Company Response Review Report Review
A warning to others ( DO NOT USE J & J CARRIERS, INC)

Steve Submitted this review about AutoStar Transport Express
Review made Live: 4/24/2009 2:49:00 PM
I chose to use Autostar Transport based on their excellent reviews found on this site. Unfortunately it was both a time consuming and financially costly mistake. Liz Cleveland was my contact person throughout my dealings with Autostar. Before agreeing to book with Autostar, she was able to lock in a low cost, yet speedy delivery option. Liz assured me that the carrier company ( J & J carriers, inc) was a very reputable carrier who they have used in the past and have never had a problem with. The car was to be picked up on the 26th and deivered on the 28th of March. The carrier was a day late picking up the car, which was not a big deal because things happen. However issues began to arise when on the 28th, my car was not delivered. To make a very long story short, many calls were placed to Autostar to try and arrive at an actual delivery date. Over an additional 6 day time frame, I was promised on many occasions that the car would be delivered on "X" day, only to have it not arrive. In addition, Liz at Autostar transport had told me that they were having difficulty getting J & J to either take or return their phone calls. It was only after many failed promises that a manager at Autostar transport stepped in and I finally recieved a call from the driver. When the car was finally delivered, there was significant damage done to the vehicle. For instance, the throttle cable was broken and there was a large/ deep scratch in the front right fender. I asked the driver how he got the vehicle off the transport and he said that he simply rolled it off. I then asked him why he was so late, and he said that the company was overworking him ( On the phone J & J claimed that weather was slowing them down, so J & J lied to me) In compliance with the contract, i notified the driver of the damage caused to my vehicle before signing the delivery bill of lading. The driver claimed that the damage occured before they took delivery. Meanwhile the bill of lading on pickup shows no such damage. I again told the driver that the damage was not there, and then he claimed that it was always there, but that he had missed it when he picked the car up because of a light rain. Eventually, the driver grudgingly noted on the delivery bill of lading the damage that they caused. The next day, as per causes in the contract, I contacted Autostar to report the damage done. I knew that I could not start a claim for the damage to the mechanics of the car (throttle cable etc), so i called to report the physical damage to the body. Autostar said that they would get into contact with J & J. About 10 minutes later I get a call from Johnny at J & J (the fastest return call that I have ever gotten) and he asks me for a fax number so that he can send me an invoice. I inquire "a invoice for what?", he goes on to say that he will be charging me $250 for his drivers time and because a winch was used to move the car. I inform him that a winch was never used and procceeded to inform him of the damage done to my car. In response to the throttle cable, Johnny said that it was broke before the picked the car up (I didnt know that you could drive a car up onto a transport without a throttle cable). As for the physical damage, he claimed that it was from a bad puddy job (which is a lie on several levels 1) The body was brand new in 2007 and had no puddy on it and 2) he never even saw the damage and was just trying to weasel out of it), which incase you are keeping track is now 3 excuses from them trying to get out of paying for the damage they caused. To shorten the rest of the story, many phone calls were made and the following are the results from those phone calls.

1) Liz assured me that everything would be taken care of
2) I was transffered to Mike Cannon at Autostar who would be handeling the case
3) Mike eventually got back to me and in so many words said " we talked to J & J and your on your own... ps J & J feels defrauded and wants to sue you for $4xx"
4) I call J & J's insurance company to make a claim, they never get back to me and after many tries to get ahold of them they tell me that " J & J has a $1000 deductible, so if you want anything from them you have to sue them, so your on your own"

In the end, I have come to terms with the fact that I have been bent over by all of the companies involved. I am sharing my experiance with all those interested so that you do not experiance the same hardships that I did. If you decide to use Autostar as your broker, MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO NOT USE J & J CARRIERS, INC TO SHIP YOUR VEHICLE. The company will not stand behind their work and if pressured they will blame everything on you and then threaten to sue you.

In conclusion, Liz was pleasent enough to work with on the phone, but in the end it felt like just lip service. They recieved their money and thats all that they cared about.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
Pennsylvania
Pickup:
Late
Destination State:
Florida
Delivery:
Late
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
Liz Cleveland
Quote or Order Cost:
$525

Car Condition
  • Vehicle was damaged
Company Response
Mike Cannon from AutoStar Transport Express Submitted this response.
Response Date: 4/24/2009 3:37:00 PM
We at AutoStar Transport are very sorry that Steve Fuchs' feels his experience in transporting his '72 Volkswagon Beetle was less than excellent. We strive to please all of our clients, but unfortunately, that is not always possible. When a conflict arises between the shipper and the carrier, we do our best to mediate an amicable resolution. In this case, the inspection reports do not clearly reflect the damage Mr. Fuchs' refers to, and the vehicle was not properly prepared for transport as it became inoperable in transit. In cases such as these, the carrier is within his rights to charge additional fees based upon an INOP vehicle - J&J did not. Furthermore, the evidence for a fraudulent claim that J&J Carriers presents AGAINST Mr. Fuchs is substantial. In such a situation, it is up the carrier's insurance provider, which information was provided to Mr. Fuchs immediately, to examine all of the evidence and render a decision. It is unfortunate that Mr. Fuchs feels the need to malign the name of AutoStar based on the performance of his carrier. Spending hours on the phone on Mr. Fuchs' behalf with the carrier went well beyond "lip service," and wish him well in the future.