JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 A Jacksonville man said a local moving company he hired is now holding his belongings hostage.<\/p>\n
Robert Matthews said he hired 1st Coast Express after his apartment flooded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can imagine your whole life got sopping wet, put that into a truck and just watch it go down the road,\u201d Matthews said.<\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Their website claims they are a licensed and insured professional moving company based out of Jacksonville, offering quality local and long-distance moving services at an affordable price with no hidden fees. <\/p>\n Matthews said he put his trust in the company and hired them.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, hey, if I have to do an emergency move, are you guys ready for that? They said yeah, we don\u2019t need days notice a lot of time we can do same day,\u201d Matthews said.<\/p>\n He said he received a verbal quote over the phone, which was anywhere between $3,000 to $4,000. That was to pack and store his 2-bedroom apartment, which was about 1100 square feet.<\/p>\n He put down a deposit of $150, and the movers came out.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t get done until 5 a.m.,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cWhen they left, they left things behind that I actually got charged for.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he was hit with a bill that was $10,000 for the company\u2019s nearly 28 hours of work.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were like this is what it is, and you have to pay it same day cash,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cThis was supposed to be an emergency move. This was supposed to be you just shrink wrapping it in a box, along with towels, and getting it out to the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthews soon learned that the company\u2019s license had expired in 2022, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.<\/p>\n Action News Jax Alexus Cleavenger went to try and speak with the owner of the company at the business\u2019s listed address.<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n When she showed up, it was a home, and the woman who answered to door told Cleavenger her son runs the business, but he doesn\u2019t live there.<\/p>\n So she tried calling, but there was no answer.<\/p>\n Matthews said he filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which lists the company as not BBB accredited<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI kicked it up another notch, and I\u2019m like, hey, this has to go to the state,\u201d Matthews said.<\/p>\n Mathews filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is now reviewing his case.<\/p>\n He also reached out to the State Attorney\u2019s Office. We asked if they\u2019re looking at his case, and they did not get back to us yet.<\/p>\n Matthews said he is hopeful something can be done so he can get his belongings back.<\/p>\n