Q: I hired a Vehicle Transport company last month to have my car shipped.
They were to pick it up the 24th of July or the 28th.
They sent me a contract to sign and fax two weeks ago, with a set price of $525.00.
I did that.
This morning they called and said because of the gas prices the trucker would not ship the car for under $675.00.
And they wanted to pick the car up today.
I was horrified at a $150.00 increase.
But I had to agree because I need the car asap.
What can I do to get my money back? The $150.00 increase. Thank you for your time.
Thanks,
BJ Scott.

A:Dear BJ,
The operative word here is, you "had to agree."
As far as I know, there is really very little you can do. I am not sure what country you are writing from, but you may be able to turn to consumer organizations or national commerce organizations.

However, you should know your complaint is very, very common in the US. None of us, in this industry, like to handle car transportation in the US because it is frequently a problem.

I recently arranged the shipment of a beautiful '71 Cadillac from Oklahama City. I sent a quote to the client and he said my transporter cost to New York City was too expensive. He told me he had searched the internet and found a company that could handle the transport for $400+ less than I had quoted him.

I was delighted not to have to handle the domestic shipment.

Bottom line... his transporter company pulled the same trick on him as they did to you. It took him over six weeks (instead of the promised two weeks) and he ended up adding more than $300 which meant he saved less than $100, but he had a tremendous amount of hassle.

His car should arrive next week and I want to see if it really is as magnificent as it looks in the pictures.

Here is hoping your car looks magnificent, too!

All the best, Shmuel