Disabled Veteran Gets Runaround From Movers After Property Is Damaged

By Tom Mustin

DENVER (CBS4) - Jacob Aronen and his wife say movers destroyed his property, then bounced a check they sent to pay for the damage.

Aronen is a disabled veteran who moved from California to Colorado last July.

After getting the runaround for months, Aronen contacted CBS4 to tell his story.

"It's a lot of added stress I really wish I didn't have," he told CBS4's Tom Mustin.

Aronen was discharged from the Marine Corps in Camp Pendleton, California. He and his wife Sabrina moved to Colorado to attend school.

Aronen used the Lincoln Moving and Storage Company, which has a contract with the military. When their belongings arrived in Parker- there were major problems.

"My couch, my bedding, towels, clothing... Stuff like was completely destroyed," said Aronen. "Some of the stuff they were bringing up was super mildewy, moldy, disgusting. Smelled terrible."

Aronen showed us pictures of the soaked pillows and bedding and broken kitchenware.

He spent several months going through the claims process.

"I'd get hung up on a lot," he said. "They'd put me on hold. The line would go dead."

Finally, in Sept., the company agreed to pay nearly $3,000 to the Aronens.

After another month of correspondence, they received a check from Apaca Van Lines for the full amount.

Then the couple faced another problem. The check bounced.

"We contacted them... Asked them 'what's going on?'" said Aronen. "They said they're going to look into it. That's pretty much the last I've heard from them."

Aronen filed a complaint with the BBB.

As he awaits some resolution, he says he's telling his story to spare his fellow veterans the same nightmare.

"Let people know that the government has these contracts, and they're paying these people with taxpayer money, and they're not doing their jobs," said Aronen.

CBS4 contacted Apaca Van Lines, which is based out of Washington State. They directed us to their Colorado Springs office.

Mustin spoke to the CEO, a man identified as "Danny." He told Mustin he wasn't sure what happened, and there were "a lot of moving parts." He promised to contact Aronen and resolve the issue.

Tom Mustin is CBS4's Weekend Anchor. He has been with CBS4 since 2002, and is always looking for great story ideas. Connect with Tom on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TomCBS4.