Informative review-just the facts, no embellishment or hyperbole
Ngoc
Submitted this review about
AmeriFreight Car Shipping
Review made Live: 1/5/2014 8:18:00 PM
I began researching ways to ship my Toyota Prius from Georgia to California December 9, 2013. I consulted family and friends who have had their vehicles shipped and requested quotes from UPS ($1229) and Ship A Car Direct ($995) as well as AmeriFreight ($795 minimum).
AmeriFreight's website has an instant messaging capability which facilitated customer service. Jessica was able to answer questions and send me a a minimum quite instantly.
Both UPS and Ship A Car Direct required filling out a form online after which a quote would be sent by email. Ship A Car Direct began to spam my email almost daily.
I spent the next few days reading reviews on this website and that of the Better Business Bureau. I was cognizant of the likelihood that AmeriFreight's quoted price would be higher but still chose AmeriFreight because it is a local company with an office in Peachtree City, Georgia.
When I visited AmeriFreight's website again on December 19, 2013, I communicated with Jorge via the instant messaging function. We then spoke directly on the phone before I agreed to place my shipping order. He sent me an email with several documents, including the order form, shipping contract, AFta Plan, MARC plan, and terms for review.
There were some mistakes on the delivery address which Jorge promptly corrected. I chose to purchase the AFta (insurance) plan for $95 but declined the MARC (Maximum Acceptable Rate Ceiling) plan which would have authorized AmeriFreight to negotiate with the carrier on my behalf a rate up to $200 more than the initial quoted rate.
On 12/23/13, Jorge notified me by phone that DBN Carrier, Inc had agreed to deliver my car and my total cost would be $1045, $250 of which would be paid to AmeriFreight (at the time of pickup), $95 to AFta (at the time of pickup), and $700 to DBN (in cash or cashier's check at the time of delivery). The $1045 included a $50 instant discount that would require a review on this website within 7 days of vehicle delivery.
I agreed to this and Jorge told me the estimated time of pickup would be around noon. He called me back a few minutes later and notified me of an error he made. DBN had actually required $750, not $700 but Jorge still honored the agreed upon price by charging me $200 at the time of pickup. The total remained the same ($200+95+750).
I received the contact information for DBN via email shortly thereafter. The driver called me and told me he would be arriving at 1:30pm. Because he was driving an 18-wheeler, he could not enter my residential neighborhood so we agreed to meet in a large parking lot down the street.
He inspected my car, loaded it onto the 18 wheeler, and off he was. My sister, to whom I was shipping my car, received it 12/30/13 as scheduled. By then the car had been transferred to a driver who had a ramp hitched to a pickup truck. Therefore the driver was able to deliver the car to my sister's door. It was a little dirty from being on an open carrier but there did not appear to be any damage.
Caveat emptor: the $250 fee that goes to AmerFreight for brokering the contract is not transparent until a customer is informed that a carrier has accepted the shipping order. I am not sure if the initial minimum quoted price that AmeriFreight provides to its customers only reflects what carriers would charge or if it includes the $250 fee. Therefore that would be a good question to ask when requesting quotes from any car shipping company.
Overall we are satisfied with the service provided by both AmeriFreight and DBN and are thankful for expedient, friendly, and honorable service, especially during the busy holiday season.
**AmeriFreight offers an instant discount of $50 contingent on the customer's agreement to write a review on this website within 7 days after vehicle delivery. As an added incentive, AmeriFreight offers a monthly $100 prize to the review with the "most captivating subject line and best content."
