Exceptional Service, Fast Delivery - Go with Montway
Stephanie Smith
Submitted this review about
Montway Auto Transport
Review made Live: 5/9/2018 2:17:00 PM
I knew shipping my vehicle from CT to MT was likely not to be an easy process, based on the many negative reviews and comments I read about the industry in general. Which makes zero sense, given the logistics difficulty falls on the driver, not the coordinating transport company.
Montway truly saved me from one hell of a bad experience with another company. I initially went with Door to Door Transport out of FL. They received mostly positive reviews and quoted me a fair price. The gentleman I spoke with ensured my car would be picked up in CT prior to us leaving for Montana and that he would provide me with consistent updates as the process moved along.
This guy made promises he simply could not deliver. He was having a hard time finding a driver who could pick up the car and deliver it after my BF and I arrived in MT (I didnt have a friend or family member to receive the vehicle). I offered to have the vehicle picked up or dropped off without me being present and that I would waive the inspection and liability of the driver to any damage.
Door to Door told me this absolutely could not be done - no driver would pick up the vehicle without someone being physically present to conduct the inspection, even though I was willing to waive all responsibility of the driver to delivering the car in the same condition. This was the first red flag for me (most companies allow this with written consent as it occurs quite often).
Also, he emailed me the quote but no contracts requiring any signatures or outlining the company's rights/responsibilities and mine. This level of informality involving a high cost business transaction left me uneasy, but I let it go as I was on a short timeframe.
The problems arose when the Door to Door rep would email or tell me over the phone that he would follow up later the same day with updates as to the expected pick up of my vehicle and then I would never hear from him. He seemed to be making an effort at finding a driver, but his lack of follow through was becoming a problem.
The Friday before we were leaving for Montana, the door to door rep emailed me that my car would be picked up that day or the next. He would get back to me with the details. I never heard back.
I called him Saturday and he explained his problems with finding a driver. I told him again I would waive inspection rights. Also, was there a facility he could have the driver leave the vehicle if he beat us to MT? the rep said no. he said he would follow up that afternoon. I never heard back.
At this point, since we were leaving on Tuesday and there are so many other companies to choose from, I called Montway on a whim after reading their exceptional reviews on uship.com. I explained the problems, the timeframe and quick turnaround needed and was immediately reassured that my car was in go hands. The Montway rep was profressional, proficient and followed up as promised both via phone and email. Also, contracts were sent that outlined clearly the process steps and legal responsibilities of the company along with mine as the consumer. Because my car would not be picked up until after we left for MT, I could leave the keys and car with my neighbor and waive inspection rights. I would just have to waive in writing. For only another $75.00, I could have my car loaded on top of the trailer and have no concerns with any road debris or damage.
I tried calling Door to Door to cancel the order and received a voicemail (no identification of it being door to door, just a number - it was definitely the right one). This is a Sunday and Door to Door is CLOSED. Seriously? I then emailed the coordinator to cancel the order. I never heard back from him.
Turns out the Door to Door rep NEVER cancelled the order on his end with the freight carrier. The driver called me to scheduled pick up and I explained that I was working with Montway and requested for the car to be loaded on top. He said he never received the request and would follow up. Because these drivers work with multiple companies, I assume he just confused himself somehow and didnt question that I placed the order through Montway. Also, the driver knew I wasnt there with the car and said no problem, he would take pics of it upon pick-up as a form of inspection. So here I assumed again he was with Montway, since the Door to Door rep said no driver would pick up a car without someone being physically present to release it.
This driver was in contact with me multiple times over the course of a few days. I did not realize the order with door to door was never cancelled until I received a phone call later in the week from a different freight carrier stating they dispatched a driver. You can only begin to imagine how confused and frustrated I was at the situation, driving cross-country and having so many different people involved at this point.
I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but let's just say I called Montway immediately and they had never heard of the original driver I was in contact with and confirmed this new driver and company that they dispatched as being their carrier. The Montway rep Victor, understood my frustration with the other company and immediately took action to confim on his end the driver status, etc. Victor is a very competent employee and I hope someone reads this and recognizes him for his exceptional service.
At this point I called Door to Door and was seething with frustration at their blatant idiocy. I felt so terribly bad for the driver they dispatched who would be losing the order/money and the only one clearly working to get my car as promised.
The door to door rep thought my car had already been picked up!! He claimed he never received my email stating that I cancelled the order. And he completely dismissed the fact that he promised to follow up once he found a driver to pick up my car. He just acted like I was the one out of line and that he delivered on his obligation. I was floored to say the least. How could I possibly leave my car not knowing if it would be picked up? I had paid a $95.00 deposit (Montway does not require any money until the car is delivered) and told the rep to keep it, I did not care. He told me more than once that he did not want my money in a flippant way. Finally, I told the guy this conversation was a waste of our time and that the driver is the one who is owed the most for being put out of his way. I said I wanted my money back after dealing with his incompetency, a written confirmation that the order was cancelled and assurance that the driver was notified as he was en route to get my car. I hung up.
Door to Door not only kept my money (such a small sum I didn't care anyway), but DIDNT CALL THE DRIVER TO CANCEL!!! To play it safe, I called the driver to let him know of the error on Door to Door's behalf and apologize for how it hurt him in the end from a time and fuel charges perspective. He said he had no idea the order was cancelled. No one called him and he was an hour away from getting my car. The poor guy! I offered to compensate him a couple hundred bucks for his troubles as I doubt door to door would own up to their mistake.
I wanted to let you know all of this because Door to Door left me with such a bad taste. Montway, on the other hand, delivered as promised, every single step of the way. Their freight carrier they contract with picked up my car on Thursday May 3 and delivered it Saturday night, May 5th. Wow! The driver was operating alone with 10 vehicles. I made sure to tip him as he delivered my car almost exactly to the minute he promised and in the same exact condition I left it.
Bottomline, go with Montway and avoid Door to Door at all costs. I absolutely will use Montway again and recommend them to all. They took a last minute request and delivered with a fair price (a few hundred above average - proving you pay for what you get in this industry) and constant, almost daily communication and follow-through every step of the way.
