My 800sq ft. apartment was not even fully furnished, so yes, a $1700 QUOTE was believable (it was dropped to 1550 due to a $150 discount for early registration). We knew we'd pay a little more because we had some extra things that were not included in the estimate. But to go from $1550 to over $6700... Do i even need to go into how ridiculous that sounds.
What's horrible is that moving co's are enabled by customers who are too scared to lose their things and end up paying these SCAM ARTISTS thousands and thousands of dollars to retrieve their belongings. Listen, I get it. We have been on quite an emotional rollercoaster being thousands of miles across the country from our belongings for the past 6 months. I see exactly why people just throw their hands in the air in complete frustration and PAY UP.

Well, let's hope that scams stop here, because WE'RE NOT TAKING IT. We've learned that their are MANY moving co's in Jersey City up to the same thing.

I moved a 2 bedroom house full of stuff from upstate NY to Denver for 1450 a couple of years ago. I didn't have any problems at that price.

A cross-country move for $1550?????????

You have got to be a rare breed of gullible to believe that's a legitimate quote for moving 2 people cross country.

Lawsuit? Bullshit! Call the FBI, this is intestate theft and extortion, pure and simple. If a babysitter changed her mind about her fee and refused to return your kid until you deposited funds in her Cayman Island account, she'd be arrested for kidnapping. This is no different.

And I doubt this 22 y/o Jassmena Elboghdady is actually the real owner, more likely some mob guy with a record. It sounds as fishy as the 20 year old "arms dealer" from Fl who's now doing time. I'm sure someone was behind him and left him to swing.

When the quote is too good to be true......... extortion 101

2 women say Jersey City moving company is holding their possessions hostage until they pay charges that quickly ballooned and now include storage fees

Saturday, January 08, 2011
By ASHLEY STRAIN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jennifer Donato and Nyatta Woods were looking forward to an exciting change in their lives when they decided to move across the country from Stamford, Conn., to Los Angeles in July.

But nearly six months later, the roommates say they are sleeping on the floor in their L.A. apartment. Donato says their mover, United Relocation Vanlines of Jersey City, is demanding extra fees that were not included in the contract, and is holding the pair's possessions hostage until they pay up.

And the company says that if they don't pay, the items, which include flat-screen televisions, beds and documents such as birth certificates, will be auctioned, Donato said.

"Our move was quoted for $1,550 and required a $930 deposit, but when the mover showed up he said the deposit would be $1,700," Donato said.

Donato, 29, a school psychologist, said the mover accepted the $930 deposit because that's all the money they had, and loaded their items on a truck.

When the women got to Los Angeles, they learned the mover wanted more than $3,000 to deliver their belongings. Their belongings never arrived in Los Angeles.

"We found United Relocation Vanlines on the Internet," said Donato, who later found numerous complaints about the company online at the Better Business Bureau website and at other sites like ripoffreport.com and complaintsboard.com.

Calls and e-mails by The Jersey Journal to the moving company and its owner, Jassmena Elboghdady, 22, have not been returned.

The Jersey Journal visited the address listed as the office for the company, at 1536 Kennedy Blvd. in Jersey City, but the office is vacant. The building manager there said it was cleaned out last weekend.

Donato and Woods, 28, a writer, flew back to New Jersey over the weekend, but Elboghdady has refused to meet with them, they say.

Donato said that Elboghdady, communicating only by cell phone and e-mail, has now upped the bill from $3,231 to $6,700 - to be deposited in cash in the company's bank account, before they can get their belongings.

Elboghdady added nearly $3,500 for storage fees, Donato said.

The price was dropped to $4,500 after Woods' father spoke to Elboghdady, but the pair still do not want to deposit the money in the company's bank account for fear they will still not be told where their possessions are being held.

Bob Russo, the executive director of the New Jersey Warehousemen and Movers Association (NJWMA), a trade group that tries to steer customers to legitimate movers, said that if a customer feels cheated, filing a lawsuit may be their only answer.

Donato and Woods say they can't afford a lawyer.

"We don't even have the money to get our stuff back so hiring a lawyer is out of the question," Donato said.

Donato is asking anyone with information about United Relocation Vanlines or Elboghdady to call her at (516) 428-8797.

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Jersey City moving company has two former landlords who are tired of dealing with its angry customers

Saturday, January 08, 2011
By ASHLEY STRAIN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jennifer Donato and Nyatta Woods are steaming mad at Jassmena Elboghdady and United Relocation Vanlines. Mike Sawh and Sandra Walsh aren't happy, either, even though they never hired the company to move them.

Sawh, the building manager at 1536 Kennedy Blvd. and a broker with Entrance Realty, said he leased space to Elboghdady's moving company and is now hearing complaints from her customers, and that some have threatened him.

"A man came into my office because he thought I was a part of United Relocation Vanlines. He started threatening me because he wanted his belongings back," Sawh said. "It happened a few times."

Elboghdady cleaned out the company's belongings there last weekend after Sawh began eviction proceedings against her. She did not return calls and e-mail requests for a comment.

Walsh, the manager of Montgomery Auto Parts at 913 Montgomery St., has a similar story. United Relocation Vanlines previously had its offices there, and Walsh still gets visits from people who are angry with the moving company.

Walsh said the Jersey City Police Department has been called to her location several times to deal with irate customers of Elboghdady's.

"Plenty of people come here looking for the company, law enforcement included," Walsh said. "The customers demand their furniture and yell about money."