Why customers end up paying more when they do a double booking?
In the following article we will review both sides of the car transport business; brokers vs. customers. While submitting your information online and providing potential sales for car transport broker companies, you are exposed to an unnecessary and sometimes expensive hassle. Nonetheless, how far are brokers willing to go to secure their commission and in return provide what they offer is simply determined by a simple scribble: your signature. Having said this; you are just a signature away to discover the real world behind the car transport tug of war.
When shopping around to hire car transporting services, you ultimately want to know how much does it cost to ship a car from one place to another; while at the same time make sure you get the best price to get the job done in a timely and safe way. You can browse a couple companies, read their reviews and start calling to get quotes. Once you have a couple quotes you compare them and choose the company that better suites your needs and budget. However, an easier way to do this is to submit your information online and get 7 – 10 quotes from different companies. The information you submit to this online site is saved as a lead and sold to different companies. Companies use these leads to turn them into potential customers. Instead of you calling around to get information, you will have a couple brokers call you to offer their best prices.
Online Leads Database: Customer Convenience or Inconvenience? Submitting your information online to receive various quotes at the same time may seem very practical for you; however it can be a real hustle for brokers. There are many lead companies that collect customer’s information and create a data base of possible customers. Car transport broker companies buy lead packages with potential new sales. It seems as a very easy process, however since your information is submitted to a giant data base, your name will be submitted not only to one company, but to 7 – 10 different companies at the same time, in order for you to receive different possibilities. For you as a customer, this result can be very convenient as you will get the information you need and then choose which company you would like to book with. On the other side for brokers, this is a tug of war to see which broker actually gets you to sign with them.
You might think at first that when you book with more than one company at once, it may be a smart move; therefore you have different options and the first one to tell you “we can do it now!” will be the company you finalize booking with and simply cancel the rest. Nonetheless, many broker companies if not all have contracts with specific terms and conditions that state that once signed with them you are tied down to them and they will charge you in advance before even having something to offer you, only to secure your business. Many times this result may be successful; however this is not always the case. In order to make themselves attractive to customers, some brokers will offer you really low prices to move your car and paint you great scenarios, only to get you to sign the contract with them. You as a customer must be careful as many times the deals offered are not as good as they sound; some have hidden fees, take twice as long to book you a driver and many other circumstances. Remember, brokers work under commission and they can tell you what you want to hear in order to get your business, to then come with surprises and excuses. Regardless, you are under contract and their commission is secure.
This is when you see yourself obligated to look for another company, because the one you previously signed with hasn’t been able to move your car due to really low prices, or simply has more hidden fees you aren’t aware off. But then since you are already under contract you will get charged cancellation fees and end up paying more then you should and still not have your car moved. This can be very frustrating, especially if you are working under a schedule and do not have time for these mishaps.
Auto Transport Company Wars by AA Car Transport
Double booking: Broker’s Tug of War. Anyhow, this is from the customer’s point of view. Let’s look at it from the companies’ side. When your information is submitted to lead companies, this is information is distributed online to various car transport broker companies; this is why many brokers have your information. Once brokers get your information they will start calling to get your business. Many times there can be confusions created due to similar company names, similar broker names, similar quotes or misleading information from brokers. When this happens, customers end up booking with two companies at the same time. This results in two companies posting your car on a board where drivers pick up jobs. When drivers see a car posted twice, they will go with the higher paying offer. This results in one broker not being able to move your car promptly. Unfortunately, since you have booked with both companies and are under contract with both, this is where “war” between companies begins. Since both companies are brokers and brokers work under commission purposes, the conflict between both to get a customer booked is a really big hassle. You will have endless calls, more deals, better discounts, until you get convinced by one of them. Unfortunately this leads to misunderstandings most of the times, as brokers feel customers are pilfered from one another. The fact is that the same information was provided for both companies, it all depends on what you as a customer feels fits better to your needs.
Due to this reason, make sure that you do not sign any contracts with any company until you are sure of which service you want. Once you do, make sure you go over the contract and make sure the company’s name appears in every document. Also, make sure you are clear of who is who, as it can be confusing with so many brokers calling you at once, as this can lead to a lot of confusion that can escalate to unnecessary problems that may make companies seem misleading and untrustworthy.
In the end, always keep in mind that when hiring a broker, they will aim to get your business for commission. Also, remember that your information when submitted online is distributed to many companies; this does not mean information is hacked from company to company, and brokers simply are doing their job while offering their services. It is up to you as a customer to wisely choose the one that best accommodates your needs and then sign and book with them, in order to avoid misunderstandings and avoid paying more than you have to.
If you like to know how much does it cost to ship a car call us or fill the free estimate.
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