1958 Renault 4CV

Charles Hirsch Submitted this review about Ambela Inc.
Review made Live: 4/2/2007 5:17:00 PM
Autotransportdirect.com selected Ambela for me, telling me they were a good company with an excellent reputation. The former owner drove the car a block, then the transport drivr drove it another block to the truck which was loaded AFTER the owner showed them a paper from Renault warning about axle damage if the car as improperly connected. He then placed it in the frnt seat of the car where it as when the car was delivered to me.

When the car arrived (10 hours late, at 2am) one wheel was pointing right, the other straight. Even tho0ugh we had to roll it down to its space (dead battery and crooked wheel) I was told that the wheels were fine, they just needed an alignment. It turned out the rack & pinion and both king pins were damaged. The fully charged battery (in TN) was dead and, after getting the above repairs done, the starter stopped working and the generator or carb (my knowledge of cars is limited) began to leak.

I am only claiming the rack & pinion and king pins, at a cost of $1,200. The rest of the repairs could run another $800 or more.

The original agent autotransportdirect has offered no help, except to give me the name of the insurance broker which wasn't Ambela's insurer. I finally spoke to someone at Progressive Ins and sent them and Ambela copies of all relevant papers in mid march. Since then the only reply I got was from a Progressive claims agent who said claim was denied as it was not due to driver negligence!?! True, since the car was being transported when damaged. I called back and left messages but no answer for 4 days. I called Progressive again, spoke to smeone who said they understood and would tell my claims guy, who had closed the case!

In desperation, I emailed autotransportdirect this am and was told: all we do is provide you with a company that is insured, You're on your own. Good luck!

Not sure where this is going or how long it's going to take me to get my money, but please DO NOT use autotransportdirect,com or Ambela or UIS (the insurance middlemen) or Progressive insurance.

The bad news? This may take some time. The good? I am retired, getting angrier by the minute and will take legal (as in lawyer) action if necessary (since the loser often pays legal fees for both :)

Stay tuned.

Charles Hirsch