 OR
407-302-9555

OWNER - TEVEL BENNOON

WWW.ALLAMERICANMOVINGNSTORAGE.COM

LICENSE IM-1186
LICENSE ICC-579170
LICENSE US DOT-1561553

Julia
TRINITY, Florida
U.S.A.

Apple Movers turns off yet another customer

Here's another consumer who had an unpleasant experience with Apple Movers:

Apple Movers
18800 Egret Blvd
Houston, Tx
US
http://www.movewithapple.com


other possible address (from website) quote gives houston address.
Apple Movers of Texas
Texas Location
1950 South Main Street
Weatherford, TX 76086

I have been trying to negotiate a contract and price for moving my goods to Arizona. I receive no response for several days, then I am told they don't want to work on a Sunday so they will contact me...on Thursday of next week (today) I am subjected to snotty comments (refusals to identify the sender of these emails, and insulted through their emails)....
Don't use this company....let's put them out of business...

They will NOT be getting my signature on a contract.

The person got lucky, realized there was something very wrong about this company, and sought out services elsewhere (at least from what it appears). I'm not surprised about the unprofessional tone of the emails this customer received from Apple's representative(s). After all, they're hired from craigslists, sight unseen (and resume unseen as we've found out), and are unlikely to have any training on such matters as professional decorum or professional ethics. In other words, it's strictly amateur hour.

At least this person didn't get ripped off - only insulted and inconvenienced. But the reason for not getting ripped off is very simple: this person ended up refusing to do business with Apple.

A bad Apple in a very rotten barrel

If this blog serves no other purpose, it is simply to alert consumers of a set of fraudulent moving companies in the hopes that no one else experiences what I and my family experienced. If you've followed this blog, or if you just now stumbled onto it, my story begins with an encounter with Apple Movers. Needless to say, our situation with this company went downhill pretty fast. We came pretty close to having our household goods held hostage - as it was our belongings made it to their destination on time, but not until after we payed what amounted to ransom for them. We were lucky. We could find people who could loan us the money in the nick of time. Had we not, we would quite possibly be still tangling with a company run by a notorious con artist.

Turns out that we are far from alone. Others have also been had by this same rotten Apple. According to the DoT, the number of complaints for this moving company, with just one truck to its name, has reached 14 and counting. There is a pattern of renaming this company. At one point it was Omni Vanlines, and also Abaco Moving & Storage. Later I would learn that the apparent owner, Tevel Bennoon, has been operating a series of these fly-by-night companies for several years. From Florida, Bennoon has also been running a company currently known as Florida Southwest Van Lines, Inc. The BBB's profile on Florida Southwest is not especially flattering. However, what caught my attention was this statement near the end of the BBB's report:

The BBB has known of Tevel Ben Noon since 2005. Since that time he has had numerous business names and addresses. Currently we are unable to verify a physical address for the company.

 The BBB lists a number of these companies:

Florida SW Van Lines
Omni Van Lines
Lonestar Moving Services
Movers Van Lines Inc.
Lonestar Relocation Services
Tevel Ben Noon
T & J Moving and Storage
All American Van Lines USA Inc.

 In addition, the report lists a plethora of addresses from which this laundry list of companies is supposed to operate.  It's mind-boggling. As I continue to research this list of companies, a pattern emerges. To give you an idea, here's a taste of what Movers Van Lines, Inc. was like:

Their one driver got pulled over for drunk driving, then it was found that he was driving after having been previously disqualified. THEN, he got pulled over again, and wasn't licensed for driving the truck he was in. They must be using rented trucks, since there are 4 different license plates listed for all their 4 violations.

Real classy, right? This is the same company that was paying its employees with bad checks, in 2006. Bennoon got in some legal trouble around that time for writing a worthless check, and had also been in jail for domestic violence.

I'm sure I'll have more to come. In the meantime, avoid this company (by any name) like the plague. Even better, avoid using Internet brokers altogether. We got relatively lucky. You might not be so fortunate.