Callista W.
Bait and Switch Scam
Scam. I hired Long Haul Moving & Storage to help me with a last-minute out-of-state move necessitated by a family emergency. They were very helpful on the phone at first - offered me a reduced rate given the circumstances and even applied a military discount on account of my grandfather's service. I still wasn't sure and said I wanted to check with a few other options, first, since they were the first quote I'd gotten. They said that if I committed then and there, they could reduce the rate several hundred dollars more. I was already very stressed out from the family circumstances and unexpected move, so I said sure. They quoted me $1700 to load, transport, and unload a fully furnished 1-bedroom apartment from Boston, MA to central NC, with an optional "free" 30 days of storage. They said they didn't accept my credit card (Discover), though, so I gave them my ACH details. I regret this. They took a 1/3 deposit ($688) from my account, with the rest to be paid half when the movers came and half when my stuff was delivered. After I confirmed, they said they couldn't actually let me know what day the movers would be coming until three days in advance - which isn't enough time to get a moving truck parking exception from the city I was leaving, nor helpful for general planning purposes. But, it is what it is, right? They said they'd arrive at 9am on whichever day it was. They didn't actually let me know when they were coming until the day before (Tuesday, coming Wednesday). They said it would be "between noon and 5." They arrived at 4pm. And then told me it would cost double. Double! $3300, when the original quote - based on a full list of my furniture and assurance that there would be "extra room" in the space reserved for me - was $1700. I spent nearly an hour on the phone with "customer service," who said my only options were to pay the extra amount or forfeit my deposit. I sent them away, rented a UHaul, loaded and drove it 850 miles myself. Painful. Very painful.



