CHARLOTTE — There’s a new twist in Channel 9′s ongoing investigation into a Charlotte moving company. For months, anchor Allison Latos has been digging into complaints from customers all over the country who claim Fly Movers jacked up their prices and held their belongings hostage.
Teisha Williams, who moved from Wisconsin in June, told Allison her dreams of a new beginning in Charlotte ended in a nightmare.
She didn’t hire Fly Movers for her move but said her stuff somehow ended up in the company’s west Charlotte warehouse -- but not in the condition it was in when she last saw it.
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“Horrifying,” Williams said. “I honestly wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. It’s hard to pack up your life and trust somebody, because you’re not only giving them a lot of money, they know how valuable it is.”
Williams’ moving saga started over the summer more than 1,000 miles away in Wisconsin, where she and her two kids packed up their life for a new start in the Queen City.
She said the company she hired -- Bulls Moving -- was two days late picking up her belongings, and then doubled the price tag from the original $2,300 quote.
“I have to start driving to North Carolina, so I literally had no other choice but to fork over the extra money,” Williams told Channel 9.
She said her experience went from bad to worse.
“After seven days, I’m like, ‘Where is my stuff?’” she said.
For nearly three months, Williams said she called and emailed Bulls Moving, begging for her belongings. She said she was finally told that another company had her possessions -- Fly Movers in Charlotte.
“They requested I pay another $1,300 in storage fees that I did not agree to,” Williams told Channel 9. “I’m like, ‘I want my stuff.’”
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Williams got an attorney involved and said Fly Movers eventually allowed her to get her belongings from their warehouse.
“I felt like if I’m going through this, of course someone else is, and they need answers,” Williams said. “It’s not fair.”
That’s why Williams documented what she saw inside.
“What condition was it in?” Allison asked her.
“My daughter’s bed -- princess bed -- destroyed. My dressers, broken,” she said. “I’m making payments on furniture I will never be able to use or see again. How do you tell little kids that just want their bed that they’ll never have their bed again?”
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Williams posted her videos in a Facebook group for Fly Movers customers who are unhappy with the company. She said her post resulted in a phone call from the company.
“He told me to take it down or he was going to sue me,” she told Channel 9.
But Williams said she is not worried.
“The damage to me is already done,” she said. “I just hope one of these days they finally see jail.”
Williams said donations and help from coworkers allowed her to furnish her home. She told Channel 9 she needs to focus on the future, so she doesn’t plan to pursue legal action against either moving company.
But she has strong advice for anyone about to make a move.
“You’re better off packing up a U-Haul and driving it yourself,” Williams said. “That way you know your stuff is with you the entire time and you’re not putting it in the hands of others.”
Allison has been digging into the connection between Fly Movers and Bulls Moving. Fly Movers told Channel 9 they allowed Bulls Moving to store Williams’ stuff at their warehouse, but Fly Movers has not answered our questions about customer complaints.
Those complaints in Charlotte continue to grow, and the NC Attorney General’s Office is now investigating 11.
(WATCH BELOW: 9 Investigates: Reviews on Fly Movers’ website)
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