Car shipping has no fixed schedule — prices and availability fluctuate with market demand. Most brokers use a standard contract that protects the broker, not the customer. Below is a plain-language comparison between a typical industry contract and our Price & Dates Lock, so you know exactly what you're agreeing to before you book.
| Topic | Industry Standard | Price & Dates Lock (CarHauler247) |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit refund | ⚠️ Non-refundable Even if no service provided |
✅ Fully refundable Except day-of or day-before cancellation after carrier dispatched |
| Price locked at booking | ❌ No Price may change at dispatch |
✅ Yes Quoted price will not change |
| Pickup dates guaranteed | ❌ No Explicitly no guarantee |
✅ Yes Guaranteed pickup window with compensation if missed |
| Late pickup compensation | ❌ None | ✅ Yes Service free + 4%/day up to 20% added to carrier offer |
| Late delivery compensation | ❌ None | ✅ Yes $40/day from day 13, up to $400 |
| Data privacy | ⚠️ Often Not Stated Your phone number can be sold to lead farms |
✅ Explicit No data sales; shared with carrier only |
| Broker liability cap | ⚠️ Broker fee only Broker not liable beyond their fee |
✅ Full guarantee Up to $400 plus 20% of price |
Your deposit pays for the broker's effort — not the result. The broker acts as your agent: they market your load to carriers and work to find one willing to take it at the quoted price. There is no contractual obligation to deliver at the quoted price or within the quoted dates — both may change before dispatch. Note that under this structure there is an inherent conflict of interest: the broker earns more when the final price is higher, while the customer's interest is to pay as little as possible.
Your price and pickup window are locked upfront. If the market does not cooperate, we put our own money in to make it happen. When we miss our mark, we lose all profit plus pay up to 20% for missing pickup and up to $400 for delays in transit. This is not a verbal promise — it is written into our Terms of Service when you choose Price and Date Lock Guarantee.
Price & Dates Lock requires sufficient carrier activity on your route. There are two reasons it may not be available:
Location with limited carrier availability. For pickup or delivery locations with a location rating below 4.5 stars, carrier availability is too thin to guarantee a pickup window. If this applies to you, consider using a nearby major city as your pickup or delivery point — this often results in better pricing and makes Price & Dates Lock available.
Less common vehicle. Oversized, non-operational, heavily modified, or enclosed-only vehicles require specialized equipment or extra effort from carriers. Market demand for these loads is harder to predict, so we cannot guarantee a pickup window for them.