QLD Car Towed - Credit Card Charged More Than Quoted

[sa.manthurr]

Hi, so I had to get my car towed a couple of days ago and I called a 24 hour service and requested a quote before booking the truck. I was told it would be $140 (I didn't get anything in writing, stupidly), and they needed payment before car was picked up which was fine I gave them my credit card etc. Anyway, to my point, I was going through my statement today and have seen they changed me over the amount quoted (by quite a bit), and because I only had $200.00 on my card I have now been charged an overdraft fee of $50. They won't talk to me in regards to sorting it out, what can I do under Australian Consumer Law? I know it's not a great deal of money, but I asked for a quote for a reason I don't have much wiggle room in my monthly budget, and I feel as if they should have at least told me they were going to charge me more considering I was on the phone when they did it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tracy B]

Hi,

If the quote was made over the phone, it might be recorded. Otherwise, how much did they eventually invoice you? You could contact the Department of Fair Trading in QLD and have them assist you in resolving the matter.

 

[Ivy]

Hi there,

In addition to what Tracy said, I suggest that you call your bank and dispute the overdraft fee and extra $60 charged for the towing service.
I have been overcharged for items before and was able to lodge a dispute with the bank. They cancelled (and reissued) my card which was a hassle, however the money went back in without any issues. If you look at the terms and conditions of your credit card, you might find that it is insured up to a certain amount which makes disputing a transaction a lot easier.

 

[sa.manthurr]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice... They ended up charging me $240 and are claiming it is some type of surcharge. They won't go
back and listen to the call, they pretty much just said it was my fault for not asking the right questions -_-

 

[Tracy B]

Hi sa.manthurr,

The responsibility is not on the buyer to "ask the right questions". It rests on the seller in identifying to the buyer the essential costs related to the service (as only they can know about "hidden costs"). If this is not explained to the buyer at the point of sale, it does not form part of the oral contract and the buyer should not have to pay it.

Contact the QLD Department of Fair Trading.

 

[sa.manthurr]

I'm unsure if it is more drama than it was worth to be honest. Because the phone call was not recorded it is me having to prove that was the original quoted price was 140 (I asked for an email to explain what the extra money was being charged for and instead of it stating it was a surcharge like they said it was on the phone they sent me an email saying that was the original price quoted before the job was booked) The fact that I only received the invoice 3 days after I complained and that the job booking was 2 days after the actual job was done doesn't help me, it's making it look like I am just making it up as I go along, even though I supplied them with the mechanics tax invoice dated work done the day before I supposedly booked in for a tow and phone bill with call log on it clearly stating time/date/length of call(which they say was the phone call for the quote not when I booked in, which to me doesn't seem plausible why would I call just for a quote at 8:00 at night!) They just seem to have an answer for everything and I can't take the intimidation tactics of the owner or the rudeness of the support staff either. It takes a stronger willed person to go down that route with this particular company.

 

[hlly]

The easiest thing to do would be to instruct your credit card company to charge back the difference

 

[Ivy]

Hi there,

As I said earlier, I would definitely be following up with your bank and seeing if you can dispute the transaction that way.