Company Response Review Report Review
broke contract/promise and refuse to refund deposit

T Submitted this review about Fidelity Auto Shipping
Review made Live: 11/7/2013 2:59:00 PM
UPDATE: This company is dishonest. After posting my initial review to this website, Fidelity Auto Shipping claimed to have no record of me as a customer.
It would seem that their business model is to low ball quotes to secure a contract while making promises they have no intention of keeping, and then later asking for more money to complete what they had promised. I tried several times to cancel my contract and they refused to refund my deposit money.

On August 12, 2013, Fidelity Auto Shipping sent a contract for shipping of a vehicle from North Carolina to Colorado. The contract was for $975, with $175 deposit due at booking and the remaining $800 due at pickup. The contract stated and the company promised that the vehicle would be picked up within 2-4 days. It was not. I called several times over the next couple of weeks to check on the status of the order, and was repeatedly told that they were working on it. I also requested that they contact my wife (who had signed the contract and paid the deposit) regarding driver pickup information, as I was largely unavailable by phone or email because of my job. They did not contact her. On August 28th they sent an email with driver information, and that day they also called and left me a voice mail saying they could pick up the car later in the week but that we would have to pay an additional $50. I contacted them by phone and email the next day, on August 29th, to tell them that this delivery schedule no longer met my needs. They wrote back that day asking if I still wanted the driver to pick up the car; while I thought I had been clear, I again wrote that this no longer met my schedule. On August 30th I called to confirm that we would be getting our deposit refunded, and again they asked if I wanted the vehicle picked up, and then requested that I email them saying to cancel the order, which I again did. I was also told to email their customer service to request a form to ask for a refund of my deposit. At their request, on September 3rd, and again on September 5th, we faxed the cancellation form and deposit refund request back to them. They did not reply, so on September 6th I called and spoke with a manager who said they would not refund our order. I asked to speak to his supervisor and was given the name of the business owner and a phone number which turned out to be invalid. We eventually spoke to the owner on Tuesday, September 10th. He was very polite and said he would look into the matter and get back to us by the end of the week. He did not. On Friday, September 20th we again called and spoke with the owner, and again he promised that he would look into the matter.
It seems that this company low-balled the price to get me under contract rather than I go with one of their competitors. They then made promises that they did not keep, and now refuse to refund our deposit of $175. I have spent a considerable amount of my time on the phone and email trying to get this company to first uphold their promise of shipping the vehicle in a timely manner and then trying to get my money refunded.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
North Carolina
Pickup:
Late
Destination State:
Colorado
Delivery:
Not Provided
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
444093
Quote or Order Cost:
$975

Company Response
Joseph from Fidelity Auto Shipping Submitted this response.
Response Date: 12/9/2013 11:19:00 AM
Hello Tim and Shoshana Stubs. We're sorry about your experience. When going over the order, the timeline of events is much different. You originally scheduled an order for pick up sometime in the middle of August. You then advised us that due to work related restraints a pick up had to be postponed. You requested we speak directly with your wife. We had a carrier lined up but could not get a hold of your wife during that time. When we heard back you informed us that the vehicle did need to be picked up earlier instead. We advised you that a carrier had been assigned to your order already however. Our dispatch department gave you the driver's information and asked for you to advise as to what you wanted to do. You asked us to hold off until you could confirm dates. You were advised to make your decision within 24 hours as the driver was counting on your vehicle to complete his truck load. The next day you asked for another day to mull over your decision. You were advised to make a decision or there would be a cancellation fee. You did not respond until 3 days later. You sat on the driver for more than 48 hours. We could not issue you a refund because you did not cancel until the day of the carrier was scheduled to be on your premises. It was a last minute cancellation and the carrier had to be paid for the last minute decision as he was without a car on his way to Colorado and had to pick up something else in between delaying his whole shipment. You were advised to this in writing from 3 of our departments.