A broker is only as good as the companies they use
David Carlin
Submitted this review about
AmeriFreight Car Shipping
Review made Live: 12/21/2009 2:04:00 AM
I used AmeriFreight to arrange moving two cars from Ohio to California as part of a military move. I used them primarily because of their excellent rating on this site, but also their competitive price and military discount helped seal the deal. AmeriFreight arranged for my two vehicles to be moved via Athena Express, a company I was told they used a handful of times before without issue, but in my case one of the cars arrived damaged. The cars were picked up on time, and actually delivered a day early. If it weren't for the damage to one of the cars, this would have been a five star review.
Athena apparently delivered the cars to a terminal in Perris, CA where another company with a smaller truck did the local delivery - something I wasn't expecting. When I talked to AmeriFreight, they said this wasn't supposed to be done. When the cars arrived, there was a large dent in the rear bumper of one of the cars. The local delivery guy, who wasn't the driver I gave the car to (Jun Young Hyun), said he received it that way - how could I argue with him, since he wasn't the guy I gave the cars to? When we called the original driver, Jun Young Hyun, he wanted to have the repair work done back at the Perris, CA terminal and said it would be done the next day - which instantly tipped me off that it would be a terrible repair job. No way they could order a new bumper and properly paint and clearcoat in less than 24 hours. In fact, I've received 3 quotes for the repair work from reputable body shops, and they all wanted 3 days just for the paint work. I demanded that we use his insurance company, and he was very upset and tried to dissuade me - complaining about how it was going to cost HIM more money. When I threatened not to pay, the local delivery guy put the cars back on the truck and tried to take them back to the terminal - I called the police and stood in front of the truck for about twenty minutes, but the La Quinta, CA police didn't arrive despite repeated called. I finally gave in fearing what might happen to my undamaged car if they were taken away and paid the COD to accept delivery. I reluctantly paid for the cars and noted the damage on the bill of lading, which when I called AmeriFreight they said that was the proper procedure.
Well, Its been about 6 weeks. I've contacted Athena Express via email, phone calls - no response, no repairs. I was able to get their Insurance information from AmeriFreight, but the insurance company won't pay since the damage is less than Athena Express' $1000 deductible. Before I shipped, I noticed AmeriFreight offered the AFTA insurance - but I didn't need it. GEICO said they would waive my deductible in the car was damaged during transport, so it didn't make sense to pay $65 for AFTA, which I don't have a deductible *in this instance*. So, check with your insurance company before you decide on AFTA - but if you do have a deductible, seems worth the piece of mind that AmeriFreight will pick up the deductible. However, I'm still upset I had to involve my own insurance - Athena Express is clearly at fault, making GEICO pay just raises the rates of everyone one of their customers.
I'm giving the experience two stars because AmeriFreight was extremely helpful in trying to get this issue resolved with Athena Express' insurance company, but ultimately I had to use my own insurance. I haven't decided if I will use them again for when the Navy ultimately decides to move my family again, but the fact that they recommended Athena Express to me does not sit well. They claim to use the best carriers in the industry, their website states "top 5% of carrier companies from over 2000" - how exactly do they determine who is the top 5%? Seems unlikely a top 5% company in the industry would have NO reviews on this site, which was the case with Athena Express. Athena Express is one guy with one truck, and a company they admitted to using less than 5 times prior to my move. Doesn't sound like the top 5% of the industry to me.
