Car Shipping Scams: How Bait And Switch Really Works

The most common car shipping scam isn't a fake company. It's a real quote, set below what any carrier will accept, that goes up after you've paid a deposit. Here's exactly how the bait and switch works — and how to see it coming. This isn't about any one company. It's about how quotes work in the auto transport industry, why a low one so often rises before pickup, and what you can do about it — including the four questions to ask before any money moves, and what to do if the price has already gone up. A bait and switch in car shipping is a quote set below what any carrier will actually accept, so the price rises after you've committed. The simplest test is the one Rivalane gives its own customers: a number a driver will take beats a cheaper number that nobody ever picks up. HOW CAR SHIPPING QUOTES ACTUALLY WORK Almost every quote you get online comes from a broker, not from the truck. The broker posts your car on a load board — a marketplace where carriers pick up jobs — at a price, and a driver chooses whether to accept it. Until one does, the quote is an estimate of what a carrier will say yes to; nothing has been agreed with a truck. And carrier rates on a lane are fairly well known: distance, season, diesel, how many trucks are running that route this week. There's a going rate, and drivers know it. HOW A LOWBALL QUOTE TURNS INTO A HIGHER PRICE A quote comes in well below the others. You book it and pay a deposit. The car gets posted on the board at that price, and no driver takes it, because the going rate is higher — so the car sits. Then the call comes: "the driver raised the price," or a new contract at pickup. The low quote was never a price a truck would accept. It was a price a customer would accept, which isn't the same job. WHAT THE BAIT AND SWITCH SCAM LOOKS LIKE FROM THE CUSTOMER'S SIDE Read enough complaints and the same stories repeat: Quoted one number, told after the deposit that the cheapest driver costs far more. A new contract handed over with the truck already at the dealership. A deposit that becomes a cancellation fee the moment you say no. And the one people fear most: the car already loaded when the higher number arrives, and a driver who won't unload it until it's paid. RED FLAGS BEFORE YOU BOOK Four things: A quote noticeably below every other quote for the same route. A deposit charged before a carrier is assigned. Full payment demanded upfront. A broker who won't tell you what their fee is. None of these means a company is dishonest on its own — but together, they're the setup for a price that hasn't been agreed with a truck yet. WHAT TO ASK BEFORE YOU PAY A DEPOSIT Four questions: Is this price locked, or is it an estimate until a driver accepts? When exactly is the deposit charged? What's your broker fee? Will I get the carrier's name and insurance before pickup? Straight answers tell you almost everything. Vague answers tell you the rest. WHAT TO DO IF IT HAPPENS TO YOU If the price rises after you've booked, don't sign a new contract on the spot — ask for the carrier's name and the actual load-board rate, in writing. If you paid by card, a deposit taken for a service that wasn't delivered as quoted is what a chargeback exists for; keep every message. If your car is already on a truck, document everything, pay under protest if you have to get it back, and file a complaint with the FMCSA afterward. Whoever you ship with, the cheapest quote and the real price are two different numbers. Ask which one you're looking at. Rivalane is a licensed and insured, family-operated auto transport company based in Melville, New York, with 100+ carriers in network and 2,500+ vehicles shipped. Our price calculator runs on the latest rates carriers actually accepted. CHAPTERS 0:00 What Bait And Switch Means In Car Shipping 0:34 How Car Shipping Quotes Actually Work 1:10 How A Lowball Quote Turns Into A Higher Price 1:42 What The Car Shipping Scam Looks Like From The Customer's Side 2:05 Red Flags Before You Book 2:31 What To Ask Before You Pay A Deposit 2:52 What To Do If You've Been Bait And Switched 3:18 The Cheapest Quote vs The Real Price → See a real price for your route: https://rivalane.com → File a complaint about a carrier or broker: https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov → How much does it cost to ship a car:    • Car Shipping Cost: How Much Does It Cost T...   → Call us: +1 (855) 748-2526 #CarShippingScams #BaitAndSwitch #CarShipping #AutoTransport #Rivalane