Top tips to avoid a moving day nightmare

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (WABC) -- The Long Island City woman entrusted all her worldly possessions to a Brooklyn moving company. That's the last she saw of them. Now out thousands she asked for help from 7 On Your Side.

The dispatcher at Top Priority Moving and Storage said he has no idea where the 40 boxes they loaded up at Jessica Salvatore's apartment almost two years ago wound up.

"It's been devastating. I mean I haven't recovered yet," said Jessica.

It was July of 2013 when her husband, a chef, got a job in Napa Valley. She hired Top Priority Moving and Storage to move all their belongings from Long Island City to California.

"Everything we have built in a lifetime is gone. It's like a house burned to the ground," said Jessica.

Wedding gifts, jewelry, photo albums, artwork, clothes, furniture and TV's never showed up in Napa. The contract states delivery in 21-28 days for the low, low cost of $1,350 to transport cross country.

A big mistake haunting her now, experts say at least three in home binding estimates are a must and quick research would show Top Priority Moving and Storage has 15 open consumer complaints on the Better Business Bureau website.

"They have an F rating. The worst. The lowest rating we give companies," said Claire Rosenzweig at the New York Better Business Bureau.

The Federal DOT has also logged numerous complaints and revoked Top Priorities Moving and Storage license after we flagged them on what happened with the Salvatore's items. Their owner, Frank Cruz, kept texting Jessica her stuff was in storage, but when we tried to track it down?

We found boxes of clothing for sale at Top Priorities' Brooklyn office.

"I've never been to a moving company selling personal items, whose stuff is this," 7 On Your Side's Nina Pineda asked.

Unfortunately, none of it was Jessica's.

The big takeaway, before you move, insist on getting a binding estimate, done by the mover in person. If you get a non-binding estimate, the mover can jack the price up on you upon delivery. Avoid paying the full price up front for the move. And never pay in cash. It's much better if you can put a deposit on your credit card. And look into buying extra insurance on your move. But find out what's covered before you buy.