A Terrible Experience
Tom
Submitted this review about
Auto Transport 123
Review made Live: 8/15/2019 3:27:00 PM
Auto Transport 123 has changed it name to Ultimate Transport 123 -- possibly to avoid customers from finding out how bad of service AT123 has provided. Since I had never transported a car across country, I was uncertain of what was entailed and relied upon what Miles Turner, my sales representative told me about shipping my car from California to the East Coast. Little did I know that he lied by both commission and omission. He stated that AT123 was not a broker, but owned its trucks and employed the drivers. AT123 may own one or two trucks, but AT123 did not ship my car in its truck. He also told me that I would be my car would be picked up in 3 to 5 days after the "Start Date." It was ten days after the start date. He also that I could pay the COD with a credit card. Fortunately, I found out before the car arrived that I had to pay with cash or a certified check.
My main criticism is that no one explained to me that the sales representative had misled me and what the procedure would be until three days after the start date and innumerable and frustrating telephone calls. If I had known what to expect, I would have made accommodations (e.g., like I did with the payment of the COD charge). But finding out what the procedures was not easy. While AT123's customer service line is always promptly answered and the customer service representative is always polite and oozing concern -- but provide me with no information, except to tell me that my concern would be sent to dispatch (a black hole?) and that it would be marked a priority. After I heard nothing from my first call,. I called again and got the same response. I asked to speak with a manager, was advised that he was on the phone, and asked for him to me back. When the manager did not call, I called back and again was told he was on another line. After a couple calls like this, I called again and said that I would wait. I started talking to the service representative about the weather and other such nonsense. When the representative realized that I not going to hang up, a manager from accounting finally took the call. [I imagine that the representative said that a crazy man is on the on-line and won't hang up until he speaks with a manger.] The accounting manager gave me his name and extension and also the name and extension of the manager [Alex at ext. 525] and explained that Alex was on leave -- note that he had not been on the telephone -- until the next day. The next day, I called Alex's line several times and left messages to call me. Then I started just speed dialing him until I finally caught him. After all this frustrating effort, Alex explained what the salesman should have explained to me at the point of sale or at the customer service representative on my first call. That is the procedures and time frame a broker needs to find a driver and a truck, when and how I would be notified, and what I could expect. Since I was flying the next dat from California to the East Coast, I made arrangements with Alex how to turn over my car in my absence. He said I would have a pick up date 24 to 48 hours in advance. Once he had a pick up date, he promised that he would telephone me. He also said that I would received a e-mail or text. After our conversation, I sent Alex an e-mail outlining what I thought was what the procedures would be. I never got an acknowledgement of that e-mail. Of course, Alex did not call me. In fact, the first I knew about the pick up date was about three before the driver arrived to pick up my car. The driver had called the friend who was going to turn over the car three hours before the truck arrived and my friend immediately called me -- I did not receive an e-mail or text. I did receive one from Ultimate Transport and just assumed that it was just another spam e-mail from a transport company soliciting my business. [I have been swamped with texts, phone calls, and e-mails from many different transport companies since I first started the process.] It, of course, was from AT123 under its new disguise. Bottom line -- AT123 or whatever it is now called provided poor service.
