BERTHOUDFair Deal Autos in Colorado, the sole carrier, shipped my Honda Accord 2001 V6 (VIN#1HGCG16521A018059) from Plano, TXon Sept 26th to Blaine, Washington. On Oct 1st, whenI received my car in WA, I immediately noticed the three damages where were notthere before, and noted them down on Bill of Lading (shortened as BOL later) in the presence of the truck driver. I was alsoinstructed by him to mark the three new damages on the chart and initializedbeside them. I took photos of car in front of thedriver and my witness. Later after I went home, I called the broker, PatriciaEast at Atlas Auto shipping that day to tellher what happened and ask for the carriers insurance companys information. Iwas asked by her to email my BOL in the attachment to her and also told to getat least two estimates.
I went toget three estimates the next day, Oct 2nd 2009. I sent two lowestimates (CAD$1038 & CAD$1163) late that night to the carrier and clearlywrote that I did not scan the highest estimate to send it together since thathigh amount might not be reasonable, same as I told the broker. After that Patricia East gave me all kindsof excuses to delay in giving me anyinformation about the carriers insurance company. I asked her thecarriers insurance info already on Oct 1st and pursued every day, it was not until Oct 9th (a Friday) late evening she did reply withsome content.in the end, the information provided by the broker onthe carriers insurance was False.in her email on Oct 9th This was sent out to you from the insurance companydirectly. They sent you the cert of insurance THe InsuranceCompany is Timberline Insurance Agency, Inc. (please see the screenshot in the attachment). She did not type her name at the end, but it was stillfrom the old email address she always used with me. I believe she intentionallygave me false information and she wrote that on purpose to mislead me.
Thenext Monday, Oct 11th, she finally forwarded me the certificate ofinsurance issued by the insurance agent without reviewing at all, unlike whatwere agreed on our contract the order I signed and sent. While a certificate (issued on Oct 9th) is not that necessary to simply provide mewith the insurance company information, it is for the broker to shed herresponsibility and mislead me. The insurance companys information wasconcealed anyway with 4 other pieces importantinformation by the insurance agent. Diane. E. Martinat Timberline Insurance Agency in Wyoming continued thescam, trying to act as an adjustor on behalf of an insurance company. Sherefused to take my claim many times verbally and twice in writing usingthe first excuse saying that the carrier agreed to compensate me directly, andthen the second excuse that carrier said I added more items to BOL later, whichis untrue. I did manage to find the correctinsurance companys name and contacted them myself onFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations website and made a claim in lateOct. It took a whole month for the adjustor, Peter Corrick to tell methat my estimate fell under the deductible (US$1000).
In the same email fromthe broker on Oct 9th, Patricia East wrote that the carrier said I added more items to the estimates. Itold both the carrier and the broker already on Oct 1st there werethree damages, and wrote to them again on Oct 2nd there were threedamages when I emailed the broker my copy of BOL signed at delivery and sent thecarrier the 2 estimates with the BOLs (before and after the shipment). Thebroker also asked me both verbally and in writing why specific parts and jobsare on the estimates. I never knew I needed to know everything on theestimates. Regardless, I tried to be patient and prove that those things on the estimates are whatneed to be done for those three damages the carrier caused during shipment only. The two estimates I sent before mixed the jobs/parts together, but the thirdestimate did sort the jobs, parts and prices out according to the threedamages.
So I sent it to them on Oct 12th, only to show eachestimate only estimated those three damages. I clearly wrote on the cover pageof my fax on Oct 2nd already that I will not use the highestestimate, otherwise I could have sent it on Oct 2nd, instead of thelowest one at CAD$1038. Ironically, Robert Gabielson called and accused me of fraud furiously, and accused me of addingmore items to the BOL after signing at WA, which I never did.in an attempt torelease their unnecessary anger I went back to the body shop that offered methe lowest estimate and asked them to re-examine the estimate. They specifiedon their estimate the same three damages they estimated the first time and Isent it back to the carrier and the broker again to prove the body shop did notestimate anything else but those three damages. But they kept on ignoring me. Patricia East was the onewho told me to get at least two estimates but after that she said that I gavethe carrier two different amounts at first, then sent to him a 3rdone (the highest) laterthen went back to change on the lowest estimate and senthim again and had the audacity to tell me, I have nothing to do with anydocuments that have fraudulent information. She kept on manipulating facts andnever gave me a chance.
She always says I was told or I was given, noresponsibility on her part. But in fact she only listens to the carrier, neverme. I was only her once time coustomer, not like the carrier, which gives herlong term business. I got no help and had to find all theinformation regarding this matter myself. Since the time that this began, I have found out that all the 3 businesses involved arenot accredited with BBB. Both the carrier and the broker are rated F at theirown state BBB. And the sneaky insurance agent in Wyoming did not even register with the localBBB. Thebroker did not even register the company 'Atlas Auto shipping' in North Carolina with eitherthe Secretary of State or its countys Registrar of Deeds Office (Moore County). The Moore County Tax Dept cannot find that company's name either.
Only by that address (1220 Saint Andrews Dr, Pinehurst, NC 28374) on my Vehicle Transport Order with Atlas, they found 'Patricia Coffman', not'Patricia East' as it appeared on the order. It could be her, but the Tax Dept told me the companys nameis supposed to be there too if she is using this address. I checked therecord of 'Atlas Auto shipping' on www.fmcsa. Gov by theirMC#615103, and got its record, but it is in California only (not in North Carolina) with no name of the DBA (Doing-Business-As). I recall when I got the offer andcalled Patricia East the first time, shetold me she is in California office while herhead office in New York. But I did not find this business have any place in NY.By saying that she is inCA will makes the customers like me difficult to check it rating at BBB becauseits only registered with BBB North
Carolina. I believe I can get more informationfrom the intentional concealing if I keep on researching. Anybody out there who has similar experience/frustration to deal withany of these 3 businesses and need help, please feel free to writecomplaints to Federal Trade commission at www.ftc. Gov, FMCSA CA (whereAtlas got licensed, although it's NC on the order form), and thefederal level of Dept. Of Transportation at www.protectiveyourmove. Gov, BBB.org and State Attorney General. If you needmore detailed information or some other help, please write to me at to me. I will be more than willing to assist you.
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