Summary of complaint against AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS – Classic Bait and Switch, deceptive business practices, and intimidating / abusive pressure tactics:
1) On July 7 they quoted a price of $899 to ship a car from Kirkland, Washington to Daytona Beach, Florida.
2) Between July 7 and July 17 I had 3 conversations / e-mails with Lisa Cooper at AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS, and she never indicated the $899 price would be increased.
3) On July 17 I made a confirmed deposit of $199 for the shipment from Kirkland to Daytona Beach.
4) On July 25 at about 4 pm I spoke to Paul Baldwin about the availability of a shipper. He informed me the trucker they arranged wanted $75 more for the shipment. He was sending a contract and I needed to send it back within the hour.
5) I questioned the increased price from the original order I placed ($899) and was badgered and berated. I was told there were no other options and I had to send the money in or lose the shipment.
6) Contract was sent and showed a price of $949. I refused to sign this contract, and they told me there were no refunds.
7) At that point they gave me the choice of paying the higher price or canceling the contract. I refused to sign the contract and they canceled the order.
8) Bottom line is they increased the price by $50 (originally tried for $75) after I sent in my $199 deposit based on a firm quote of $899.
9) I asked for a refund based on the increased price quote, and they told me there were no refunds.
I discussed this order with two people. Lisa Cooper, who is listed as President of company, and Paul Baldwin who was the most abusive and rude person I’ve ever done business with.
Other items to consider:
1) I discussed this pricing a number of times with Lisa Cooper, and she never once said the price may increase. We discussed fuel surcharges, taxes and other unknown fees. She assured me the $899 was the full cost for shipping.
2) On July 27, I filed a customer evaluation on the web site transportreviews.com, and they contacted AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS to confirm I was a customer. AAA ALL-STAR DISCOUNT AUTO TRANSPORTERS claims I was not a customer. This is blatantly false. I have e-mails and records of them acknowledging my order and receiving $199 from me.
3) After the fact I look up their rating on the BBB of Los Angeles. They have an “F” rating with over 110 complaints. Here is an excerpt from the BBB posting:
a. Most complainants generally allege failure to honor quotes and failure to notify customer's that initial deposits are not deducted from actual cost of transport; cusotmer's must pay a separate company for the transportation. Many customers complain the company fails to find a carrier in a timely manner which causes delays in pick up and delivery; once a carrier is found the initial price quoted increases by hundreds of dollars. Some complaints allege the company fails to refund deposits after cancellation and failure to return phone calls.
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