I feel this is unethical and a possible scam

John Submitted this review about Nationwide Relocation Services
Review made Live: 7/25/2005 3:45:00 PM
On 7-14-2005 I booked an order to move a car from CA to PA. The price was $995 but they were offering a $100 discount . For 9 days I heard nothing from Nationwide Auto Transport and the people in CA wanted to car moved. On 7-23-2005 (days after booking) I e-mailed Nationwide to cancel the order with a return response request.

Today, July 25,2005 I called Nationwide to see if they received my e-mail cancellation request. Al (the manager) said he had received over 300 e-mails over the weekend, he'll look for mine and cancel the order. Thirty minutes later I receive an e-mail from Nationwide and they are charging me $100 because they say the car was booked to be picked up on July 26th or 27th. That is tomorrow and I haven't received any pick up confirmation. IF the car was scheduled to be picked up tomorrow I should have received, first thing in the morning, a confirm of the pick up so I could schedule with the person in California. There was no e-mail confirmation to me.

I called Al (Nationwide manager) and asked him if my car is still on the dispatch board. Al acted a bit surprised and said, what board....I don' t know what you are talking about. I said the board that all the truckers use to schedule pick ups. Then I asked him the name of the carrier that was scheduled to pick up my car. Al said, I can't give that to you. I told Al I won't pay the $100 because I don't think you had a carrier plus, I was never e-mailed a confirm of pick up and you are telling me now that you have one to pick up tomorrow but you won't give me their name. I don't think you had a name.

I hung up the phone and immediately called back to speak to Al. I said, Ok Al, have the scheduled carrier pick up the car. Al tells me he can't do that because he cancelled the order. I told Al I am going to follow up on this and requested his last name. He said, my last name is Joe Blow....and hung up on me.

After my conversations with Nationwide, I called the number 2 transporter on this list to see if I could get things moving. The women there said that as soon as Al found out that I knew about the dispatch board, my order, was yanked off he board by Al. I was told that a 95 Caddie De Ville would never be picked up by a carrier because the price is too low for a car of its size and it is the busy season and prices to ship are higher. I was told carriers look at a De Ville as a long car ...booked as a large car, like an SUV. The woman said my car would have sat there forever. The woman also said I DO NOT need to pay the $100 because Nationwide Auto never sent a confirm plus I have the right to refuse a carrier whose rig and demeanor don’t measure up to industry standards.

Here is what I think.
I think that there never was a scheduled carrier. I think that Nationwide is making money on the $100 cancelled order scheme. I think that Nationwide baits you in with a low offer knowing full well the chances of a carrier picking up the car are slim to none, then when you cancel, out of no where there is claim that a mysterious carrier was scheduled for the next day and now you owe them $100. The same $100 offered to you as their (the wording in their e-mail to me) -- At this time we are able to provide you a Special Discounted Rate of $895. The Special Discount is for a LIMITED TIME ONLY------$100. Now isn't it a coincidence that the discount rate is equal to the $100 cancellation fee? The way Nationwide Auto does business I wouldn’t put it past them to have a buddy say, “yea I was going to pick up that car and then they cancelled”. Buddy then gets $25 from Nationwide off he goes $25 richer. It all stinks to me!!!!!

I will be filing complaint with the Attorney General of California and also the US Postal service for possible mail fraud. I am also contacting a television Consumer Advocate – investigative reporter in Orange County to investigate the amount of $100 fees.

Oh on top of all this they are very rude people.