The Car Transporting Process

Matt Submitted this review about Auto Shipping Group LLC
Review made Live: 8/24/2014 10:06:00 PM
I had an interesting experience having my car moved from VA to UT. In the process I learned a couple of key points that I will use next time I do this. First, the price quote you receive from the various brokers who volunteer themselves is not a quote…its a 'door opener'. In my case I took the middle of the road quote from 7 brokers who all rated above better. Through out the process I was assisted by Alexandra who made contact primarily via email. My initial broker fee was $190 which was 'included' in the quoted price. Ok, the initial quote for my move was $1335…that included the broker fee which provided $1145 for the prospective carrier. As it turned out $1145 was a real low ball offer and one which I had no idea I was going to have to renegotiate…big surprise for me…I thought that was why I had a broker.
My intent was to get my car to UT after my child arrived for school…so I had a 'no earlier than' date as my only stipulation. Well days were passing and it was looking like the car wasn't going to get moved in time to get to UT without a delay on the other end beyond what I had expected. So four days before my 'no earlier than' date (I knew the trip would require no less than four days) I received a call from 'Lance'… I had never heard of Lance so this was a bit of a surprise call. Lance called with a carrier who was 'interested' in accepting my car, but…. for $1800… Big surprise… I was now in the middle of a negotiation which I had no idea I was going to have… I countered with $1700 and that was accepted…at the end of the call Lance informed me that the broker fee would be reduced from $190 to $150. The carrier and I made contact and they provided a pick up time and place. There was a bit of confusion on the pick up location…we have multiple Target stores in the area…but we eventually worked it out. I turned over the car (with the other 4 vehicles present and prepping for loading) and signed the paperwork. I was informed the trip would take four days which worked out ok. The next day I was called and informed my car would be arriving a day earlier. It did arrive on the earlier day but much later in the evening than previously planned. That was a bit of a problem for me. Upon arrival the car was in good shape with no damage or any mechanical issues. The carrier did what was expected and I would use them again. As a matter of fact the carrier has a brokers license and suggested I go direct to them next time…which I will with the expectation of savings, but the scheduled pickup / delivery could be impacted by trip/load availability.
All in all a positive experience with my car being where it needs to be. Yes, I should have countered with $1600, but that's a lesson learned on my part. It's apparent to me in the world of car transportation that everything is negotiable within reason. Recommendations: go with the lowest broker fee (and above average ratings) and be realistic on the move cost. Also note that May to Oct are the busiest moving months so there's tons of competition out there. And don't be bothered about not being in a central logistics hub…cars are moving all the time from everywhere. Good luck.

Company Response
Terry Williams from Auto Shipping Group LLC Submitted this response.
Response Date: 8/26/2014 10:14:00 AM
**Alexandra Nelson, (360)853-2844**alexandra@autoshippinggroup.com** Matthew, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review on your experience with working with ASG. I do appreciate the feedback, especially on my behalf. Being the fact that I am a broker, I am required to bring every offer to you when we have a carrier interested in picking up your vehicle. Even though sometimes those carriers can bring us offers, we need to bring those to you, which is letting you know that carriers are interested in picking up your vehicle. You may not always agree with the price, that is why you have the right to say 'yes' or 'no' to the carrier. As the days were passing by, I was communicating with you, and yes through email. I am constantly on the phone so when I do get a moment, email is preferably better on my part. When we had the carrier that was interested in picking up your vehicle (the one you agreed with), I was actually out of the office for the rest of the day and that is why you had heard from my coworker Lance. All in all, I'm glad the whole transportation process did work out still according to plan and the vehicle did get delivered a little earlier.