Worst business I have ever encountered
Eugene Park
Submitted this review about
Pyramid Transport
Review made Live: 7/12/2008 11:22:00 AM
Never have I encountered a more shameful and unethical business than Pyramid Transport Corp. of North Bellmore, New York. I needed to ship my 2002 BMW 325i from New York City to my parents’ home in San Diego this past January. The rate I was quoted by the third-party agent (AAA Discount Auto & Truck Transporters) was $974 to Pyramid plus their own administrative fee.
Pyramid came to pick up my car in Manhattan, as scheduled. They called me the next day saying that my car had been loaded onto their open-air truck, but that the car alarm would go off when the truck moved. They said that the alarm was supposed to be shut off prior to pick-up, but that they would disconnect the battery to stop it for an extra $100. I readily agreed (note: a verbal contract was entered into here where cash would be exchanged for the service of competently disconnecting the battery).
I didn’t hear from them for a few days until I heard from my parents that the driver (later revealed to be Mr. Paul Faggiani, the President of the company) missed the drop-off because he insisted on using his own directions to the house instead of the ones my parents gave him and got lost. They even offered to meet him in a shopping center parking lot to make it easier, but he insisted upon door-to-door delivery. Anyway, a very frustrated Mr. Faggiani did deliver the car a day later than expected. Not wanting to aggravate him further, I thanked him via phone for the door-to-door delivery.
Anyway, it is at this point that Mr. Faggiani reveals to me that the car was damaged during the disconnection of the battery (it also sustained mechanical damage during the rough ride over which required extensive repair, but I never mentioned this to Pyramid). Not realizing at first that the battery was in the trunk, he had opened up the hood which slammed very hard against the metal frame of the open-air transporter. This dented and took out two deep, quarter-sized paint chips from the hood – stark white against the black color. I was unhappy, of course, but Mr. Faggiani, at the time, completely and unequivocally took responsibility for what had happened. He apologized profusely and said that it was completely his fault (after all, I was paying him $100 extra for the sole purpose of disconnecting the battery), it shouldn’t have happened and he accepted full responsibility. He said that if we just paid him his fee in full now, I would be wholly reimbursed for the damage after submitting a claim (with photos and repair estimates) to Pyramid.
While I was unhappy about the damage (and not being told about it until days later), I really thought Mr. Faggiani was being a stand-up guy for 100% owning up to his mistake and saying that he was going to make things right. As it turns out, he just wanted to get paid on delivery and never had any intention of reimbursing me at all. Over the course of the next few weeks, I called him more than a dozen times both at his office and on his cell phone. It is only when I called from an outside line (not my cell phone) did he pick up the phone – the guy was screening my calls and avoiding me!
Anyway, when I finally spoke with him, he told me to submit the claim (the estimates ranged from $572 to $1,073 depending on thoroughness of the repair job) and his lawyer would go over it. Lawyer? Isn’t he the President of the company? Didn’t he give me his word of honor that it was his fault and that he accepted full responsibility? Well, more time goes by and it becomes clear that absolutely nothing is going on with processing my claim. More phone calls and text messages to Mr. Faggiani go unanswered until I finally get a hold of one of his colleagues, who tells me that it was my fault for not disconnecting the alarm in the first place. I tell him about Mr. Faggiani’s acceptance of fault/liability, his promise to repay, and that I paid the company an extra $100 to disconnect the alarm so he can’t hide behind the fine print of the original contract. He says he will check with Mr. Faggiani and get back to me.
Later in the week, I receive a letter dated March 26, 2008 from Pyramid’s attorney which states that Mr. Faggiani “has instructed me to reject your claim in its entirety. He also advised me that you failed to disable the car alarm prior to transport as requested. This created quite a problem for Pyramid.” Like his negligence didn’t create quite a problem for me? Like he didn’t flat-out lie to my face about reimbursing me? Like he conveniently forgot that we had a verbal contract where I paid him extra to disconnect the alarm and that this was carried out in a grossly negligent fashion? For $100, isn’t it reasonable to expect the company to disconnect the battery under safe circumstances, maybe unloading the car first instead of carelessly flinging the hood open with metal hanging overhead? That’s not just gross negligence, that’s gross laziness and incompetence.
I proceeded to leave messages with both Pyramid and their attorney, saying that I understand the economy is tough, and that I would be willing to work out a reasonable compromise, but that it is absolutely shameful that they are reneging on their promise to repay. Under no conceivable circumstances is zero the right number for reimbursement. I never heard back from either of them, even after my own attorney sent them a letter in April.
My faith in humanity has literally been lessened by my experience with Mr. Faggiani, Pyramid Transport and their attorney. What kind of respectable businessman gives his word of honor and then goes back on it over a few hundred dollars? It sickens me that there are people out there who would sell out their and their business’ reputations and lie to and cheat their customers for a small amount of money. I honestly don’t know how these people can look at themselves in the mirror in the morning. Bottom line: these are the worst people I have ever done business with and I would avoid them at all costs.
