My Experience with TAFS
In Oct. 2017 I opened my company. I signed on with TAFS (Trans Am Financial Services). I signed on with them because of the services they claimed to offer. Once I signed the contract I found out those services were NOT available to a new carrier.
I complained about it because it was those services being the reason I signed up like small business loan and the like. I was told just hang on for 30 days, that turned into 60, that turned into almost 90. Then they finally gave me a loan, $1,500.00 (their idea of helping). On this loan I agreed to pay it back at $440.00 a week for 4 weeks (give or take a few dollars) beginning a week after I got the loan (that was what I agreed to and signed). Now understand, all my invoices are factored through them, in other words everything I do , all my revenue runs through them, they charge 5% to pay me now and wait for it to come from my customers. With that said, the very next day I submitted an invoice and they held 16% of it towards the loan. I did not agree to that, and when I called they said it was their policy. Really? holding 16% of all invoices until the payback amount is reached? What about the 4 weekly payments? This is just 1 example of them misleading it's clients.
Okay, another issue. They have other fees on top of the 5%, $5.00 submission fee, or 1 hour funding fee of $25.00 (meaning you get paid with-in a hour of submitting) Only they don't tell you that for the 1st 60 days they have to verify the invoice and sometimes the customer doesn't get back to them in an hour (according to them) and so you don't get your money in an hour, but you are still charged the fee.
I used one of their dispatch services who either cut a deal or tried to cut a deal with one of my owner operators (all documented). The owner operator was so misinformed that he though I was ripping him off. The dispatcher told him basically that he could help him get his own authority and up and running under his own authority in 2 business days for $750.00. Now if you a carrier or owner operator under you own authority you know this is not possible. 1. Although is only costs about $300 to get your dot and mc numbers it costs far more than that to be granted the right to operate (Insurance, IRP, Boc-3, and other filings). 2. It takes longer than 2 business days to just get the insurance quote 3. Once you have everything sent in to FMCSA it still takes 5 days for your authority to operate is granted. This is/was a TAFS rep. directly tampering with my company.
It gets better. TAFS Director of client relations calls me (goes by JJ) on the 9th of Feb. He says he see all these emails about the tampering, breach of contract and so on that I sent in. I did not get on the phone yelling, it was all emails and no foul lang.
He says and I quote "I see you have had a lot of negatives thrown at you based on your emails and I want to help". Okay we have a discussion, and during this discussion I asked "Have I done anything wrong, or made any mistakes?" He said no in fact he could not point to one mistake I had made. 6 Hours later my girlfriend starts getting text messages that my driver was quiting, and my factoring company was "dropping me".
Feb. 12th, I called and spoke with my "relationship specialist" and asked if I was being dropped, after studdering a bit she said no. By this time my driver had abandoned the truck in the Chicago area (1 mile from where that owner operator signed his trucks on to) (apparently he couldn't get his own authority after all). Then 6 hours after talking with her (all on tape) I get a call from Adam a TAFS manager say we all agree TAFS is not a good fit for you (Really? I have only been saying that since the first week).
Okay, okay, I am getting angry again..... Funny 2 weeks before that when another factoring company called to buyout my contract JJ flat refused to now we are not a good fit..... What he meant to say really was that we are not a good fit because I won't sit back, shut up, and allow them to completely destroy my company which of course they have (it gets better).
So I have another factoring company contact them and they send him a buyout agreement that we all have to sign. In that agreement it says by signing it I give up all rights of recourse or claims against TAFS.... They are out of their minds if they think I will lose my company and the right to sue them on 1 piece of paper.
So here we are TAFS already blocked me out of the client portal even though I am still a client (is that even legal?), they won't allow me to submit invoices (because I am blocked), and because my customers have a separate contract with TAFS they can't pay me. The short version is unless I agree not to sue them all my revenue is blocked. This is the bullying that should be outlawed. I am going to lose my company, but I still have my recourse and trust me I will have my day.
So for all you carriers, brokers, and owner operators looking for factoring. Remember this experiance I had, think twice, and remember that this small carrier stood up at the cost of everything because it is wrong what they are doing. Mismanaging accounts, getting caught, and through manipulation of contracts most just sign to get away from them, most probably lose it all but couldn't say anything because they gave up the right to when they signed that agreement.
I found out too late that TAFS is a turn and burn factoring company, but this is the one I take for the team because of TAFS my company will close 02/24/18.
In memory of Raders Trucking LLC.
Born 10/25/2017 Died 02/24/2018
I know it's not the 24th yet but I know it's coming and I am powerless to stop it.
Please make this story go viral so they can't continue to strip small companies bare.