CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — You did it — you made the life-changing decision to move somewhere new. But what happens when the moving company doesn’t show up with your stuff when you were expecting it?

That’s what happened to Kamila, who recently relocated from Michigan to Florida. She asked us not to use her last name. She says she tried calling customer service more than 100 times but couldn’t get an answer about when — or even if — her furniture and boxes were going to arrive.

After closing on her Florida home, Kamila said she found a company called Top Tier through Facebook.

“Initially the rate was really good. Unfortunately, that’s not what should spur you to do that, because it was a good rate,” Kamila said. “One of the things that I asked was, are you start to finish, are you going to start delivery, pick up my delivery and then drop it off? Are you the one person? And I was told yes. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention enough to the contract.”

What Kamila says she didn’t realize was that Top Tier would accept her payment but not actually handle the move. Instead, another company had her belongings. What she was told would take six to eight days, she says stretched into two months, although in the agreement with Top Tier it says, “there are no guaranteed pick up or delivery dates and/or times.”

“I have nothing like literally a suitcase full of clothes,” she said.

When a truck finally arrived, Kamila said there were only some of her belongings.

“We walk out there, he’s got a quarter of our stuff. So it was just our like our bedding and a couch and 12 boxes. And I said, well, when’s the rest of the stuff coming? And he said, two months. And I said, I can’t handle two more months. We’re already two months in. And he just kind of shrugged,” Kamila said.

Kamila called police, but she said they told her it was a civil matter. She then reached out to 10 Investigates. When we contacted Top Tier, the company declined to comment on her case and referred customers to its toll-free number. Kamila said she finally received word on the rest of her belongings after we began asking questions.

“I’m grateful for you guys. Really grateful. Because I really don’t think I would have gotten my stuff for another two months,” she said.

Situations like Kamila’s are not uncommon. The Better Business Bureau says it receives an average of 13,000 complaints about movers each year. The BBB recommends knowing two things before signing a contract: whether you are hiring a broker — someone who finds trucks to move your belongings — or a mover, the company that actually does the work. The second thing that’s key is to know your quote.

“Just be careful with very low front-end fees. How are they quoting the job, or are they just quoting it over the phone without really having knowledge of your goods? Are they actually going to come to your home and verify what you have to give you an accurate quote?” said Bryan Oglesby with the BBB.

He said it’s important to get a contract in writing.

“Make sure that contract has a verified estimate that it can’t change,” Oglesby said. “So that’s an estimate that you receive. And it won’t change when the mover comes to do the move.”

The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates interstate moves, says complaints about movers nearly doubled between 2020 and 2021. Many involve overcharging or delayed delivery.

Kamila says she learned the hard way.

“He told me it was a simple mistake. It was not. It was eight weeks of waiting for our stuff,” she said.

She urges others to do their homework.

“Make sure that there is no upcharge. Discuss the boxes because the boxes are very important,” Kamila said.

We provided Kamila with resources on where to file formal complaints and ways she may be able to recover some of her money.

The BBB’s full guide to selecting a mover is posted here.

If you have a problem with an out-of-state move, you can call 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238)  or file an online complaint by going to the FMCSA website.

You can also file with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.