AmeriFreight: Fair Price and Smooth Process
Rudy Quiles
Submitted this review about
AmeriFreight Car Shipping
Review made Live: 10/13/2010 12:14:00 AM
This is my first experience paying for the transportation of my personal vehicles. I did a lot of research online, and paid particular attention to service brokers referred by Military.com, as my move was a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move from Texas to California.
What sold me on AmeriFreight was a combination of price, endorsement/sponsorship by Military.com, and a verbal commitment by the broker to provide outstanding service. Other brokers sounded like used car salesmen, but Jonathan Goolsbee came across as a professional, thorough and fair individual.
Jonathan and AmeriFreight's contract was fair and straightforward. Their commitment to meeting my ship window didn't come attached with strings or extra fees. Proper prior planning was key...give AmeriFreight a fair lead time of 7-10 days and they will hit their target for pickup. With me, they did, and that was critical because I had a deadline in which to vacate my apartment before the household goods movers came.
AF partnered me with a company called So*Cal Auto Transport. Their pickup driver, Bear, was a wonderful chap who personally cared about every auto he had on his rig. So*Cal transport, however, needs to invest in better trucks because Bear did not have his personal rig and had to deal with a flat, a starter problem, and no sleeper cab during his trip to pick up and deliver my vehicles. Bear remained jovial, professional, and helpful throughout his personal ordeal, and I respected what he was going through being stuck with suboptimal equipment for such a long drive. Bear picked up my vehicles on my target date albeit in the early evening several hours later than I hoped, but at least he got there on the target date.
So*Cal auto transport gave him an estimated delivery date of 3-5 days after pickup. Well, Bear's rig betrayed him several times during the trip so my cars didn't show up for 11 days after pickup. That was OK, as I could survive without the cars as we had a third vehicle in California already.
Damage to the vehicles was minor, some cosmetic rubs and a scrape or two in otherwise invisible areas, but nonetheless will require hundred of dollars in repairs. I still gave both AmeriFreight and So*Cal excellent marks because of the process, not necessarily the end delivery service. I will submit a claim based on the contract at hand and if I can't get it filed, that's what insurance is for...so make sure your insurance covers you appropriately before you ship your vehicles.
I chose an open carrier option and my vehicles arrived fine. Dirty, some minor damage, but all in all, good to go. This option saved me several hundred dollars, which will still be cheaper vs. the repair cost incorporated into the total shipment cost. Shipping the cars also saved me time, exhaustion, and hassle...and that's worth the price, too. Not to mention the safety factor of avoiding a long and dangerous drive solo from TX to CA!
AF really cares about its reputation, so it offered me a small rebate to ensure that - good or bad - I wrote a review. Thankfully, I had a positive experience.
Let me wrap up by saying thank you to AF and SCAT. I will use them again in the future and would gladly endorse them, particularly if you are moving from major markets or doing military moves.
