Shipping headaches. 0

[shadroch]

Forgive my rant, I have to let off some steam.

So I am moving a three bedroom apartment, 600Sq. Ft. of stacked storage units, two cars and a dog 500 miles piecemeal. Hired a transporter for the first of four runs and things ended well but it was far from smooth. We talked about a second run but the timing didn't work, among other things.  So I put out feelers and got a guy on his way to LA that would be going back to El Paso light.  By text, I thought I was talking to the driver, but it turned out to be a dispatcher/ broker. I video the load, send it and am told $850 if I book right now. That's a really good price so I do.

He said he will be there by 6PM. Thursday. I remind him he has to be in the complex by 5, and done by 730.  Not a problem. 

3PM I get a call from the driver, who was dispatched to the job and who didn't seem happy about it. In a five minute conversation, he twice mentioned this was taking him five hours out of his way. He said he'd be here this morning. He gets here nice and early and seems to be in a good mood. I meet him at the storage place where he flips out that everything is  not on pallets.  He tells me I have to load it myself and he wants $100 to strap the load up.  I show him the video and the texts but he says he is an independent driver and has the right to turn down any job.

I remind him he would have wasted a lot of his time if he doesn't take the job. We engage in some lively banter that evidently attached was interesting enough someone thought the police might be interested. Police don't really care why we are arguing, they just want us to take it down a bit.  Driver is insistent that he won't help load and wants $100. I tell him I had been planning on tipping him at the end, but I no longer had confidence my stuff would be in good hands.

Now I have to do this all over again.

[ADAMANTIUM]

well, that stinks, but welcome to Texas?  hopefully the next time is on point  

[RockMyAmadeus]

I never ship headaches...they're a pain.

[kav]

You had a contract with someone and therefore a legitimate small claims case.  You are not responsible for company's breakdown in communication.

ps did you call the dispatcher/broker back and say wtf?

Edited August 3, 2019 by kav

[shadroch]

The independent shipping industry seems to be very shark infested waters.  You put out word of what you have and people who are interested respond with offers. Seems simple but people misrepresent themselves. They might represent ten different independent drivers and simply haunt the sites, responding to anything. They work like the moving agents do. Misrepresentation and puffery appear to be industry standards. I'm am sure there are many hard working people in the field, but those people probably get to pick and choose their work. There doesn't appear to be a huge profit margin in it

My store is two hours  roundtrip off of Interstate 10, so I'm beginning to realize not everyone wants to make the trip and some of those who are willing are best avoided.

Someone recommended I look into Mexican freight companies.