PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THESE 4 BIG SCAMS!
Run, Forest, run! A lot of unethical car shipping companies are giving low quotes to sucker customers in.
But you’re at their mercy. If you refuse, they keep your deposit. You’re left empty-handed and out hundreds of dollars, calling another company because your car still needs to be moved.
The best way to avoid this situation is to ignore significantly lower prices no matter how tempting it may be. Choose a reputable company with awesome reviews (check ours out!) and a customer support team you feel confident will be by you the entire way.
We never require a deposit. We will never have you pay a driver directly. You will not be charged until the driver picks up your car. Even then, your driver will not be paid until they deliver so they remain highly motivated to complete the task.
This scam works well with the first one. The story goes like this:
The unethical car shipping company hooks you with a low price.
They intentionally bid low, fingers crossed, hoping they can find someone to move your vehicle for cheap.
When they can’t, they come back to YOU, hands out, asking for more money. Because they’ve probably already taken your deposit, they have the upper hand.
Yep. They hold hundreds of YOUR dollars hostage (and who wants to lose money!?!). It’s not like you can just call the police. You can refute the charge with your credit card company, but that’s super annoying and takes time to get the funds back.
So while they withhold your money, they just insist you pay more for the job — or else. Or else? Or else your car won’t be picked up and they keep the deposit. Or worse, they already have it and say they won’t deliver.
We’ve heard stories of transporters holding cars hostage, demanding hundreds of dollars more. How do you avoid this? Get quotes from reputable companies and STAY AWAY from obviously low prices, because in this business, if it sounds too good to be true — IT IS.
If we haven’t terrified you enough, there have been times people have placed their car on carriers never to see them again. If a driver or a company doesn’t understand the economics of moving vehicles, they will go belly up.
Truck operators who make cheap runs will never stay in business. We’ve heard of drivers who ran out of resources and simply parked their transporter, full of cars, on the side of the road and disappeared.
We have even talked to people who’s car was picked up and never saw it again. They have no recourse to go after the company because the owner, the company and the staff have all disappeared. In most instances, the driver is the owner/operator and there are even fewer options for recovery or recompense then.
There’s no doubt you want to choose a reliable auto transport company. You need a shipping company with a proven track record. A support team you feel confident will be by your side and on your side the entire move.
We are absolutely sold on good service and going the extra mile. Our reviews prove it. We love shipping cars and engaging with our customers, many who return to us when they need to move again. We don’t ask for deposits, honor our guaranteed quotes and deliver 100% of the time. That’s exactly why United’s auto transport services are the top in the industry.
We keep our word. The quote you receive from us is the actual cost to ship your car.
There are other companies that implement a “bait and switch” strategy. They give you a low quote to get you to book, knowing they may not be able to get the car picked up or moved for that price. When that happens, you’re stuck finding another shipping company at the last minute or you have a driver with their hand out, demanding more money to make the delivery.
Can you imagine paying for your car to be shipped, only to have a driver hold your car hostage until you pay him more money?
We don’t play games. We know what it costs to ship your car so we provide accurate, all-costs-considered quotes that will get your car picked up and delivered. We may be higher than others, but you can rest assured you won’t be surprised later.
Auto Transport Scams
Of course, there are some scam companies that have phone numbers but it is best to always call and speak with a customer service representative where you can then ask for various information that any legitimate business should have. In addition to their carrier number, they must also have a USDOT or US Department of Transportation number. Shipping companies provide the name of the business unit with contact information when customers use their services.
If you would like to know more about auto transportation services, call us at +1 (360) 597-9320. Also, look for a laudable shipping company that mentions low prices, great customer service or professional chauffeurs. When searching for companies to ship your vehicle to, check company reviews on Google Business, Yelp, and the BBB.
When looking for companies to ship your vehicle, be sure to take the time to read company reviews. Perhaps the easiest way to avoid scams is to read several online reviews for each of the companies you consider, negative customer reviews are an easy way to spot potential vehicle shipment scams. To avoid falling victim to car shipping scams it is important to recognize them and take appropriate precautions at all stages of the process.
In fact, you will recognize a fake car delivery scam where the company will always tell you that it can do whatever you ask for and even provide a guarantee. If they provide a delivery date, it is recommended that you consider another supplier because there are no fixed days in the automobile transport industry. They may try to sell you other services or upgrades that are already included in other trucking companies’ rates. You should be aware that a broker or trucking company expects a small payment before shipping your vehicle.
The shipping company should charge your card again because for some reason the price changed – maybe the original amount was just a deposit or the company had to use a different courier.
Once the time it takes to get your vehicle started runs out and you panic, they’ll come back with an estimated cost estimate to charge you extra money to move your vehicle, pretending that their price was too low to begin with. Rude responses or avoidance tactics should indicate that it is time to look for another company to ship your vehicle. Be aware of the warning signs and do not give your vehicle and information to unknown companies.
Avoid broker that do not provide information about the shipping company, the easiest way to spot a potential car delivery scam is if the trucking company doesn’t tell you their brokerage fees, or if the company does not have its own vehicles or drivers, be careful when signing a delivery contract.
The company may try to charge you more money to secure a place in the transport truck as the moving day approaches. The trucking company offers a very low price for shipping your vehicle and then tries to get more money when it comes to moving your vehicle. There are horror stories on the Internet about hostage situations when a company refuses to release a client.
The best way to protect yourself against this is to avoid the lowest prices and instead search for a company that guarantees their prices. Less reliable companies first attract potential customers by offering low shipping costs for their vehicle ; once the broker receives your money, he will find a shipping company willing to ship the vehicle at the price you paid minus the commission.
They make a deliberately understated offer, fingers crossed, hoping to find someone to take over your car for a cheap price. You give them your credit card details and they come to your car. Once they get a quote for the delivery of cars, they find a company that offers great deals. Using a very professional looking website, they offer delivery of your vehicle at a very reasonable, often cheap price.
They offer you a reasonable or even low price to transport your vehicle and are responsible for transferring the vehicle from start to finish. If you use transportation management companies services, they should contact the carriers in their network to find a carrier that suits your needs. They often have little or no direct contact with the shipping company which means you won’t be able to track your shipment.
It is a problem for customers who lose money or vehicles, as well as legal transport companies trying to stand out in the forefront of road transport fraud. Direct couriers copy information from legitimate car delivery websites and use it to create their own car delivery scam websites. Unscrupulous scammers use the Internet to target people attempting to buy, sell or transport their vehicles by copying information from legitimate shipping companies websites and creating fake websites of their own.
