One of the most frustrating experiences in my life
Eugene
Submitted this review about
AmeriFreight Car Shipping
Review made Live: 7/7/2010 7:50:00 PM
It is difficult to provide an unbiased and comprehensive assessment of my experience because I had a subjectively miserable experience. The broker, Amerifreight, explained that my situation was mainly a result of a back-up on the specific route I was using (namely, from LA to Boston). I do believe there must have been some traffic along that route, but regardless, the way my situation was handled was suboptimal from a customer's perspective.
I purchased a "guaranteed" 5 day, priority rate with AmeriFreight because my schedule was tight and I really needed the car to be picked up in a specific window. The car was not shipped in that window and was in fact shipped 3 weeks after the first date of availability for pickup. This was very disruptive to my plans, and caused difficulty both on the sending and receiving ends.
As I was nervous about the whole situation, hoping for the car to be shipped promptly, I was diligent about calling the AmeriFreight agents both before, during, and after the window for pickup. Jonathan, my primary agent, was difficult to get a hold of throughout the process. I understand it is a busy business, but I had to call several times to get a single answer. Also, only a small percentage of my messages were returned. When I did get a hold of him, he was good about explaining the situation and trying to make things better, so I do give him credit for that.
After the 5 day window passed, I was transferred to a supervising agent, Amy, who takes over cases that go beyond their promised windows. To try to find a carrier for the car, Amy and Jonathan described that they would minimize the deposit required (or their cut of the cost), but also asked me to offer more money to make my shipment more attractive to carriers. In the end, I paid about $200+ more than I had anticipated.
Once the carrier was found, however, the car was shipped promptly. The carrier was Alborz Trucking. They were VERY responsive, which I appreciate greatly (in contrast to my communication with AmeriFreight). Every time I called, someone picked up. If they missed my call, they would call me back even if I didn't leave a message. The car arrived within 5 days after it was shipped.
I do admit there was a small component of responsibility on my part for the delay, but this was minimal. 2.5 weeks into the ordeal, AmeriFreight did find a carrier for me (at an increased price), but unfortunately they would not accept a car with cargo (which I had in my car). Within a few days, they were able to find another carrier who would accept some cargo.
All that being said, it was quite a frustrating experience. There must have been a situational component responsible as it did seem that the carrier routes were in fact crowded, but as a customer, it was one of the most disappointing experiences from both a communicative and service perspective.
