So...
I reached out to Grant (the owner) who I believe strongly understood what it meant for a customer to reach out to an owner and advise them that their dispatchers are doing things that could be costing him future business (like a 50% cancellation rate). I'm not sure he was aware what was going on in the front lines which happens from time to time. He has the link to this thread.
He's had a staff meeting with his dispatchers about cancellations. I'm not sure if it was 'all cancellations' or 'Starship cancellations', but I did receive a heartfelt and lengthy apology from the dispatcher that canceled the last 3 loads, I suppose time will tell. I've taken them off the DNU list as I believe his responses were genuine.
Lets see what happens next.
Re: $250 missed pick - take a closer look at the order, it may be applicable. Depends on the circumstances. If I asked a London ON carrier to drive out to Scarborough ON for a load that wasn't ready when the truck arrived and it took an hour or two to figure that out after the driver checked in I'd consider it kind of the carrier to ask for only $250. The screaming however is unprofessional, the good thing is you can turn down the volume on your phone.
Keep well,
Mike
Hey Mike, totally agree with you on this point.
From my experience,although it's probably a lot less experience than a lot of people here, most carriers will tell me if they have a long route to do a specific pick-up. If I post some LTL in Mississauga and someone calls me to get the freight, I'll usually assume they have a local driver doing picks and deliveries in the area. Unless specified otherwise, how am I supposed to know that they are sending a driver from the yard?
And since I was the one sending the order (I'm a 3rd party), there's nowhere for me to really check his policy.
That being said, it's good to know you spoke with them. If they can get back on track, it's always better to have as much reliable carriers as possible!