Is it normal for companies to request money upfront?
ETA: don’t know why someone is coming through and downvoting everything 💀
Been looking for a few months now. Need to ship a car from AZ to central FL. I’ve seen posts on here about predatory companies and brokers wanting money up front. And some drivers even demanding more money when they arrive at your door (this happened to my friend)!
I’ve called several companies and asked for a copy of their contracts for me to read. I’ve been trying to assure a few things: 1) no money until vehicle is safely delivered, 2) no hidden fees or additional money on top of the agreed upon amount once the vehicle arrives, and 3) clearly stated in their policy what is to happen if a driver cancels during the scheduled pickup window.
So far, every single company/broker I have spoken to says that they require money up front to even book the date (usually a few hundred dollars), AND they will not give me a copy of their contact to review until we pay them.
Is this normal? We paid a broker a few months back who required $150 up front to schedule. And guess what? We never heard back from him, and I had to file a dispute with my bank.