After having a bad experience with another broker, I decided to select a broker/carrier that was in the area my car needed to be picked up in. My thinking was my odds for a fast pick-up would be better, and since a carrier would have their own trucks, plus access to many more, this would even increase my odds greater. I chose First Class Auto Transport because they met that criteria and had many good reviews as well. Josh at First Class Auto was great. He secured a carrier for me in less than 24 hrs, the very next day. I wasn't overjoyed at the price but in retrospect, it seems to be the going rate. He told me I would get my car in 7 to 10 days. He also told me he needed to broker the transport to AY Trucking and that he had used them before and they were good. All this sounded fine. But by day 9, I hadn't heard a thing about my car, so I called the # Josh gave me for AY Trucking and left a message. No one returned my call so I called Josh. He immediately attempted to call them and left e-mails as well. He said he would get back to me as soon as he contacted them. The next day, I tried calling AY Trucking again, and again, left a message and no one returned my calls. Then Josh called and told me he had contacted them and the truck had been delayed due to weather. He gave me the driver's phone # and told me I should be getting my car on Sunday, in another two days. Okay, I can wait some more. The driver called the next day and said he was in Nevada, and would by coming tomorrow, Sunday, at around noon. Then at 12:30 Sunday, I call the driver and he says he still has two more cars to drop off and would be there at 3:30. I had told Josh I did not want a night time delivery because I could not see if the car had been damaged. The driver finally shows up at 4:30 and now, it's raining cats and dogs. Had he been on time, we could have missed the worst of the rain. He finally gets my car off the trailer ( which looked like a good, modern rig ) and wants the money and for me to sign off on the car. He has literally dozens of item on this form where he noted all these dents and scratches. Now it's pretty dark and raining, and I can hardly check out my car. From what I can see, there are no damages. Plus, there is no signature of the person whom he picked the car up from, verifying that those damages were there prior to pickup. Now this whole thing struck me as VERY SHADY because the driver could fill out this form anytime, stating there are damages prior to him picking up the car. If there is no verifying signature from the pickup person, the driver can say anything to cover his butt. And that's what happened in this case. The driver marks dozens and dozens of area where he states the car is damaged. That way, if he damages the car in some way, then he's off the hook ( so he thinks ). But legally, this form isn't worth the paper it's written on if there is no verifying signature from the pickup person. That bothered me that they would try to do something so dishonest. But fortunately, the car was not damaged, from what I could tell ( it was dark, rainy and the car was filthy from road dirt and grime ). Anyway, I signed and gave him his money and he was on his way. The driver was pleasant enough but his English was so poor I could hardly understand him. There was a bit of communication difficulty, but we managed and I don't hold that against the driver. I do think AY Trucking could handle the customer better in three ways:
1) RETURN PHONE CALLS! Nothing makes customers feel more ignored than when you don't bother to return calls.
2) If you are going to make indications were there is existing damage, then get a verifying signature from the agent of the customer. Just having your driver mark the form all up doesn't mean squat and makes it look like you're attempting to evade any liability for damages, which you surely are trying to do.
3) BE ON TIME. I understand weather slowing things down, but really, 12 days to get from NY to CA. I think what happened is the driver picked the car up, then went home for the holidays. And didn't resume driving till after the holidays. Well, I don't blame him for wanting to spend Thanksgiving with his family. That's fine. But be honest about it and tell the customer the truth. Take responsibility for your actions and decisions.
It seems this industry is full of folks who will tell you anything they think you want to hear, just to get your business. I do think Josh D. at First Class Auto Transport is a stand up guy. He has a sense of humor but takes his job seriously. He returned my calls promptly and was always polite and sincere. I would be happy to use First Class Auto again if I needed to. I don't think I would want AY Trucking as the carrier though. I would insist on someone else.
