From Skeptical to Ecstatic!
Rebecca
Submitted this review about
AmeriFreight Car Shipping
Review made Live: 3/31/2012 10:30:00 PM
Having shipped my car twice now with 2 different companies, I can honestly say that the AmeriFreight far surpasses the rest—both in terms of price and customer service. Shipping such a valuable, personal asset as your vehicle can be quite stressful—but it doesn't have to be! I had heard horror stories of bait-and-switches (i.e. getting quoted one price and then ending up having to pay a higher one) or cars arriving in poor condition or weeks or months later than anticipated. Shipping my car across the country from the East coast to Colorado 2 years ago, I used a different company and was pleased with the results. So, when looking to ship it back East, I assumed I would use the same company. However, when I called them, I was getting a quote of $1100 at the bare MINIMUM! I decided to see what other quotes I could get before coughing up so much cash.
Graham at AmeriFreight quickly contacted me and explained the whole process of shipping a vehicle. Although I knew a fair amount about the process, he was upfront, honest and helpful. With my time frame (I needed specific dates only 2 weeks away), the distance the car was going, and size of my vehicle (a SUV)—Graham admitted that it would be tough to get it under $1000. He explained all of the reasons why and said he would post my shipment request but doubted it would be moved at such a low price.
In a matter of days, I had a call back from Graham letting me know that a carrier was ready to sign on to pick up my car on the dates I specified and for only $795—MUCH cheaper than any other broker I had gotten quotes from. I was a bit leery (to say the least!) because the price was so low.
In the meantime, I continued to speak with the company I had previously used. Well, their tune definitely changed when they heard I was speaking with AmeriFreight. They swore up and down that AmeriFreight was "lying" and they did not have a truck that would take my vehicle for that price. They went on and on about how AmeriFreight only has good reviews because they incentivize their customers and they simply could not be trusted. While this got me questioning the good deal, what struck me was how negative their comments were towards other brokers. It left a bad taste in my mouth and I didn't know whether to go with a company that I had used with success (but was charging a much higher price and bad-mouthing other companies!) or to take a chance with AmeriFreight.
Graham followed up not once, but consistently—putting my fears at ease each time he spoke with me and NEVER putting any pressure on me. Despite my many questions and not being able to decide what to do, he was patient with me during *each and every* conversation and did absolutely *everything* to make me feel comfortable. He took great care to alert the truck company of my specific dates (HAD to be picked up on a certain date and HAD to be delivered after a specific date—as no one else would be around to sign for the car).
So, I took a leap of faith and am glad I did! I never even heard back from the previous company I had worked with!—but Graham at AmeriFreight followed up every step of the way. (It was also very apparent that bad-mouthing other companies was NOT how AmeriFreight did business!) While the truck did arrive on the day I specified, they hadn't given me much notice (they were supposed to call first). Although I could have scrambled to get the car to them—Graham quickly stepped in and immediately went to work coordinating another truck to arrive the very next day. He was efficient, reliable and very helpful during a crazy, cross-country move. The truck arrived as planned and Graham made sure to check in that everything had gone smoothly.
My car arrived in the *exact* condition I sent it in and arrived in the time-frame I specified. I was more than pleased that my car arrived in good shape and at a great price—but did express that I wished the truck company had been a bit more accurate when it came to their time-window quotes (saying they were 1-2 hours away but really closer to 4 or 5). Graham knew exactly what I was talking about and whole-heartedly agreed. We both felt that the company that had shipped my car did a great job, but there were minor details that could be improved upon.
Despite me being a nervous-wreck and admittedly picky when it came to details like pick-up/drop-off dates and time windows, Graham went above and beyond to make sure I was pleased with his service, AmeriFreight, and the trucking company. Honestly, I felt like it was 5-star concierge service! I would ship with them again in a heartbeat!
(Oh—and as for companies that say AmeriFreight only has good reviews because they "pay" their customers—don't believe them. AmeriFreight does everything in their power to make sure their customers are happy and want their customers to let others know about their experience with them—whether positive or negative. They simply want the feedback so they can improve upon their service. I would be much more wary of why companies feel the need to speak badly about other brokers. AmeriFreight was ALWAYS honest about what was do-able and provided some of the BEST customer service I have experience in a LONG time.)
