They Waited Until 4 PM to Double My Moving Price

They Knew I Was Desperate. That Is Why They Tried to Trap Me.

I never thought I would be writing something like this. I hired movers because I was already overwhelmed. Instead of making my life easier, they turned one of the most stressful weeks of my life into something I still feel sick thinking about.

My move was scheduled for August 28, 2025. I was relocating from Brooklyn, NY, to Newark, NJ. It was not a full house move. Everything was already packed inside a storage unit. I had counted everything carefully.

Seventy cardboard boxes sealed and labeled. Fifteen plastic bins. One double dresser. One medium-tall armoire. A portable air conditioner. A forty-five-inch flat-screen TV. A queen mattress with a frame. A single mattress with a box spring.

This was a small one-bedroom apartment worth of belongings.

Because I had to book at the last minute due to personal circumstances, I called Dumbo Moving and Storage NYC. I spoke to a representative named Bella. I was extremely clear with her. I told her, "I have seventy boxes. Plus furniture. I need this transferred from my storage unit in Brooklyn to Newark."

She replied confidently, “That’s fine. We handle jobs like this every day.”

She gave me a quote of $380. After I corrected the box count from sixty to seventy, she said, “I’ll adjust it and still give you a discount. Your total will be $393.”

I was relieved. I even repeated the number back to her. “So the total is $393. That includes the truck and labor?”

“Yes,” she said. “That’s your total for this inventory.”

She sent me a digital service agreement. I paid the deposit immediately. I thought everything was settled.

I had no idea that the quote meant nothing.

On moving day, I called in the morning to confirm the arrival window. I was told the movers would arrive between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM. My storage facility closed at 6:00 PM sharp. I made that very clear.

At 1:31 PM, Bella texted me, “Are all 70 boxes packed and sealed?”

I replied, “Yes. Everything is ready.”

At 2:45 PM, she asked, "Any time restrictions at storage?"

I said, “They close at 6:00 PM. We need to be loaded before then.”

She responded, “Your arrival window is 3-6 PM. You’re booked.”

I started asking about the driver’s ETA because I had been told he would call me thirty minutes before arrival. Bella said, “I’ll reach out to him.”

Minutes passed. Then more minutes.

I kept asking, “What is his ETA?”

Her answer was always the same. “I can’t reach him yet.”

At 3:21 PM, she texted me, "Driver has arrived."

I was stuck in traffic and about ten minutes away from the storage facility. My phone had not rung once. Not a single missed call and no voicemail.

I arrived at 3:43 PM. The driver and another mover were standing near the van. They got no dollies, no furniture pads.

The moment they saw the storage unit, the driver’s entire demeanor changed.

He looked inside, shook his head, and said, “This won’t fit.”

I was confused. “What do you mean it won’t fit? I gave the full inventory.”

He replied, “This is too much for this truck. We will need three trips.”

Three trips.

Then he added, “Each additional trip costs more. Fuel, labor, time.”

My stomach dropped.

I immediately called Bella. “They’re saying it won’t fit.”

She said, “Let me speak to the driver.”

After a brief conversation in Russian between them, she came back on the phone and said, “We can send a larger truck, but that will be an additional $500.”

I said, “Additional to what?”

She replied calmly, “Additional to your current total.”

That meant almost $900.

I said, “You quoted me $393 for this inventory. I gave you exact numbers.”

Her tone shifted. “The quote is based on estimated cubic feet. Your volume is higher than expected.”

That was the first time cubic footage was ever mentioned.

There was no on-site binding estimate done prior. No visual survey. Just a phone quote that suddenly did not apply.

The driver handed me a Bill of Lading and pointed to a section that allowed for revised estimates based on volume. He said, "You sign this for the new price. Otherwise, we cannot move."

I felt cornered. It was after 4:00 PM. The storage facility closed at 6:00 PM. My lease in Newark had already started. I had no backup plan.

I told Bella, “I need to speak to a manager.”

She replied, “I am handling this.”

I could feel the panic rising in my chest. My original budget was tight. I had set aside under $500 for this move. Suddenly, I was being pressured into almost $900.

The driver repeated, “We cannot fit everything. Three trips or bigger truck.”

They did not measure anything properly, did not update the inventory sheet, and did not reassess the load. They simply pressured me to agree to the higher price.

In the rush of trying to rearrange items, the mover dropped a piece of wood from the bed frame and hurt his foot. Everything felt chaotic and unprofessional. No one wrapped my dresser in moving blankets, there was no shrink wrap on the mattress, and the TV was left without any padding. They arrived completely unprepared for the inventory I had already shared in advance.

Bella offered no apology, no compromise, and took no responsibility for what was happening.

I stepped aside and called my cousin in tears. She gave me the number of another moving company. I explained my situation and begged for help.

Within an hour, that second company secured a proper truck. They came with furniture pads, dollies, straps, and an organized crew. They measured cubic footage correctly. They reviewed the inventory line by line. They issued a proper binding estimate. They even offered overnight storage at a fair rate.

The difference was night and day.

Before leaving, the original mover quietly told me, “This happens a lot with her quotes.”

That statement confirmed what I already felt. This was not a misunderstanding. It was a setup.

They gave me a low quote, knowing I was booking at the last minute. They knew I was under time pressure. They waited until the truck was on site and the clock was ticking to increase the price.

If I had not found another company in time, I would have been forced to pay nearly double the quoted price.

I will be disputing the deposit with my bank because the service agreement I signed listed a total of $393 based on my declared inventory. What they attempted to do falls into what many people describe as a bait and switch moving scam. A low, non-binding estimate is used to secure a deposit, followed by inflated charges on moving day.

The emotional toll was worse than the financial threat.

I thought I had done everything right by listing every single item in advance. That still was not enough.

What happened to me could easily happen to anyone who is stressed, rushed, and trusting that a company will honor its word.

I hope sharing this prevents someone else from standing in a storage unit at 4:00 PM, realizing the price they were promised no longer exists.

Evidence Provided by the User

Note: No photos or videos were shared by the user. The story above is a real experience shared by the person who went through it and is published to warn others.

Warning to Other Customers

Do not rely on verbal quotes alone. Always request a written binding estimate that clearly lists your full inventory, cubic footage, and total cost. Review the Bill of Lading carefully before signing anything on moving day. If a company refuses to honor the original quote or suddenly increases the price after arrival, you may be facing a bait-and-switch tactic. Protect yourself by confirming truck size, arrival window, additional fees, and cancellation terms in writing before your move date.