Specialty Mobile, Great...their Carriers, Not-so-G
Ginette
Submitted this review about
Specialty Mobile Systems
Review made Live: 1/21/2006 6:27:00 PM
I definitely have mixed reviews for Specialty Mobile. Like many people, I went onto this site to figure out what company to go with. After doing my research, I realized that this was an important decision to make, because there were definitely nightmare stories about some Transport Companies. However, after viewing a lot of the reviews on this site, i felt pretty confident going with Specialty Mobile (even though the quote was a couple hundred higher than other companies, I felt most confident in them that my car would actually get to me safely and in a reasonable time...I'd rather the assurance of that than save a couple hundred). Even when I interacted with the Specialty Mobile representatives, I felt positive about the transport process. They were very professional on the phone and easy to get a hold of.
Well, I began the process via the internet, putting in my order form. Shortly after, a representative called me to get all of the details. The next call I would get would be telling me that they found a Carrier (because Specialty Mobile is more of a broker who finds carriers to do the transporting). I got a call from them a couple of days before my requested pick-up date, saying they found someone to pick it up and it would be between January 6th and 8th and would get there around the 11th...the pick-up dates were later than I had hoped, but the transport time seemed short, so I didn't mind. They also said that the Carrier company would call my brother (where the car was located) 24 hours in advance to let him know a more exact time they would be coming by. Well, Monday (January 9th) rolls by and my brother still did not hear from the company. So, i called Specialty Mobile (again, very easy to get a hold of and very friendly). They told me they would contact the Carrier company and call me right back...which they did. The Carrier company said that they had already talked to my brother and would be picking it up on Tuesday. Called my brother up, and he said he got not such call. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited through Tuesday to call again. Still no pick up...so I called Specialty Mobile again. They communicated with the Carrier company and said it would be picked up Wednesday. Fortunately, this time around, they did call my brother to let him know a time frame. It was picked up on Wednesday, but it was a process for my brother to get the car to the carrier...AND, having a guy who BARELY speaks English made it all the harder. My brother understood that his neighborhood may have been tough for the truck to come through, so he tried to get the driver to a close parking lot that would have been doable...but because of the guys lack of English, my brother just had to go farther to where the guy originally parked. So, I get a call from the driver on January 14th (Saturday) telling me that he will drop off the car between 5:00pm - 9:00pm on Monday. Perfect, because I didn't have work on Monday. Well, on Monday around 7:00pm, I get a call from the driver...can not understand ONE word he is saying, so he just hangs up. I get a call shortly after (from a lady who DOES speak English) and she tells me he is stuck in Los Angeles traffic and won't be able to get me the car until 8:00 - 11:00am the next morning. I tell her i have to work in the morning, and I would rather just have him deliver it that night, even if it is late (and despite the severity of L.A. traffic, it would have only been about another hour to get it to Santa Monica). She calls him to ask if that is ok, and he says no. So, she tells me he will drop it off between 5:30am - 7:00am. Sucks, but ok, it works for me. Sure enough, I finally get my car (which was dropped off right at my door step, thankfully) on Tuesday (January 17th).
So to recap: Specialty Mobile was great. Easy to speak with. Easy to get a hold of. Costumer friendly. HOWEVER, the Carrier company they got for me (All Auto Express, or something like that) was a NIGHTMARE. Barely spoke a word of English. Inaccurate pick-up/drop-off times and dates. The only good thing I'll say about them is that once the transport was underway, it DID only take a little less than a week to get it across the country. Hope this helps some of you out.
