When you are planning to ship your vehicle, there are certain points that you should keep in mind to have a positive experience as hiring a wrong company for the job may ruin your experience and can damage your vehicle too. Following are some check points that you can rely upon:
Make a List of Required Companies
Search online for local companies to find the ones that perform the specific services that you need because contacting all shipping companies would be a waste of time if they do not actually perform the service that you need from them. As you may require an enclosed auto transport instead of open transport and in such case, you should consider only those companies that specifically offered enclosed auto transport. Other such specific services may include terminal-to-terminal service, door-to-door service, or crossing international borders.
Don’t Forget to Check Customer Ratings and Reviews for Companies That You’re Considering
It is not very difficult to check the company rep in today’s times. All you need to do is to check online the reviews and ratings posted at the business review websites by former customers. Read all reviews thoroughly and see what their past customers have said about these companies. You can also ask your friends and family for their opinions of the companies as well if they have prior experience with them. Be aware of any companies that seem unreliable, unrealistic and/ or low-quality.Compare negative or critical reviews of each company with the positive reviews received by the company. Comparison will make it easy for you to estimate the number of satisfied customers of the company.
Refrain Wire Transfer Payments
Be aware that reliable and legitimate auto transport companies always ask for payment in the form of checks or credit cards. Be alert if a company prefers that you pay them in the form of a wire transfer as then there’s a higher chance that it’s an untrustworthy company. In other case if a company accepts wire transfers but prefers credit card or check payments then that company is probably legitimate. Check if there are Any Spelling and Grammar Mistakes on the Company’s Website
It is a very unusual way of judging the reliability of a company but it works. A genuine company running a reliable business will always be very conscious about the grammar and spelling mistakes on its website. Lots of spelling and grammar mistakes indicates that the website was put up quickly by a sham company which is further an alert about the reliability of a company.
Check If the Company Has a Valid Motor Carrier Number
All auto transport companies are required to be registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates all auto transport companies operating in the United States. Each company requires to have an MC (Motor Carrier) Number. Be sure to check the MC Number of the company that you are planning to hire as any company that doesn’t have this number is definitely a fraudulent company. In fact if a company is a legitimate then most probably they will provide this number on its website or will provide it when asked. Some fraud companies may provide fake number and to verify a company’s MC Number you can go to the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Electronic Records website.
Find out what carrier options the company offers. A company can transport your car in 1 of 3 ways: using an open carrier, a multi carrier, or an enclosed carrier. Open and multi carriers are the cheapest, but they leave your car exposed to the elements. Enclosed carriers are best for luxury cars that you want to keep protected.[6]
- Nearly every auto transport company will definitely offer open carrier transportation. However, you may need to look a little harder if you’re set on using a company that offers enclosed transportation.
Know the Insurance Plans Offered by the Company
Be sure to know all the details of your own auto insurance plan and confirm if it will adequately cover your car while the company is transporting it. You may need to purchase insurance from the company itself if your own auto insurance doesn’t cover everything during transportation. Be specific to not do business with a company that can’t insure your car while it’s being transported as in such case if anything happens to the car, you may not be able to receive any sort of reimbursement. Ask for the proof of the insurance offered by the company and don’t believe on the verbal offer to make sure that it’s not a scam. It is legally required from the legitimate companies to provide proof of insurance upon request.
Inquire About Company’s Cancellation Policy
Be aware of the cancellation policy of the company. Ask about the deadline after which you’d have to pay a fee to cancel your reservation with the company as you may need to retain some flexibility in your schedule. Be sure to communicate this to the company’s customer service representative and ask what options they provide for cancelling or rescheduling your reservation. One company may penalize you for cancelling a reservation but allow you to reschedule your reservation at no cost but another company may not follow the same. Be sure to get the terms of the cancellation policy or service in writing especially if the company offers you a unique cancellation policy or any other special service.
These are some of the important points that you must keep in mind while hiring an auto transport company.
