Overall good transport with a few hiccups
Kaleb Grace
Submitted this review about
Creative Rides Auto Transport
Review made Live: 3/30/2008 2:57:00 PM
The customer service agent I talked to (Pete) was very knowledgeable about the car transport industry and answered all of my questions to my expectations. He even provided me with valuable information I didn't think to ask about. The price was reasonable and everything about the company seemed to be good quality, so I placed an order. A few business days later, I had a driver booked for me.
Creative Rides is a broker, as most legit car transport places are, so I ended up dealing with a company called Cal Tex Way (Cal Tex Auto Transport). The driver, Roy, seemed like a fair man, but due to his manner of speaking, it was difficult for me to understand him and respond to him. Nevertheless, we scheduled a pick-up for a few days later. He arrived on the pick-up day (Mar 5th) and assessed the vehicle; I signed the paperwork, keeping my copy, and he then took the car.
The only notable problem about the entire transport experience was that Creative Rides said that the driver accepts money order, but he only accepts cash or cashier's check. This was a major hassle for me, since I had already bought a money order at my bank. Being that I moved to a state where my bank has no branches, I had to give my money order to a friend, have him deposit it, wait a day, and then get a cashier's check for me. My advice to you is to check with the driver specifically about what types of payment they accept before getting the money together.
The week following pick-up, I got a call from Roy stating that he was delivering the car in a couple hours (Mar 14th). At the time, I didn't have the cashier's check. He said that if I don't have the payment then, he would have to take the car back to California. I expected him to take it to an impound lot, but apparently this was not the case. I told him I'd have the money for him and to go ahead and deliver it. I had to call my friend at work and have him get me the cashier's check. We did it in time for a delivery, but it was a hassle.
Roy arrived with my car. I inspected it, gave him the money, signed the paperwork, and kept my receipt. Everything about the car seemed just as how I left it. The stuff I put in the trunk was all intact. The running condition is still great. The only flaw was that the car got dirty. Obviously I expected the outside to get dirty, but what I didn't expect was the stale French fries and Burger King ketchup packets that the driver scattered around the driver seat and piled in the driver door compartment. It was sloppy and unprofessional. However, it's not a big deal.
Creative Rides is a good company to deal with, and I would use them again, providing that I wouldn't have to go through Cal Tex Way again. While my car got to the destination in one piece, which is the important part, talking with the driver was a hassle, and I think it could have been done with more professionalism and greater ease.
