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Bernard |
| 2/11/2008 2:26:00 PM |
| 1st Call Auto Haul |
| $2,000 in damage...and no calls back months later |
I called 1stcall after North American Auto Transport and Speedy had repeatedly lied to me about when my car was supposed to be delivered to Colorado from New York. North American are the worst - lying, cheating thieves to be exact - and I should say that 1stcall did take on the job and let me switch from Speedy Auto Shippers.
Nonetheless I had my car, 2007 BMW 530xi fully inspected by SGS Automotive prior to shipment and they only found one scratch worth noting that was less than the size of a dime. They tested the alignment by driving the car and checked underneath it. SGS is used by eBay motors and many leasing companies for inspections and their inspections cover 150 points.
My car arrived only 1 day late, but when it did arrive I asked to drive it around the block (a request that was almost refused). When I did drive it around the block to check the alignment I noticed I had to turn the wheel to about 10:30 to get it to steer straight.
I immediately scheduled service with my local BMW dealer and I was upset to think that after spending $1,200 for transport I'd have to spend another $150-$200 on an alignment (remember the car's alignment was inspected before shipment). After dropping off my car the dealer called me to report that the control arm, strut and tie rods had been severely damaaged - as had the interior wall of one of the rear wheels. I was in disbelief that a car that had been inspected could be in such bad shape - this was a 2007 after all.
I went to my BMW dealer and saw that these heavy metal parts, control arm, strut, etc. had all been severely bent likely by a tow chain or some other thing used to hold the vehicle down in transit. The rear tire appeared to have been sliced multiple times, likely by the inside tire guide on a transport truck.
In order to make the car safely operable I had no choice but to fork out nearly $2,000 to my BMW dealer to replace all of these parts. A far cry from the $150 I thought I'd be out for an alignment!
Upon hearing this news I contacted 1stcall about these issues and Eric was pleasant and helpful - but immediately referred me to his carrier - Diesel Express and their insurance company. This turned out to be one long wild goose chase to get any help. As it turns out Diesel Express' insurance has a $2,000 deductible so their insurer told me that I'd have to pursue Diesel directly to get reimbursement for my car damage.
Thus - I went back to 1stcall who then referred me to my own insurance - State Farm - with the logic being that State Farm would be best to chase down Diesel for this claim and Diesel's insurance carrier.
At this point I made several offers - both in writing and in messages to split this $2,000 if Diesel and 1stcall could step up and take responsibility.
1stcall claims they have insurance on their website and that they are bonded. I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A FRAUDULENT CLAIM as I never had the opportunity to claim reimbursement against their insurance carrier and they never offered to step up and pay for the damage to my vehicle.
Admittedly, there's a chance my car might have been damaged by Speedy Auto Service or by the original owner - but since I had it inspected only a day or two prior to pick up I doubt this was the case.
I still am planning on contacting the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration, www.fmcsa.dot.gov as I believe 1stcall, North American and Speedy all should either be fined or put out of business.
State Farm chased this down and couldn't find a smoking guy - but said they thought either Speedy or Diesel was guilty - they just thought taking it to trial would not be worth it. So - the auto transport industry has successfully passed the buck once again.
I WILL NEVER HAVE A CAR SHIPPED AGAIN!! I AM NOW FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT THIS INDUSTRY IS FILLED WITH LYING, CHEATING SCOUNDRELS AND COWBOY INDEPENDENT TRUCKERS THAT DON"T CARE AT ALL ABOUT YOUR CAR OR REPEAT BUSINESS!!!
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| Posted by a representative of 1st Call Auto Haul on 2/11/2008 10:55:00 PM |
It’s a mystery to me that 1st Call Auto Haul is receiving the blame here, but I’ll try to sort this out for the auto transport community. Bernard initially booked his auto transport through a disreputable broker, North American Auto Transport (see his review of them from 10/5/2007). During this portion of the auto transport, which 1st Call Auto Haul had no part of; the seller of the vehicle had claimed the car was available to be released anytime. He then suddenly became unavailable for over a week. The assigned carrier had traveled into New York on three separate occasions (all pre-arranged with the seller) to pick up Bernard’s vehicle. This is important because over a week had passed from the time Bernard had his vehicle inspected to the time in which it was actually picked up. It’s also important because SAS, the carrier, said the seller acted suspiciously during that time, evading their calls and not making the vehicle available when he previously said he would. Needless to say, the vehicle did not make it onto the truck heading for Colorado, and therefore had to sit and wait until the truck returned before it could be moved. Again, SAS did everything they could to get the vehicle moved in a timely manner, but it was the delays of the seller that caused Bernard’s vehicle to “miss the boat”. It was also this delay and suspicious behavior that led Bernard’s own insurance company to deny his claim.
Before 1st Call Auto Haul helped Bernard, we told him we do not use multiple carriers to transport vehicles because if something goes wrong, it will be difficult to prove who exactly is responsible. Bernard understood this but wanted his car as soon as possible, so 1st Call Auto Haul helped him extract the vehicle from SAS, pay them for their services, and get the vehicle to him in Colorado as quickly as possible. We contracted with Diesel Express to pick-up the vehicle in NJ and deliver it to Bernard 4 days later in CO. I’m not sure the vehicle was late, since it takes a full 3 days (600 miles/day) to drive from New Jersey to Colorado.
The inspection through SGS Inspection Services did read that the vehicle “drove true” but it neglected to mention several other defects on the car that both auto carriers pointed out, specifically, a huge chunk that was missing from one of the tires. Additionally, no auto carrier will ever make a determination regarding the mechanical (alignment) issues of the car, other than to say whether it is operable or inoperable. They are not mechanics.
Nevertheless, after hearing that Bernard thought damage was done, I told him what his options were and that I would be happy to help pursue any claims on his behalf. First, I told him to get three estimates and take pictures of the damage immediately so I can show it to the carrier. He disregarded this advice. Second, I helped him run it through Diesel Express’ insurance who denied it because it did not meet their deductible and because the damage claimed by Bernard had already been fixed, with no estimates, no pictures and no claims adjuster looking at the supposed damage. I told Bernard that denying a claim because it did not meet one’s deductible was not a sufficient response, and I told him we could pursue this as per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s guidelines. However, I also explained to Bernard how difficult it would be to prove anyone involved damaged the vehicle, because so many people have handled it since the inspection (SAS, Diesel, Seller) and because none of the transporters make a determination regarding the alignment. I encouraged him to file a claim with his insurance, because if they could prove damage done during transport, then they would go after the responsible party. As I mentioned earlier, the insurance company denied the claim. They told me the reason they were denying it was because of the delay between Bernard’s inspection and the actual pick-up of the vehicle at the seller’s residence.
Bernard then emailed me and wanted 1st Call Auto Haul to pay for the damages. When I refused to pay, I figured this review was in the not-too-distant future. Bernard, I tried to help you in every way possible. I helped resolve the early issues you had with the previous carrier and broker. I told you beforehand the pitfalls of using multiple carriers. I instructed you on how to “properly” file a claim, and I assisted you in getting vital FMCSA documents should you wish to pursue this in court. I also told you, in my honest opinion, that this damage was not the responsibility of my carrier.
Your claim that 1st Call Auto Haul does not have a broker’s bond on file with the FMCSA is ridiculous. It’s actually posted on their website!! 1st Call Auto Haul did assign a carrier with the proper authority and the proper insurance requirements. Again, look it up on the FMCSA website. If we acted unprofessionally in any way, then I could understand your review of our company. If you truly think 1st Call Auto Haul is at fault for any of this, please file a claim with the FMCSA –that’s what the bond is for!!
In the end I hope the transport community can see that 1st Call Auto Haul exhausted all avenues when trying to determine where and when the damage was done to Bernard’s vehicle. By Bernard’s own admission there is doubt as to who is actually responsible. In light of this fact, should I be called a scoundrel, be put out of business, or expected to pay $2000?
Regards,
Eric Sailer
1st Call Auto Haul
888.607.1999
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Bernard gave 1st Call Auto Haul a rating of:  
| Review details | |
| Quote or Order ID: | Eric Sailer |
| Quote or Order Cost: | $1200 |
| Origin: | New Jersey |
| Pickup: | On Time |
| Destination: | Colorado |
| Delivery: | Late |
| Truck/Carrier Type: | Open |
| Dirty: | Yes |
| Items Stolen: | No |
| Damaged: | Yes |
| Honesty: |   |
| Knowlegeable: | |
| Hold Times/Promptness: | |
| Primary Contact: | Eric Sailer |
| Secondary Contact: | NA |
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