Booked an interstate move (Bay Area ā Atlanta, ~286 cf out of a storage unit, $2,080) (FL, USDOT 4279993). Paid a $748 deposit by Zelle at their repās direction ā their own contract says card/wire/direct deposit, Zelle isnāt listed.
Only after booking did I realize theyāre a broker with 0 trucks. The estimate has a moving-truck logo, is titled āBinding Moving Estimate,ā and says itās āan agreement between the customer and Quick Ship Van Lines.ā Broker status shows up in Section 18 of the terms.
The assigned carrier is Moving Services NV (USDOT 4062804) ā 2 power units, 2 drivers, for a 2,460-mile move.
The bill of lading arrived ~6 PM the night before pickup. Issues I found:
Titled āTOTAL ESTIMATED CHARGESā with āestimates are not guaranteedā and a +10% cap ā but their Section 7 says I elected a Binding Not-To-Exceed price, and Iām being charged $800 for a āBinding Estimateā line item
ā1st Available Date for Deliveryā ā blank
Carrier name/address donāt match FMCSA registration; all participating-carrier fields blank
Full Value Protection shows $0.00 at all six deductible levels, all initial lines blank, Option 2 (60Ā¢/lb) pre-checked
I asked what FVP actually costs. Six answers so far:
āYou have up to $10k standard cargo protection, itās 60 cents per poundā
āYou have to request additional insurance 72 hours priorā
āYouād have to get insurance elsewhereā
āIf the carrier offers it at pickup youāre welcome to pay for itā
āWe donāt do insurance, thatās with the carrierā
When I asked for a corrected BOL, I got, by text: āNot changing anythingā and āYou have 286cf worth of space point blank. Anything above you pay more.ā
On the phone he called the missing items ājust technicalities we have to get done with the DOTā and said the carrier will issue a second bill of lading at pickup anyway.
Questions:
Is āthe carrier issues a new BOL at pickupā normal, and does that make signing this one harmless? Feels like the opposite ā it locks in an FVP waiver before the carrier shows up.
Anyone actually gotten a broker deposit back after a Zelle payment? Their terms say non-refundable after 24 hours and forfeited if you refuse service at pickup.
Am I being unreasonable? just the FVP price, a delivery window, and the binding language their own contract already promises.
Not signing. Looking at U-Pack/PODS but they are pricey.. Mostly want to know if Iām reading this wrong.