Bright Star Moving Company

I spoke with Lucas, who falsely claimed that they were a legitimate moving company, stating all their trucks had logos and that they take photos and inventory of items. After discussing everything with him, I paid the deposit and finalized an agreement to pay the remaining balance upon delivery.

On the day of pickup, the movers arrived four hours late in a $19.95 U-Haul truck. They gave me an excuse that their truck broke down, and they had to rent the U-Haul to complete the move. When I asked for their company name, they said it was Star Light Moving. They couldn’t take all of my belongings because the truck was too small and promised to return the next day to pick up the rest. However, I repeatedly called Bright Star, but no one answered, and the movers never came back.

I was forced to give away my $1,400 couch, leave my remote control bed base in the apartment, and throw away other items. The movers still have my king-size mattress, three flat-screen TVs, four poles to my canopy bed frame, and 20 boxes filled with kitchen items, clothes, and sentimental belongings.

Afterward, they began calling me to increase the price beyond the original agreement, also demanding half the money upfront, contrary to the initial deal of full payment upon delivery. Another company even contacted me asking for payment. After I disputed the deposit, Bright Star resumed calling me.

I’ve seen multiple reviews of others experiencing similar situations. I refuse to pay any more money until I have my items in my possession, fearing that, like others, I will pay and never see my things again. I have filed a police report and will be pursuing legal action.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13999

Whatever you do, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!

It all started with a google search when I was immediately bombarded with many moving companies. One of the emails was the following:

Tuesday, 07/16/2024

Hello, this is Carlene with BRIGHT STAR MOVING & STORAGE AMERICA'S MOST TRUSTED MOVING COMPANY We are a 5-star A+ rated for moving service. We have been trying to get in touch with you , but unfortunately, we haven't been able to reach you. Are you still in need of a moving company? If yes, please do not hesitate to contact me either by phone 352-353-2037 or text. We are fully licensed and insured by the Department of Transportation. We are excited about the prospect of working with you and assisting you with your relocation. Thank you for considering us, and have a splendid day! Carlene

Within minutes Carlene called and went on and on about how they were a family run business, she’s worked for them for 18 years and willing to offer me a free estimate. I explained I could only guess on what I had to move, very little furniture, mostly boxes and gave my best guess. She provided a great quote $1320, but, I had to confirm today. I asked what if I had a few more items, she told me not to worry I had 300 cubic feet and based on what I told her there would be plenty of room to add more items. By the way, the movers are brokers and don’t work for this company.

A couple of days prior to the move I received a call from Dannie to reconfirm our items, my 2 twin beds with mattresses turned into 2 box springs, 2 bed frames 2 bed footboards, 2 bed headboards and 2 mattresses. They really get caught up in the number of pieces which I didn’t understand. My 2 dressers were now 3 because one had a mirror. I did add 20 small boxes, 1 gaming chair, 8 tote bags, a puppet house and barbie house. Dannie said she was going to have to re-do the quote, because I went from 35 pieces to 71, I asked why it mattered that I was told I had 300 cubic feet and Carlene told me there was still room on the truck. I also asked why Carlene listed items such as the beds as 2 pieces and now that number has grown to 10. My quote doubled and now they were charging me $2545.22, this increased the cubic feet to 531. I should have canceled at this point, but I was going to lose my deposit.

When the movers arrived they packed all the smaller stuff in the truck, it looked to be about 6ft, by 5ft, nowhere near the 531 cubic feet. The movers said they reached 71 pieces, and it was based on whatever came first the number of pieces or cubic feet. They wouldn’t take the beds and dressers. They told us it would be an additional $2400.00, I forgot to mention they demanded we had to pay half the balance before they filled the truck and the remaining balance when they delivered our belongings. So at this point we are already out $1800.00. We told them they weren’t getting any more money, they dropped the price to $1400. We told them to deliver what they had.

We were told the movers would give us a delivery date, they said someone would call, on the way out they hit and damaged a tree. I called Bright Star immediately, they told me once they delivered my belongings they would review the phone calls and case with management and would refund if needed. I called every day for a delivery date, no one at Bright Star could help me, I swear the extensions and numbers changed every day. I finally received a call 11 days after pick-up that they would be at my house in four hours. Who operates like this. I’ve been calling Bright Star every day since, I’ve been disconnected and transferred to lines that just ring and no one picks up. This company lied repeatedly to us, they claim to be professional, far from it, they are scammers. We were victims of theft.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2545