Burned $300 on a broker who never even picked up my car in Phoenix

Back in March I needed my old Civic hauled from Phoenix to Denver and figured a broker would be easier than going direct. Paid a $300 deposit upfront and they kept saying a driver was scheduled for Friday, then Monday, then next week. After 12 days of excuses I finally called the carrier they claimed to have booked and that company had zero record of my job. Lost the deposit, wasted three weeks, and ended up paying $650 more to a local hauler I found through a buddy. The worst part is the broker still answers the phone and tries to sell me on their 'premium service' again. Anybody else get ghosted by a broker after handing over a deposit? How do you check if they are actually licensed before paying? I should have looked up their MC number on the FMCSA site but I trusted the slick website.