If a cross country move wasn't bad enough, trying to ship our car with Countrywide Auto Transport was the absolute worst part.
After checking multiple companies online in mid-May, I decided to book with Countrywide Auto Transport to ship my Honda Civic from Southern California to Pennsylvania in the middle of June. I paid 1095.00 up front (which, as I found out later, is NOT industry standard) and agreed to a pickup date of June 12 through June 14. This was vitally important as my fiancee and I were leaving California to drive to Pennsylvania on the early morning of June 16th.
After making my reservation, I was unsure how I was going to find out when the driver was coming for my car, so I called Countrywide Auto. I was told that I would get a call 2-3 days before the beginning of the period for pickup. About a week prior to the shipping window, I called again to confirm and was told that I would hear from a driver later that week. On June 12th, after not hearing from Countrywide Auto, I called them and was told that the I would get a call some time during the three day window with the date that my car was to be picked up. When I pointed out that the contract was not to set the date of pickup between June 12 and June 14, but to pick up the car, the story changed to one in which I would get a call later that day to specify when the car was to be picked up.
I never got a call that afternoon (you'll notice a common thread with Countrywide Auto saying they will do things and not going them). I called them back and was told that I would get a call the next day, Friday the 13th to set it up, but it might not get picked up until June 14th, the last day of the window. It was at this point that Countrywide first said that the car might need to get picked up during the next week. I told them that we had a contract, they had my money and that this was totally unacceptable and they agreed that the car would be picked up Saturday, June14th.
We did not hear from Countrywide Auto on Friday, June 13th, so my fiancee called them first thing in the morning on June 14th and were told that our car would likely not get picked up that day because it was Father's Day weekend and our driver was having a hard time off-loading his truck and that he couldn't pick up our car until he off-loaded all his other cars. We told them that this wasn't our problem, and over the course of the morning, Countrywide Auto's story changed from the "full truck, busy for Father's Day" story to a "we can't find a driver to pick up your car because things are so expensive" story. I told them again, politely, that this wasn't my problem and that we had a contract. If things had gotten cheaper, they would not have refunded any of my money paid to them, so things getting more expensive after our contract was made could not result in their getting more money from me.
At this time we were told again that we should leave our car with a neighbor or someone else and it would hopefully be picked up some time in the next week. We told them that this wasn't a possibility. Then Mike told us that we could have a refund if we wanted. Mind you, this was just before Countrywide Auto closed the day before Father's Day on the last day our contract specified my car would get picked up. After reading other reviews, it seems like this was Countrywide Auto's way of dealing with their low bids. Make a low bid and collect the customer's money. If things work out (and in my case they certainly didn't), great. If things get too expensive, they give the customer the run-around and eventually offer a refund (or encourage a refund when they realized they couldn't deliver on our contract, to be more specific). Countrywide Auto did offer to increase their bid to driver's to pick up our car by $100, but it took nearly a dozen phone calls before this was made and they still could not give us a firm date that our car would be picked up. The most insulting part was when we were told by Mike at Countrywide Auto that we should "have a back-up plan."
NO!
We have a contract. My end of the bargain was upheld. I had paid my money a month in advance and my car was ready to be picked up. COUNTRYWIDE'S end of the bargain wasn't upheld and THEY should have had a back-up plan.
We were luckily able to rebook at the last minute with another, far more professional company. However, because we booked 2 days in advance instead of 1 month in advance, it cost us an additional $520 and a drive to the other company's regional lot in the Los Angeles area.
So, to sum up, our experience with Countrywide Auto Transport boiled down to:
1. Countrywide Auto taking money and being unable or unwilling to deliver on their end of the contract.
2. Employees with different stories, many of them frequently false.
3. False promises of pick up dates and returned phone calls.
3. A total lack of accountability.
4. Rude, insulting phone interactions on the behalf of Countrywide Auto.
5. Needing ten days, 3 phone calls and an email to get a refund of our money. Very quick to take our money, very slow to give it back.
Moving your car is a big decision. I can't tell you which company to choose, but I recommend doing your research prior to deciding and to remember that cheaper isn't always better.
