Complain about a product or service

A Eastern Connection

Margaret of Hackensack NJ (02/08/08)
This company (formerly Autotrail Transporters) stole our money. We hired them to transport a car down south (Florida). They said they could only accept a check over the phone, so we paid $720. The car was to be picked up two days later, which it was, by a tow truck company. It was then held and given to a transporter. We had no idea that there would be so many different people involved. The transporters called us two days before the vehicle was scheduled to arrive and informed us he had no intention of delivering our vehicle. He said AEastern owed him $3200 from a previous job he did for them, and he was going to keep all the vehicles (said he had nine) until he got the money. When we called AEastern, they told us it was not their problem he stole the cars, and we should call the police. When we asked AEastern for our money back, we got cursed out and threatened by them. We had to pay the transporter $450 in cash and then hire another company to bring the vehicle down to Florida.

This was a month ago. AEasten still has not refunded the money, and when we call they threaten to sue us for harassment and extortion. We are just trying to get back our money that was paid to them, and they never provided the service. Feel like it is a big scam, and they are preying on people.

$2100 in money in this ordeal and in lost wages going back and forth to the police station.

Janna of Boca Raton FL (01/31/08)
My son and I started a business transaction between Aeastern connection, inc. In the process of them mailing us a contract, (Laura?) insisted that they needed his routing # off his checking account right now, so he felt pressured into that; but he told them not to try to take any money from that account until Friday (which was approx. 3 days later) because he had to transfer funds into that account! They agreed to that; however they immediately proceeded to remove the funds into their account. Once we saw this on his online banking, he called them and they were very rude to him and told him that if we wanted to cancel the transaction, that it would cost him $250.00. We immediately called our bank and placed a stop payment on the transaction--and we were successful (thank God).

However, we're not done with these people. Everyday we have to call them and ask them to stop hitting the checking account, but they hit it everyday (the charge gets placed on there, then the bank kicks it back). We're trying to close that account, but you can't when there's a negative balance. We are on the phone everyday with the bank; we're in the process of filing an electronic claim, so the bank's attorney will call them and start his procedure. Bottom line is, my son says he never gave Aeastern Connection a verbal agreement and would like to close that account.

Tyler of Greenwich CT (01/22/08)
I called A-Eastern Connection to get a quote on what it might cost to ship my car from Greenwich, CT to Palo Alto, CA. Upon providing me with a quote, the woman, Laura, aggressively tried to lock me into signing up for their service, to which I explained I was only looking for a quote at the time being, but if that changed I would call them back. She proceeded to call the house 3 more times--once that evening, and twice the next morning-- until finally I relented and said I would be happy to have them ship the car. As we began the contract process, I clearly articulated to A-Eastern connection that I would need the car to arrive in Palo Alto no later then the 25th of January. We were assured repeatedly that this would happen, and that the car would be picked up on or around the 14th of January. Never once did they even mention to us that in the 'fine print', they had no obligation to honor this verbal commitment. Come the 14th, 15th, 16th...no truck came, not even a phone call.

When I called to ask them about the situation, I was hung up on repeatedly, yelled at for not reading the contract correctly, and told that if they couldn't find someone in 14 days to take the car, then I could have my money back, or I could cancel today and forgo the security deposit of $250! Ultimately, because of the way that we had been treated on the phone, their total lack of communication to us, we decided to ask for our money, which they had already deposited. In our final call to them to ask for a return of our funds, they were consistently belligerent, patronizing, refusing to tell us who we should send the fax to in requesting our funds. The conversation ended when the A-Eastern gentlemen called my mother an asshole.

Essentially, I am fully cognizant that A-Eastern Connection did not legally violate their contract. I just feel that the manner in which they represented and conducted their business was incredibly misleading. For a company that advertises by saying, "Choosing an auto transporter is an important decision: 'why not go with a company that provides you with the courteous, reliable service'--give A Eastern Connection a call", I feel like I got taken for a ride. Ultimately the loss was only the $250 deposit, a lot of time, and I will now have to rent a car for the first several weeks that I am in California, while I wait for another transporter to move my car out there.

Thomas of Fort Myers FL (02/26/07)
On 11/22/06 I hired a company named A Eastern Connection Inc to ship my car from Northern California to Southwest Florida and paid them $925 the same day as the order was placed, using a credit card.

They never shipped my 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee or performed any service whatsoever. I called them a minimum of once per week over the next month, and they would always tell me my Jeep would be shipped the next week, never with a specific day or time. But they never once called to give me a status or to let me know that the vehicle would not be picked up, and it never was. Finally, I gave them notice in writing of my cancellation after they told me it would be shipped sometime the next week, but I said no and faxed them notice of my cancellation on 1/19/07. Since they were not able to ship my vehicle within 14 business days of the approx. date car pick up? (not including holidays), per their contract I am due a full refund without penalty.

They faxed back a response to my written cancellation, the same day, saying a check would be in the mail the next week, but after more than a month I have received nothing. This operation goes by at least 2 different company names and at least 2 different company addresses: http://www.autotrailtransporters.com/services.asp?p=3 and http://www.aeasternconnection.com/

Finally, I had hire another company to do the job, and the charge was made on the same credit card around January 20th for an amount of $1035.00 and they shipped the car as promised.

This company, A Eastern Connection, apparently changes names when the BBB and Attorney General come down on them, but continue to operate. They have used other names such as Autotrail Transporters, and run the same scam by telling customers the driver has been delayed, then never picking the car up and never returning the money.

They took my $925.00 back on 11/22/06, and from what I've read online I'm not the only one.

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