What About Companies that Charge Deposits Upfront?

When shipping a car you shouldn’t have to pay any type of deposit upfront. Many auto transport companies will require a one, however. The question is then can you book auto transport without putting down money ahead of time? The answer is, yes. Most of the time that a deposit is paid early, it will commit you in to using that company and you may not want to continue with them if you find better service or if you are not satisfied how you have been treated as a customer. If the company you have hired needs to charge a deposit to keep you there, you can look at it as perhaps that they are trying to have you commit in case your change your mind. Whereas if the company provides a good service and does the job right, then you will stick with them anyway so why add the inconvenience of an upfront deposit.

When should you pay anything?

If a company collects a deposit it should be done at the time a carrier has been assigned to pick up the vehicle. Until then nobody has done their job. That means you know that there’s a carrier coming, you know who the driver is and their number has been provided to you.

Why is a Deposit Collected Upfront or Otherwise?

Each auto transport company has a different way of running their business. For example, a company that is a carrier may decide to charge deposit to a sure that there’s actually a car to pick up so they have some money for their trouble if maybe you had double booked auto transport or the car suddenly became unavailable because you changed your mind. Carriers make a lot of preparation one planning their loads and to have a car just cancel out of nowhere is damaging to their bottom line. A broker charges a deposit because their fee is inside that deposit. There is a bit more gray area here. One company may charge a deposit because they want to lock you win enough let you go anywhere else if you find a better deal, while others that bill you when a deposit once a carrier is assigned is securing the payment for the service that was rendered.

Are Deposits Refundable?

This will depend on the contract you have with the company you hired.

Tip: Companies that are looking to secure deposit immediately are probably more concerned with making sure they keep it regardless of the outcome, so be sure to look add the contract provided to you by anyone at charges immediately. Typically anyone charged a deposit after they’ve assigned a carrier will refund it under the circumstance that something occurred with the carrier (like mechanical breakdown or other delay) and another one could not be reassigned as no other truck was available within a reasonable amount of time. This timeframe will usually depicted on the contract as 5, 10 or 15 days. If you change your mind and no longer need the service but a carrier has been assigned, in most cases the broker is due the deposit because work has gone in to working with your dates, finding a carrier, verifying insurance, and preparing your order for dispatch.