Jennifer,

I am sorry to hear about your incident. Unfortunately, situations like those are pretty common in the moving industry.

To cheer you up I would guess the movers do not hold your shipment hostage (after all you paid them in full), but simply do not have the capacity to deliver your items in time, due to poor dispatching capabilities and lack of available hauling space.

On a practical note, some techniques actually help to speed up the process of delivering your items, such as frequent calls to dispatch (you will eventually drive them crazy and should expect rude treatment, but try to just ignore it). Make sure you request to speak with the owner each time you call - calls like those disturb the work of dispatchers, so sooner or later you will reach the owner. Owner have this "magical" ability to move things around to get rid of the really "annoying" customers.

Threats to charge back the credit card might help, but I wouldn't start from that. You could mention the BBB, your state Attorney General office, RipoffReport.com, MovingScam.com, etc., etc., however the effect of those on the delivery of your shipment is questionable.

When calling, you want to know the following details: the date of delivery (which they will never give you, but still), the current location and condition of your shipment (cross-compare the info you get from the dispatchers), and if it is already on the truck - make sure you get the name and phone number of the driver. Most of this information is very hard to get, but with enough pressure you will get it.