Failure to Refund - 3 months and going

M. Wolk Submitted this review about Mainline Auto Transport
Review made Live: 5/21/2007 11:28:00 AM
Claire, at Mainline, contacted me on February 12, 2007, after I had submitted an email request for quotes to a general website. She quoted $795 to ship my car from California to Iowa. She chatted amiably at length, but did NOT inform me that Mainline was a broker. I asked if they had their own trucks and she avoided a direct answer.She took my credit card information and THEN said she'd email me a contract.

When I received the contract, upon seeing Mainline was a broker, I called her and told her I was cancelling the order. Since I had not signed or returned a contract, I believed I was safe. I also called my bank (Bank Of America) and spoke to the fraud division, asking if the charge had been made to my account. They informed me it was "on hold" for three days from the day I called. I instructed them to deny payment.They failed to do so.

When my next bank statement arrived and no credit had been issued, I called three days in a row and had to leave word on voice mail with customer service. No response. Another bank statement arrived - still no credit issued. I called and left voice mail with "Michelyn" in Customer Service that if I didn't receive a response, I would contact the Interstate Commerce Commission. I received a call from her the next morning, saying she showed the credit had been issued and that she would have the records pulled and send me an authorization number for the $175 refund, so that I could verify it with the bank. She followed up with an email stating the refund would be issued. That was on April 25.

I have received nothing - there is no refund issued with my bank, and when I called this morning, I received a long-winded answering machine answer claiming (on May 5) that they had "moved" and were experiencing technical difficulties with their phone system, but that it would be up and running by the end of the week - which would have been May 11th.

The email I attempted to send was bounced back as a "permanent" error.

I fear they've taken everyone's money and run!

I am reporting this to the Interstate Commerce Commission.