Location: Texas
Long story short — I hired a freight broker to transport some heavy equipment from one state to another. Before I agreed to anything I asked for photos of the trailer they were planning to send and specifically asked whether it could handle the job. The broker confirmed it would work fine and told me he’d done similar jobs many times with the same setup.
When the driver arrived it was immediately obvious something was wrong. The equipment was not set up properly for the job and what should have been a straightforward dropoff turned into a multi-hour nightmare. We’re talking late at night, bad weather, middle of nowhere, the rigging nearly failed several times and created some genuinely dangerous situations. Eventually we got it sorted but only because we improvised our own solution.
By the time it was over it was too dark to see anything clearly. The next day I noticed what looks like significant damage. I have an appointment with a repair shop but haven’t gotten a formal estimate yet.
Payment was structured as a small deposit upfront with the rest due on delivery. I haven’t paid the remainder and I’m holding it until I know the full extent of the damage. The broker is calling me a scammer, saying their guy reported no damage, and demanding I pay immediately.
I have a full text thread that shows the broker confirmed the equipment would work based on my specs, that I gave accurate information from the start, and photos from the scene documenting what happened.
A friend mentioned that legally I may be required to pay first and then file a separate civil claim rather than withholding. Is that true? If so what steps should I take immediately to protect myself and pursue the damage claim given that the repair costs could exceed what I still owe them?
A is TX for the purposes of this post. Any help appreciated. Location : Texas
u/HistoryOther9735
I (23M) live with my mother (67F). Over the years she’s had a habit of taking my car while I’m asleep to run errands, no permission, no heads up. I mostly let it slide because arguments with her go nowhere.
Earlier this year it escalated. She took the car and I told her clearly: be back by 3PM, I work at 5. She didn’t show. Calls went ignored. She finally rolled in at 5:20 saying she lost track of time and hit traffic. I was late to work and got a write-up. I told her the car was off limits. She ignored me, said “you’re my son and the only one I have,” and kept taking it.
Today she needed to go to a casino to pick up a free gift. I agreed, same condition, back by 3PM. 3PM comes and goes, nothing. I start calling my father to bring the car back and leave her there, but she has the keys and doesn’t have her phone on her so he can’t even locate her.
I had to take an $80 Uber to get to work. Without my work bag, which was still in the car. I got hit with two write-ups, one for being late, one for not having my bag.
When I got home I told her in front of the whole family that she is permanently banned from the car, and if she takes it without my permission again I’m calling the police.
AITHA?