Company Response Review Report Review
Florida to Oregon transport

Howard Groopman Submitted this review about Ship a Car Direct
Review made Live: 4/27/2010 12:15:00 PM
I called Honesty First on Thurs 4-8 and placed an order with Nicole. She was a pleasure to deal with, and very knowledgeable about the process. I was a first-time car shipper, proposing to move my father's Camry from Fla to Oregon. I asked Nicole to match a competitor's price ($30 lower) and she agreed to give it a try. I made it clear that I would pay the higher price if necessary. My proposed shipping date was Sat 4-17 with an alternate date of Mon 4-19. Nicole told me on 4-8 that she would send out my offer on Mon 4-12, and if no one bit by Weds or Thurs, she would resubmit it at the slightly higher (quoted) price. I heard NOTHING from her for a week after placing the order. I called her on Thus 4-15, and she said she had two potential transporters lined up. One would take the car between 4-21 and 4-23 for the $30 lower price; one would take it on 4-19 for the higher price. We then decided between us that we would go with the trucker that had two drivers, with the hope that two drivers would get the car to Oregon sooner. Again, I did not hear from her, so I called her on Friday 4-16. She said that neither truck had two drivers, but her manager suggested I use the higher-priced transporter because of his experience. I agreed and paid the deposit to Nicole. The driver was supposed to call my parents in Fla on Sunday 4-18 to inform them when he would arrive on Monday. He NEVER called them, either Sunday or Monday. On Tuesday morning, 4-20, I called the Washington State number provided by the broker to find out what was happening. A woman answered the phone without identifying the name of the transport business. (She was possibly the driver's wife.) She gave me his cell number and told me to call her back if I couldn't reach him. I called him and he said he was held up in Miami and didn't call my parents because he did not know when he would pick up the car. He did call them within an hour, and picked up the car that afternoon. (They had to find someone to drive the car to the truck.) He called me in Oregon Sunday night 4-25 and told me he refused to deliver the car to my home because he didn't think the Portland streets could accommodate his truck. He also refused to accept a personal check and demanded cash, check or a MO (no one ever told me that). I had to recruit my daughter to drive me to the arranged meeting place so I could pick up the Camry.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
Florida
Pickup:
Late
Destination State:
Oregon
Delivery:
On Time
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
2944472726
Quote or Order Cost:
$925

Car Condition
  • Vehicle was dirty
Company Response
Michael Strickland from Ship a Car Direct Submitted this response.
Response Date: 4/27/2010 12:38:00 PM
There are some EXCELLENT points to take away from Mr Groopman's experience, the primary of which is that going after the cheapest possible shipping option is a one-way ticket to having a bad experience. The second is READ YOUR TERMS, which he clearly didn't do. We inform everyone that dates are estimates and not guaranteed, that if the carrier cannot access the address you give us that you may need to meet them and that all payments to carriers are COD, cash, cashiers check or money order only. Of course a carrier won't take a personal check on delivery, would you take that risk from a total stranger after completing your job? And it's all there in black and white in his order terms and even available 24 hours a day on our website. Mr. Groopman is also glossing over the fact that Nicole did her job excellently for him, the reason that she didn't call him or adjust his hoped for price sooner is that it was to far in advance of his pickup date and no carrier is going to commit ahead of time to something that pays less than the standard rate, what sense does that make? They are going to hold out for vehicles that pay what they should. If you are shopping for a lower price, then you must remember that you are going for the 'space filler' category and you have to be within your pickup availability to get a commitment. It needs to be noted as well that the average transit time on a FL to OR move is 7 - 10 days, and Mr Groopman received his car, safe and sound in only 6 days. We are sorry that he was unhappy with our assistance in making that happen for him. Hope this review helped you in some way.