Bait-and-switch car shipping quotes

A bait-and-switch car shipping quote is a low number that exists to collect a deposit. The number you actually pay appears later, when a carrier is found, or when the pickup is close and you are out of time. You can see the setup in the contract, before any money moves, if you read the sentence that says whether the price can change.

RideShipper's range is not that first number. It is an estimate shown before you give a phone number. The carrier or broker you hire writes the price. We do not lock it, and we do not take the deposit.

The two numbers#

People describe the same sequence often enough that it is the pattern to plan for. You are quoted a price. You pay a deposit to hold it. Days later the company says no carrier will accept that rate. The new price is higher. The deposit is already gone, or the company says it will keep the deposit if you refuse. You pay the new price because the car has to be somewhere.

That sequence is not, by itself, a crime this page can declare. It is a contract that let the price move, plus a deposit that made leaving expensive. Sometimes it is the BBB pattern. The July 21, 2023 alert says scammers lure people with unrealistic prices, take a deposit, and then do not show up. It also describes reports in which the vehicle was moved and more money than agreed was demanded before release. A price change at delivery, with the car already on the truck, is the hostage version. It has its own page, price increase with the car on the truck.

The sentence that makes the first number real or fake#

Find the price clause. It is often headed "estimate," "rate," or "price subject to change." You are looking for one fact.

• The price can change only until a carrier accepts the load. After that, the number is the number, unless you change the car, the date, or the addresses.
• Or the price can change after a carrier is assigned, including near pickup.

If the contract says the first kind of sentence, write down the carrier's name and the price on the day the carrier is assigned. Later changes need a reason that is also in the contract, such as a car that does not run when you said it did. If the contract says the second kind, you do not have a price yet. You have a ceiling that is not a ceiling. The price-subject-to-change clause is a closer reading of that one sentence.

Also find the cancellation line next to it. A fair pairing is this. If they replace the price, you may reject it and the deposit returns to the card. A bad pairing is this. If you reject the new price, they keep the deposit. That pairing is how the low number wins. Do not sign it if you cannot afford to lose the fee.

Household-goods moves have their own estimate rules. A shipped car is not a household-goods shipment under the definition in 49 USC 13102, and this page does not copy mover rules onto a car contract. Use the car contract in front of you.

How to test the first number#

Compare it with the range for the same route, vehicle, and open or enclosed transport. There is no public list of every paid car-shipping invoice. A number far under a current, dated range is the "too low" flag in the BBB alert. Reasons that honestly move a price, and that should be stated up front, include a car that does not run, an enclosed trailer, a very short window, a remote address, or extra fees. Those belong in the quote, not in a surprise text. The fee guide names the fee types a range cannot see.

The quote checker takes the company, the price, the route, the vehicle, and the deposit terms. Use it on the first number, before you pay. Then ask the company to confirm, in writing, that this number is the number a named carrier accepted. If they cannot say that, ask when the carrier will be named and whether you can cancel for a card refund if the accepted price is higher.

Questions that expose the switch#

Ask these before you pay. Write the answers into the email so they are not only on a call.

1. Has a carrier accepted this price? What is the carrier's legal name and USDOT or MC number?
2. If no carrier has accepted it, is this number an estimate?
3. If the accepted price is higher, do I have to pay it, and do I get the deposit back on the card if I say no?
4. After a carrier is assigned, what events can still change the price?
5. Are you the broker or the carrier? A broker's advertising has to show that it is a broker (49 CFR 371.7).

If the answers are "trust me" or "we will see," do not pay to hold the mystery. FMCSA's 2015 advisory tells you to be wary when a site will not say whether it is a broker or a transporter. The same caution applies to a price that will not say whether it is final.

If you already paid and the new number arrived, read what to do when the price jumps after the deposit. It does not promise you can undo the payment. It tells you to read the cancellation line before you pay the increase out of panic. How a quote is built, line by line, is in how to read a quote you received.