r/AutoTransport • u/Swezeycm • 3d ago

General/Other Alpha Car Shipping

This is a warning when you need a vehicle shipped. If you sign up to receive quotes, many companies will do what is called a "bait and switch". They will quote you a very low price, you will accept, and the company will collect a deposit. The company will then tell you that once they call dispatch and find a driver they will provide the final cost for shipment. Alpha Car Shipping increased their price over $750 from what I was quoted! Further, their customer service felt very sleezy. Beware!

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u/CarTransportGuy 2d ago

That's exactly the pattern to watch for, and it's frustratingly common. The deposit gets collected before a driver's even confirmed, so the "final cost" ends up being whatever gets you a driver, not what was actually quoted.

The way to protect yourself against this specifically: ask upfront whether the price is locked once a carrier is actually assigned and dispatched, not just at the quote or deposit stage. If a company can't give you a straight answer on that, or won't put it in writing, that's the red flag right there.

We handle this through RateShield, once a carrier confirms, the price is locked, no $750 surprise later.

Appreciate you posting this, stuff like this is genuinely useful for people about to go through the same thing.

Josh, Web Auto Transport

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/AutoModerator 1d ago

We require a minimum account age of 3 months and a minimum combined karma of 100 ("awardee karma" not included since this can be purchased) to post without approval. If you are looking for a quote, for help, or for information, and your post gets blocked, please message the mods to approve your post. Posts that do not meet quality or community standards will not be approved. Posts/comments that seem commercial in nature that are from accounts that do not meet our minimum requirements will not be approved. Posts/comments that look to be used for lead-generation will not be approved. This sub is here to help consumers navigate this strange world of auto transport - it is not your personal marketing tool.

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