DO NOT USE AMERICAN AUTO TRANSPORT!!!
Ian Swinton
Submitted this review about
American Auto Transport
Review made Live: 3/25/2008 4:08:00 PM
If you are even considering using American Auto Transport (though the fax that they sent me said "All-American Auto Transport", which is NOT their registered name, but actually a company that gets good reviews) DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!
I had a terrible experience with American Auto Transport. I have never been lied to so many times by a single company. I decided to use them after receiving a follow up email from Alex Whitaker ensuring me that they were able to handle my transport and eager to do so. From that moment NOTHING went right.
SHORT VERSION:
Confirmation made Feb 25, 2008 ship an F-150 from Utah to Pennsylvania for $975.
Available for pick up March 6, 2008
Finally picked up March 18th and dropped off damaged the evening of March 21, 2008.
My confirmation documents were lost (Reference #1492168), and then magically found when I told them I had a fax confirmation showing that the confirmation went through.
My vehicle was picked up 12 days late.
Alex Whitaker will not answer your phone calls.
"Jessica" in customer service told me that the semi that was going to pick truck up was coming from Michigan and caught in weather - the truck came from Kanab, Utah and had never been in or near Michigan.
My truck was delivered with a large dent in the tailgate that looks like a motorcycle fell over into it (several hundred dollars to repair, of which the driver only paid a small portion).
My vehicle finally arrived only after I was on a first name basis with the customer service department and I was making 2 phone calls a day trying to get the thing picked up.
Save yourself the $200 deposit and use a different company! Or spend a little more and save yourself the time effort, and heartache. Feel free to contact me if you are really tempted to use this fraudulent company.
LONG VERSION:
I faxed all of the necessary confirmation and order information back them 11 days before my first available pick up day. I followed up the fax with an email to Alex (to which he did not respond) and a phone call (to which he did not answer). When the day of my pick up came I still had not heard anything so I called Alex to make sure everything was in line. He assured me that I was scheduled for pick up the following day and informed me that the driver would be calling me 6-12 hours before pickup. (I was moving cross country two days later and needed the vehicle).
The next day, the day I was told the vehicle would be picked up I still had not heard anything by noon, so I called Alex back inquiring as to the status of my order. He replied, "Oh, we never received your confirmation back from you." I was holding the fax confirmation in my hand that showed the fax went through and the date (11 days earlier). I then reminded Alex of our phone conversation the day before wherein I was told the vehicle would be picked up that day. Long pause... "Hold on." I was put on hold for ~10 minutes at which time I met "Jessica" from the customer service department. I gave Jessica my reference number and she too said "Did you send back your confirmation information?" I gave her the date and time on the fax confirmation that I had in hand and also explained the conversation I had the previous day with Alex. Magically my confirmation documents were found. But at the same time Jessica told me that the truck that was supposed to pick up mine was delayed, and that "they just found out about it, just now." She told me she would call me the first of the following week with an update. Jessica did not call back. I called her back and was told that the truck that was supposed to pick up mine was in Michigan and was on its way. But that she would call me and tell me when the truck was to arrive. No call for 2 days.
By now I have already personally driven from Utah to Pennsylvania in a moving truck, towing a car. I called back and spoke to Natalie who confirmed the Michigan story but said, "Michigan... that's odd." I told her that I agreed. She told me that she would call dispatch and find out what was going on - she actually did call back. "Mr. Swinton, the vehicle will be picked up NO LATER than Monday, no later." (That was 10 days after the vehicle was supposed to be picked up and 9 days after I was assured it would be picked up). Monday came... by afternoon I still had not heard anything, so I called Jessica back, before I could even give my reference number Jessica said "Hello Mr. Swinton." (Unless you want to be on a voice recognition basis w/ a customer service rep, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY). I asked Jessica when my vehicle would be picked up. She said she was not sure. I told her that I would hold until she was sure. 7 minutes later Jessica came back and told me, "They will pick it up tomorrow." I asked what time, she said she didn't know. I told her I would hold until she did know. She came back on the line after actually speaking to the driver and told me 9 am.
Just when I thought I was out of the woods... 8:30am the next day, the driver called me and told me that he had a vehicle on his way to my place (I had a neighbor on call for over a week!) that he wanted to pick up before getting mine. He told me he would be there by 10am. 10:30 rolled around and I had not heard anything, so I call Phil Baird (driver) to ask where he was. He told me that he was just loading the other vehicle and then he would come to get mine, "but, I have already taken money on another vehicle and I am not sure if I am going to have room for your truck." He explained. I asked when he would know? (Because the balance of the fee was due directly to the driver on delivery, AAT had already made their money on me and I had no leverage with the guy, except to tell him that he had lied to me.) He told me that he would call me in 30 minutes to let me know if he had room. An hour went by, no phone call, so I called Jessica back. "How are you Mr. Swinton?" "My truck is still in my driveway - how should I be?" For the first time, Jessica actually apologized. I explained to Jessica that I felt that I had been more than patient and told her of the conversation that I had just had with the driver about not having room to pick up my truck. After noon the driver finally came, picked up my truck and actually made very good time to PA. When he unloaded my truck he informed me that something had fallen over and hit my truck. "I had a furniture blanket on it and everything, but it went right through." He offered me a $100 to repair it and asked me if I thought that would cover it. I said "No." So he gave me $150. That will not cover the repair, but I was so worn out by then entire experience that I was just glad I had a vehicle again.
So, next time I move I will NOT be using American Auto Transport. Take my advice; go elsewhere, even if it costs a little more. Two weeks into it I would have gladly paid a few hundred more dollars to know that my truck would actually arrive.
