Don't Expect Responsible Service from Advance Car Carrier
Fred Fuller
Submitted this review about
Advance Car Carrier
Review made Live: 11/15/2011 8:09:00 AM
My 2007 Subaru Legacy GT Limited was shipped from Lake Oswego, Oregon to Homosassa, Florida through Magic Carpet Auto Transport, using Advance Car Carrier Corporation as the carrier. It was picked up 10/18/11 and delivered 10/24/11. I was concerned from the moment the driver started his pickup inspection. My car had one very small ding in one door and a nick in the paint on the rear bumper - otherwise it looked immaculate. However, the driver noted so many finish marks (in illegible handwriting) that you would have thought it had been driven in a wreck-em derby. None-the-less, I had to leave for my move to Florida in 4 days, so I let him take the car, hoping he was just over-protecting his company against fraud. Since I was travelling by auto from Oregon, the car was accepted by my brother-in-law at its destination. It arrived early in the morning, and in the dim light my brother-in-law failed to note a small dent that had been made in the front, center area of the hood. It appears that the car was driven under something that was too low, causing a depression and white paint transfer to the hood of the car - something the driver who moved it had to know. I discovered the dent in the hood when I arrived in Florida on 11/3/11. It was still sitting in my brother-in-law's yard, where it had been parked at delivery, and the odometer still registered the same 22,142 miles as when it was picked up. I got two estimates of $405 and $550 to repair the dent. I immediately reported the damage to Advance Car Carrier's insurance company, who told me to contact contact Advance Car Carrier before filing a claim, in case they preferred to pay for the damage directly. I called Advance, but was advised that I needed to speak to Elena, who was not in the office and who was also absent the next 3 times I called. When I finally reached her 5 days later, she sounded very ready to help but needed to talk to her drivers to get their side of the story. A few days later, I received an email stating that my claim was denied because I had not filed it within 2 days of delivery (while I was still travelling) and because my vehicle was shipped "As Is." There was no further explanation. Already knowing what to expect, I re-contacted Advance Car Carrier's insurance company who advised me it was pointless to file a claim, since Advance has a $1000 deductible policy, and would have to cover the cost of the claim themselves - already having denied it. I felt like everyone ran me in circles just for sport. In the end, I paid a premium price hoping to get the best care for my car, but I would have been better off going with the cheapest company and assuming I would eat the cost of repairs.
