Moving violation

Marshall Allen, Las Vegas Sun

Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006 | 7:38 a.m.

The moving guy's baggy pants dropped to his knees and Mary Scheirmeyer had a dilemma.

The move had already been a nightmare. Among other things, the crew showed up late, with a tiny truck, and was forced to return with a larger vehicle.

Now they were unloading and the mover was lugging a beloved dresser up a flight of stairs. The trousers fell, and Scheirmeyer decided one set of dropped drawers was already too many. She took things into her own hands.

"I had a choice of pulling his pants up or having him drop my furniture," she said. "I chose to pull his pants up."

That indignity gave Scheirmeyer a hint of what she would soon learn. The men who couldn't even keep their pants up clearly didn't have the skills to move her prized armoire.

For everyone who has complained about the most reputable of companies, imagine what's in store when they hire moving companies operating illegally. And they're out there, waiting to be found by innocent customers simply looking to save a buck, thumbing through the yellow pages, leafing through the junk mail and scanning bulletin boards at storage facilities for good deals.

If the move goes well with these illegal outfits, there are no complaints. If the move goes badly, there's no one to complain to.

Nevada's Transportation Services Authority is trying to put its own dent in the problem. For three years its investigators have out-hustled the hustlers, netting the illegal movers in sting operations, citing them, impounding their vehicles and serving them to prosecutors for fines - up to $10,000 per infraction. Working with phone companies, the TSA shuts off the communications of illegal operators.

It's an agency Mary and Louis Scheirmeyer did not know of, but to whom they turned after that May 27 move. That day they suffered multiple indignities thanks to a company that went by two names: Pro Pac and Mighty Movers.

It turned out they were neither pro nor mighty. Nor were they licensed, despite the fact that they said so.

Pro Pac is one of the most notorious illegal moving companies operating today, according to TSA officials.

Scheirmeyer said when they came to her home the movers didn't bring any shrink-wrap and too few blankets to protect the furniture. Then they dropped an armoire, a bookcase and spilled planters on the carpet. A couch, dresser and two nightstands were also gouged. Total repair bill: $730.

The Scheirmeyers got the runaround when they tried to get Pro Pac to pay for the damage. Company representatives skipped appointments to assess the damage. When Mary Scheirmeyer called to complain, they said she should call back when she had a better attitude. Then they hung up on her. She made repeated phone calls and got first names - Jonathan, Michael, April, Julio and others - but no one who would take responsibility. Pro Pac tried to get her to pay the $340 bill in cash, but she used her credit card. She thought she learned the company's address by tracing the payment, but a letter she sent was returned. Scheirmeyer filed a complaint with the TSA. Then she paid her repair bill and waited, wondering if she would ever see justice.

It's a weekday afternoon and TSA investigators - sworn peace officers - are lurking outside a storage facility, waiting for an allegedly illegal mover to arrive.

The suspect movers are easy enough to find. The law requires movers to post their state certificate number on any ad. It's issued by the TSA and ensures the movers are operating with uniform rates and insurance. Companies that don't post the number are almost certainly illegal, according to TSA investigator Ruben Aquino. Many movers listed in the phone book have no certificate numbers.

This day, Aquino and other investigators are in plain clothes, and the mover arrives at the appointed time. Ellick Loyd is driving a white 24-foot GMC box truck, a female helper by his side. They're met by an undercover investigator, who confirms the pay rate and plan to move goods. Then a handful of officers drives up quickly in an SUV from an adjacent parking lot.

As far as cops-and-robbers busts go, this is uneventful. They usually are. Loyd cooperates and is cited for illegally operating Big Loyd's Moving. He grimaces when he learns his truck will be impounded.

Often movers have arrest warrants, so they're handcuffed and held until police arrive. In one case, a mover was carrying a pellet gun. Another time a guy had about 30 grams of methamphetamine in his possession.

Such individuals may be the types who help someone move - and then rob the house afterward, Aquino said.

"These individuals are the last people you want in your home," Aquino said. "They know your property. They know where you live. And they know the layout of your home."

Richard Preston, manager of Starving Students movers in Las Vegas, said illegal movers also create problems for legitimate companies. They can offer better prices because they don't have to provide insurance and don't perform background checks or drug tests on employees, he said. Licensed movers charge a minimum of $75 an hour for two men and a truck. Illegal companies charge $15 an hour less. It would be nice to compete on a level playing field, he said.

The illegal moving situation has improved in the last three years, he said - since legislators approved stiffer penalties that bolstered the TSA's efforts. Three years ago, Preston said, there were 17 licensed movers in the state, and 95 advertisements in the local phone book.

Generally, the violators are weekend movers who post fliers, buy cheap ads and rent trucks.

"If you hire a moving company and they show up in a rental truck, they're not legit," said Kimberly Maxson-Rushton, chairman of the TSA.

Sting operations and prosecution may seem like a large expense for seemingly small-time hustlers, but Aquino said it's worth it. He receives five to 10 complaints a day from consumers, he said.

The misery caused by Pro Pac crosses state lines.

Julie Green hired the company to move her son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and Erika Green, from Las Vegas to Washington state. The company provided an estimate without visiting the family's two-bedroom apartment, which made Kevin Green leery. But he was busy with his teaching schedule and uninvolved with planning the move, he said.

The Greens chose Pro Pac because it had the best price quote - $2,365, which Julie Green paid in advance. Kevin Green said that was his next omen.

On Dec. 30, the mover was scheduled to arrive at noon, but showed up at the Greens' at 5:30 p.m. They needed a 24-foot truck, but it was a 17-foot rental. Plus, the truck was two-thirds full - with the mover's own possessions. The Greens later realized they were paying for the mover's own move.

They stuffed what they could into the truck and the remainder in a storage unit, with the promise from Pro Pac it would be "on the next truck" north. Days turned into weeks and months. The Greens repeatedly called Martin Rush, who owns Pro Pac, and Allen Burke, who says he's a former business partner with Rush but no longer involved in the business. Everyone made promises, but the goods never arrived.

Finally, Kevin and Erika returned to Las Vegas in July. They spent their fifth wedding anniversary cornering Pro Pac employees. They only got a response by threatening to report grand larceny to the police. Their possessions - including furniture and irreplaceable family photos - were found in a storage unit the size of a two-car garage. It was filled with the possessions of other families. The trip to regain their goods cost an additional $2,470.

Burke blames Rush, who he said also goes by the alias Thomas Moore. He said there are other customers who have been ripped off by Pro Pac, and he's considering a lawsuit himself. A message was left with Rush at the Pro Pac offices, but he did not return the call.

The Greens say the hassle ruled their lives for six months.

"It makes me feel so angry that these guys are operating a business and hurting other people," Julie Green said. "If I don't get a penny back, I want them stopped."

The Greens filed a complaint with the state attorney general's office, but the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration monitors interstate moves. That doesn't mean Pro Pac got away.

On July 20, movers from Pro Pac were netted in a TSA sting operation. The driver, Eric Tinn, and the passenger, Ricky Serrano, were in an Enterprise rental truck. They told investigators they did multiple moves every day for Pro Pac.

The company was cited and its case came before TSA Commissioner Sam Thompson on Wednesday. Pro Pac officials did not attend the hearing, so it was held in their absence. Thompson called the case a "particularly egregious matter" and a "poster-child for assessing the maximum fine."

Pro Pac was fined $10,000, and the TSA will make additional efforts to end its operations.

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