Transported Vehicle Damaged

Virginia Smithwick Submitted this review about Suncoast Auto Transport Inc.
Review made Live: 4/23/2010 10:11:00 AM
Suncoast Auto Transport actually did a pretty good job. It was the company they matched me with, Transporters, Inc., that was the problem. The driver, Jim Clark, had one problem after another that resulted in a late pick up. Then he had "a mishap" in transport that damaged the rear bumper of the car we were shipping. He made no mention of it until delivery. Visual inspection of the car at a body shop indicated replacing the bumper. Another Jim at Transporter's Inc. in Illinois was difficult to deal with- not wanting to repair of the car unlessl a waiver was filed releasing his company from any blame even if further damage from the incident was found at the time or repair. Suncoast tried to help at first but ended up bowing out. Just be very careful if Transporters Inc. is the company chosen to actually transport the vehicle- especially if the driver's name is Jim Clark. Even though everyone carries bundles of insurance, you can't be sure a damaged vehicle will be properly handled or properly repaired.

Company Response
Becky from Suncoast Auto Transport Inc. Submitted this response.
Response Date: 4/27/2010 12:15:00 PM
Suncoast immediately took action to protect our customer and make sure the carrier took responsibility for any and all damage done. The carrier (Transporter Specialists) had no problem taking full responsibility for 100% of the damage and fully cooperated. Unfortunately the customer was not cooperative and delayed the entire process. Understandably, the customer voiced concerns about the damage done yet she refused to take her dodge neon to the proper facilities to get an estimate. Both Suncoast and Transporter Specialists urged her to take her vehicle to the dealer or any other reputable shop that has experience and knowledge on working with dodge neons so they could tell her exactly what had to be done and give her an accurate estimate for the total price. The customer REFUSED and instead went to only 1 place for an estimate that was not even sure what needed to be done to repair the bumper. The carrier was ready to pay top price to make sure the damage was completely repaired professionally and quickly but it is quite difficult to make someone happy when they would not even answer our calls or take the vehicle to get a proper estimate so that it can be fixed. She then refused to take the money for the repairs because she did not want to sign a waiver simply stating that all damages were repaired and the carrier had fulfilled their responsibilities. It is extremely important to Suncoast that in the rare event that an accident does happen, the repairs are done the right way, in a timely manner, so that it is as little inconvenience to our customer as possible. We bend over backwards to help our customers and although this customer did not spend a dime, she made it very difficult to help her. She did not pick up the phone when we called, would not listen to anything we said when we tried to explain how to resolve this, did not want to get an estimate for the damages, and finally refused to take the money at first because she did not want to sign the waiver. We did the best we could for her and finally the repairs were done and she did not pay anything out of pocket