Broker quoted me $150 deposit to 'lock in' my rate, then the carrier asked for $400 more at pickup in Phoenix
Booked a move from Phoenix to Portland back in March and the guy on the phone said I needed to pay a $150 deposit that same day to hold the price. Turns out that deposit only locked in HIS fee and did nothing for the actual carrier rate. The driver showed up, looked at my Civic, and said the quote was for a running car and mine had a dead battery so it was $400 extra or he leaves. I paid it because I had a flight the next morning, but I'm pretty sure the whole thing was a setup. Has anyone actually gotten a broker to eat that kind of surprise fee, or is it just gone once you hand over the keys?
Ugh that dead battery thing is such a classic scam move. They know you're stuck once the truck is there and you've got a flight the next day, so they hit you with some fee that was never in the original quote. Honestly your best shot is blowing up their reviews and filing a complaint with the FMCSA, sometimes that gets a broker to cough up a refund just to make you go away. The $150 "deposit" was probably never coming back either since that's how these guys work, they hide behind the fine print that says the rate isn't locked until pickup.