Got verbally abused by the OWNER!
Tom McNew
Submitted this review about
New World Auto Transport
Review made Live: 1/6/2015 8:01:00 PM
This review is long, so I apologize up front. But my experience was so ridiculously difficult and abusive, that the details need to be described.
I was shipping a 2006 Corolla from Alexandria VA to Killeen TX and found this company based on some reviews here and a couple of other sites. I contacted the company some 2 WEEKS prior to needing the car picked up. Enrique sent me a contract, which I signed and faxed back to him. The price on that contract was $945, which included a $195 deposit. I paid the deposit via credit card after sending the signed contract back.
I didn't hear anything back from the company until I called them two days prior to our ageed upon pick up date (a Thursday). To my amazement there were no arrangements made or being made. Enrique told me that he was going to have to "find a driver", but reassured me that the pickup date would be met.
On the date of the pickup (Thur) - and after several emails and phone calls between myself and Enrique - there was still no driver "available" to pick up our car. Enrique finally found a driver but could not meet the contracted delivery location, and asked me if the car could be delivered somewhere else. I jumped through some hoops, asked my parents to change their plans and told Enrique that the car could be delivered to Fort Worth. At this point, I discussed with Enrique the payment arrangements. He gave me a $50 "discount" because the car was not being delivered to the originally agreed upon location. I asked about paying for the remainder of the contracted amount (which at this point SHOULD have been $700. $945-$195-$50=$700). He told me that since the company already had all of my information that they would just "charge the remainder to the credit card". Since I wasn't going to be at the delivery point, this was the best option and I agreed. Enrique then called later (1700ish) to tell me that he found a driver, but that the driver wouldn't be to Alexandria until the next morning (Friday).
The next day (Fri) rolls around, the movers are at my house loading up my stuff into the moving truck, but there is no driver to pick up the car. I called Enrique mid-morning asking for an update, and he again assured me that a driver would be there "this morning." After several more phone calls, I finally got the contact information for the driver. He FINALLY showed up at 7pm!! Friday!!! I had already finished cleaning out my apartment, had turned in the keys and was at a local hotel. I had to go back to the complex and link up with the driver. The driver did his walk around and he and I both signed the way-bill. I gave him the keys and told him that my parents would meet him Monday morning in Fort Worth and verified that he had their address.
Fast forward to Sunday morning, and I am somewhere in western Mississippi and the driver calls me wanting to know if he can drop the car off that afternoon. He also asks (via a text message) who was going to “pay the $1045”? I called him and told him I didn’t know anything about the dollar amount that I had a contract for $895. I then called – or rather attempted to call – New World Auto Transport. Of course, I got no answer. But a phone number for Steve Wells was listed as the emergency contact number. I called Mr. Wells and got no answer. Over the course of the next 6 or so hours I had a running text exchange with the driver telling me that he wasn’t going to deliver the car unless he was paid $1045, coupled with several dozen unanswered phone calls to New World. I told the driver that I would work the details with the company, and for him to just plan on delivering the car on Monday morning as planned. (As an aside, he actually called me about 6pm and asked me if he could deliver the car THAT NIGHT…..at 11PM!!! I told him NO!!).
By the time Enrique finally called me on Sunday evening, I was fit to be tied. I told him in no uncertain terms that I was not very happy and that I was NOT going to be paying a dime more than the $700 that I was contractually obligated to pay. And if the company had been forced to sub-contract the job and that driver cost them more than what our contract was for, then it was their problem. Seems simple right??? Wrong!!
On Monday morning, the driver shows up at my parents house and basically starts trying to extort $1045 out of them. My mother began to freak out; she hadn’t been involved in any of the conversations, and knew only what I had told her initially – that the car would be dropped at their house, the driver would give them the keys, and that my credit card would be charged the difference. At one point, my mother was concerned enough to call the police! I wasn’t there – obviously – so I won’t comment on what happened in Fort Worth anymore than to say that eventually the driver did leave the car at the house.
Enrique finally got Mr. Wells – who I later found out was the owner – to call me. He started trying to tell me that it was my fault that the car had to be delivered to Fort Worth instead of Killeen and that I HAD to pay the $1045. I told him that I had a SIGNED contract with his company for $895; that I had paid $195 deposit, and was going to pay him $700 more once the car was delivered and not a dime more. He and I went back and forth – while I was trying to drive across the countryside – about who was going to pay what and that now they expected cash. He apparently called the driver a couple of times – that’s how I found out initially about my Mom calling the police, because Mr. Wells told me.
I told him that once he had delivered my car, that I was going to make sure that his company was reported to the Military Transportation system, and that other Service Members knew to avoid his company. At this point, Mr. Wells lost whatever was left of his moral compass and started calling me names. Saying that it was bull droppings (he used another word) that he was going to “lose business because of some xxxxhead (word rhymes with “trick-head”) was going to post something on the internet about him.” I was flabbergasted, that the OWNER of the company would resort to what amounts to being abusive and derogatory language.
Mr. Wells finally relented, after I pressed him long enough, and promised that if I got my parents to pay the driver $700 cash that he would refund the $195 deposit to my credit card, “for my troubles”!!! My parents had to go make a cash advance on their credit card – something that cost them ANOTHER $42 – and paid the driver. He downloaded the car and left it parked…….sorta close to the curb!
I gave Mr. Wells, six weeks to refund the money. When he didn’t, I filed a claim with the credit card company. The credit card company didn’t – doesn’t – have any legal way to force someone to fulfill a promise to provide a refund. Especially, when the services were rendered – in this case they did deliver the car (nevermind it was on the wrong day to the wrong place and at a jacked up price!!). The credit card company set up a conference call between me, them and Mr. Wells. At which time, Mr. Wells promised once more refund the $195 deposit.
This is now January 2015, and this shipment occurred in October of 2014. Mr. Wells has still NEVER refunded my money to me, and I doubt that I will ever see this money. He has basically lied to me twice and the credit card company (at least) once. Rest assured, I never hesitate to sway someone’s opinion and get them to NOT use this company. If I could have done it all over again, I would have gone with another company. DO. NOT. USE. NEW WORLD AUTO TRANSPORT!!!!!!!
