$30,000 to Move 438 Miles: One Consumer's Three-Year Fight

In December 2022, a consumer contacted Allied Moving for an interstate move from Idaho to Washington State. Allied informed her that the area was out of their service territory but recommended Bronze Star Moving and Storage, a broker operating out of West Palm Beach, Florida.

The first binding estimate came in at approximately $10,000. After a video walkthrough conducted by Frank Callahan, the estimate nearly doubled to $19,000 for what Bronze Star described as "additional inventory."

On moving day, Bronze Star did not arrive. Instead, a company the consumer had never heard of showed up: Movers and Packers Relocation Specialists. They arrived with a 1,700 cubic foot Penske rental truck for a move estimated at 1,900 cubic feet. The crew immediately claimed there were additional items and more volume than the estimate reflected. They pressured the consumer's daughter not to contact the broker. When they ran out of space in the Penske truck, they called for a second truck, a U-Haul.

When the consumer contacted Bronze Star, the broker washed its hands of the situation: "Since you let them load, your contract is with the haulers."

Movers and Packers Relocation Specialists demanded nearly $20,000 in cash or postal money order for delivery. The consumer's attorney advised paying 110% of the binding estimate under protest, a right protected under federal regulations.

The movers refused cashier's checks. They demanded cash only.

They drove away with the consumer's belongings.

Jennifer Tattoli of Movers and Packers texted the consumer calling her "sneaky" for attempting to make a legally compliant payment. The company required the consumer to send a photo of cash along with a bank receipt before delivery would even be scheduled.

Both the Penske and U-Haul trucks were overdue on their rental agreements and were reported stolen by the rental companies.

After days of hostage negotiations, delivery was scheduled for 6pm on a Sunday. The movers demanded full payment before opening the truck doors. The consumer's friend negotiated to see the contents first.

$19,980 in cash was counted by flashlight on a driveway on a Sunday night.

Total cost for the move: $30,000. That is $68 per mile for a 438-mile move. The average cost of a long-distance household goods move is under $1 per mile.

The consumer spent the next three years researching the companies that victimized her.

Movers and Packers Relocation Specialists LLC (DOT 3539058), operated by Jennifer Dehaas (also known as Jennifer Tattoli) and Shadi Qarmout out of Hawthorne, New Jersey, operates under at least 14 known aliases. The same foreman, identified as "Jacob" in victim accounts, appears in victim photos from multiple states. The company shares addresses with AMM Trucking (subject of an FBI investigation), Packrite Movers, Lucrative Van Lines, and others across multiple New Jersey locations.

When one entity accumulates enough complaints, it dissolves and re-registers under a new name. The personnel, the warehouses, and the methods remain the same.

Bronze Star Moving and Storage, the broker, operated from addresses in West Palm Beach that the consumer physically visited. One led to a fenced water treatment facility.

The consumer compiled an 88-page document containing 19 victim stories from across the United States. The pattern is identical in every case.

A broker, often based in Florida, provides a lowball binding estimate. The broker assigns the move to a carrier, often based in New Jersey, without disclosing the carrier's identity. The carrier inflates volume and demands cash on moving day. The broker claims no responsibility.

Amounts charged ranged from $7,000 to $30,000 for moves that should have cost $2,000 to $5,000. Multiple victims reported the same carrier personnel, the same demand for cash, and the same refusal to disclose where belongings were being stored.

The consumer founded a Facebook group, "Moving? Tips on moving and avoiding Moving Scams," which now has 359 members. As administrator of this group, she collects victim reports and warns others about the companies involved.

She compiled the 88-page document and intended it for FMCSA, the DOT, state attorneys general, the FBI, and news organizations. She identified fake reviews posted under identical wording across multiple review platforms. She mapped shared addresses in New Jersey where multiple carrier entities are registered.

The Washington State Attorney General has an ongoing investigation. A class action attorney has reached out and asked the consumer to serve as contact person for additional victims.

Three years later, the consumer's goal remains the same: "My goal is not to reclaim the money we lost. My goal is to make sure every person is aware of these scams."