An elderly couple in Cypress, Texas, have spent three weeks in a hotel while waiting for their furniture to arrive from Florida, as the wife undergoes treatment for stage 4 small cell lung cancer.
The couple’s daughter, Amanda McClendon, said she paid Petrolino Moves $4,000 to transport her parents’ belongings from Tallahassee to their rented home in Cypress.
She said the family had been told to expect delivery on October 23, but that date passed without the furniture arriving. Her parents have instead been paying for hotel accommodation since October 19.
“At the beginning of the year, my mom was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and they were in Tallahassee. I was travelling back and forth,” Ms McClendon said.
She added that her father also had health problems and was due to receive care at home, making the delay particularly difficult for the family.
Her mother, Gloria Leibold, said living in a motel had affected her ability to manage her health and dietary needs while she underwent treatment.
“I have certain dietary needs that can’t be met because we are stuck in a motel for the duration, because we have nowhere else to go,” she said.
Ms Leibold received radiation treatment on Monday, November 9, before speaking about the dispute. She said the absence of her own belongings had made an already difficult period harder.
“And I don’t even have the comfort of my own bed, and no assurance that I will have it anytime soon,” she said.
Moving company disputes missed deadline
Petrolino Moves has denied that it has breached its agreement with the family, saying the delivery period set out in the signed documents had not expired.
The company said October 19 was the couple’s first available delivery date, rather than a guaranteed arrival date. It said the contract allowed between seven and 21 business days from that date and that expedited delivery had not been selected.
As of November 9, the company said, 15 weekdays had elapsed. Petrolino Moves said the couple’s belongings were expected to arrive within about seven days, with a margin of one day either way.
“While the customers’ frustration is understandable, the fact that her belongings have not yet arrived does not by itself establish that Petrolino Moves has missed its contractual deadline or violated the moving agreement,” the company said.
Ms McClendon said the family had repeatedly been given an “anticipated” delivery timeframe, without a firm date, leaving her parents facing further uncertainty as Ms Leibold continues her cancer treatment.
