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FOX 5 I-Team investigates

Company's reputation hijacked by Flat Rate Movers, LLC

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ATLANTA -

A local moving company's good name has been hijacked by a rogue moving company. Atlanta Flat Rate Movers says the confusion is costing them not only money, but their reputation.

They're a family business, and have been around seven years. They work hard to stay in good standing with the Better Business Bureau. But there's another company in town with a similar name, Flat Rate Movers, LLC. The names are nearly the same, but how they do business is not.

Atlanta Flat Rate Movers is licensed and insured. The company gets good marks with the BBB.  But customers of Flat Rate Movers, LLC have complained about its customer service to the I-Team.

A year and a half ago, Alex Breslav ran the operation at Flat Rate Movers, LLC. Federal investigators say the owner is rarely seen and has been associated with 10 different moving companies.  The feds shut them down, but they re-opened using another name, sometimes with someone else's name.

LaShunda and Brannon Burrage run Atlanta Flat Rate Movers.  A few years ago they told us they started to see an odd pattern of complaints coming in from customers who they'd never worked with.

"It would be single moms who had to relocate to another state for a job, and their things were being held hostage because Flat Rate Movers wanted more money than they originally quoted them," said LaShunda Burrage of Atlanta Flat Rate Movers.

Rick Streng blasted the knock-off company on an online complaint board. He says his moving price shot up $1,500 from the time they loaded him until they were ready for delivery.  He called to complain, but like many others rang up the wrong company.

"I got a wonderful lady who explained in detail that they're constantly getting confused by similar names," said Streng.

A little Internet research and Atlanta Flat Rate movers realized that not only was this other company mimicking their name but also piggybacking their hard-earned reputation.

"They refer their customers to our Better Business Bureau page and claim it as their own," said Burrage.

Federal investigators say they were looking into the company, but that was a year and a half ago. In an e-mail sent to the I-Team on Tuesday, they say Flat Rate Movers does not have operating authority and it has been served final orders to submit an operation plan.

If you are planning a move soon, you may want to visit Protect Your Move.

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