Company Response Review Report Review
Not as promised

Behnam F Submitted this review about Domestic Auto Transport
Review made Live: 8/2/2011 2:38:00 AM
Before I get to my complaints with Domestic Auto Transport (DAT), I would like to say that the best thing about DAT is the way they answer the phone. Initially, I obtained five quotes from other companies but DAT was not one of them. I looked them up on transportreviews.com and noticed they are listed as 5 stars and also located in Camas, WA which is close to where I wanted to transport my vehicle. So I decided to give them a call and obtain a quote.
The person I spoke to was Naomi (general manager) and she was very nice and helpful in explaining the whole process to me. After talking to her for 15 minutes, I was convinced that they are the one I want to do business with. So I listed my vehicle with them and gave them the available date for pickup of June 30th (gave them one week notice in advance). I also told them I was in need of having my car picked up before July 3rd as I was moving out of state and did not want to leave my car behind. Naomi told me they should be able to find me a carrier before then although she did not guarantee it.
To make a long story short, my vehicle was not picked up before July 3rd as I had planned. I contacted them again and they told me due to the 4th of July holiday, no carrier is available in the region. Therefore, I had to leave my car behind with a friend of mine since I left Pennsylvania on the 3rd and moved to Oregon.
What frustrated me the most was that I was the one who had to call them every other day to see if they had found a carrier. I spoke to several of the employees including Sheila, Heather, Lori and Naomi. Every time I asked to speak with Naomi, I was told she was in a meeting or not in the office and that she would contact me as soon as she returned. She never did. I ended up communicating with Lori towards the end and she was very helpful.
So finally I receive a phone call from Lori and she tells me that they have found a carrier who is willing to pick up my vehicle on the 14th of July (2-weeks after initial requested date of June 30th). I was relieved until she told me that they are going to charge me $200 extra (original quote was $1149) since there are no other carriers who are willing to pick up my vehicle for $1149. I was really upset and frustrated as you could imagine but I didn't care and just wanted my vehicle in my possession asap. So I agreed to pay the extra $200 for them to assign my car to the carrier.
My car was picked up a day later than promised and delivered a day late as well with no communication at all from DAT during the transport process. I was told that they would update me on the status of delivery when I first listed my vehicle with them but I came to find out that was not the case. I had to call them to find out where my vehicle was on 2 different occassions. My car finally arrived on July 25th (almost a month from the time I listed the car for pickup) in good condition with no damage.
My purpose for writing such a long review is not to bash DAT, but to let them know that the service I received from them was far less than 5 stars (more like 2 stars). I wish they could be more honest in giving their customers more accurate information regarding when they can assign a carrier from the start, and not until its too late. This was the second time I had my vehicle shipped in the past 3 years and both times I was disappointed with the service I received. The first experience was not with DAT. I am sure DAT is a good company and others might have had a better experience with them, but I for one did not and would not use them again. Hope this helps.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
Pennsylvania
Pickup:
Late
Destination State:
Oregon
Delivery:
Late
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
3936694
Quote or Order Cost:
$1349

Company Response
terry Williams from Domestic Auto Transport Submitted this response.
Response Date: 8/2/2011 10:23:00 AM
For Great Customer Service Contact Naomi @ 360-834-6013 or naomi@domesticautotransport.com Behnam, First let me state my greatest apologies for the fact we did not get your vehicle transported in a timely matter. We do our best to try and transport your vehicle but the end result, we as brokers do not have control over the availability of the carriers or the price they will take for a load on a given route. I would also like to apologize for the vehicle being a day late on pick up and a day late on delivery but we had used this carrier many times previously and all delivery's were on time with no issues. With that said please take into consideration that there are many factors that can delay a carrier. Some which are out of their control as well. I wish you the best and am truly sorry you fell our service was less than a 5 star. Thanks again, Naomi