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DON'T BE A VICTIM!
Here is what to watch out for:
They tell you "we just happen to have a truck in your area". Until they have an order, and start calling trucks, they have NO IDEA where the trucks are. They are telling what you want to hear just to get your order!
They tell you "your deposit guarantees a spot on the truck". They have NO IDEA if a truck will take your order. DON'T PAY A DEPOSIT UNTIL THEY HAVE A TRUCK CONFIRMED, AND THEY GIVE YOU THE NAME AND PHONE NUMBER OF THE TRUCK.
You give them strict parameters for pick up or delivery dates, and they tell you that they can do it. They even go so far as to say they guarantee it. Read their terms and they always have an out. Guarantees are worthless. DATES IN THIS INDUSTRY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED!
They tell you they will give you a gas card worth $200 to $300 when your order is complete.
THESE ARE NOT Visa Gas Cards. They require you to save your receipts and then send them in. There are so many limitations, it's not worth your time. Also, the company DOESN'T even send you the card.
Google "Free Gas Card Scam" and see what you AREN'T getting.
Some quotes will be from companies who are both a broker and a carrier.
They lead you to believe that they will transport your order on their truck, when in fact they will broker it to a different company.
While there is nothing wrong with them brokering it, the issue is the fact that they mislead you into thinking they will be doing the transport themselves.
You are quoted a price that is low, and they tell you that it is the full price to ship.
What they don’t tell you is that buried in their terms it says that they will charge you a broker fee IN ADDITION to the price quote. Or they DO NOT GUARANTEE THE FINAL PRICE. You wind up paying $150, $250 $300 OR more than what you expected.
READ THE TERMS, AND UNDERSTAND THEM BEFORE YOU SIGN.
They tell you that the quote is the full price, but once again, their terms allow them to raise the price without you agreeing to the increase.
One company’s terms says “The customer agrees to have us add monies to the carriers pay in $50.00 increments, until the vehicle is accepted for transport by a carrier. This can be done up to a maximum of $250.00”.
They tell you that you have to agree to the increase, but they don’t have you sign a new contract or an amendment saying that you agree. When the truck delivers and asks you for more money than what you THOUGHT you were going to pay, they tell you that you did agree on the phone, even though they never asked if you want to raise the price. It's your word against their's, and you lose.
READ THE TERMS, AND UNDERSTAND THEM BEFORE YOU SIGN.
The broker asks you for your credit card information before you have signed their terms. They tell you it secures your spot on the truck. NOTHING IS FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!
Once you have given them the information, YOU ARE ON THE HOOK FOR WHATEVER THEIR FEES ARE! DON'T GIVE YOUR INFORMATION UNTIL YOU HAVE READ AND SIGNED THE CONTRACT!
Don’t use a company that charges you an extra fee for using a credit card, or charges you a service fee if you cancel. The Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Merchant Agreement, precludes a merchant from charging you a fee for using your card. If they don't want to take your card for the EXACT amount, go somewere else.
While every company has in their terms that you agree not to charge back on you credit card, some say they will charge you a fee if you do charge back. IT IS A VIOLATION OF The Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Merchant Agreement for them to charge you. If they do charge you, turn them in and they will be fined a substantial amount.
DON’T PAY THE BROKER BY CHECK, ECHECK OR WIRE TRANSFER!
When you use a credit card, you have recourse by disputing the charges if they don’t do what they have agreed to.
If you pay by any other way, they have your money, and regardless of what happens, you will never get it back.
If the company’s only payment option is to use PayPal, STAY AWAY!
The reason they only use PayPal is because they cannot qualify for a merchant account.
Either they had their merchant account canceled due to a high number of customers disputing charges, they have extremely poor credit, or they violated the Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Merchant Agreement.
Check the company’s negative reviews on third party sites.
The complaints are always the same.
When the company responds to the complaints, is it riddled with sarcasm and attacks on the customer? Strange that they NEVER accept the blame.
DON’T EVER PAY THE FULL AMOUNT TO THE BROKER!
If there is a problem, you will not get your money back!
However, it is safe to pay the TRUCK the full balance once they have your vehicle loaded on the truck.
Don’t pay the deposit/broker fee/admin fee until they have assigned your shipment to a truck.
If they tell you they do have a truck, get the name and phone number of the trucking company.
If they won’t give you the name and phone number, CANCEL YOUR ORDER.
Why, because they don’t have a truck, but they can then charge your credit card, and are just trying to buy more time.
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