Company Response
Michelle Mesa from
AutoGo Transport Submitted this response.
Response Date: 11/12/2013 4:38:00 PM
This is Charles Bavier. I am the owner of AutoGo. Joseph's posting caught me completely by surprise.
This incident, which occurred in August of this year, began when the transporter swerved to avoid an accident, went off the road and down an embankment. Joseph's cars and others were damaged in the process. Joseph's two cars were a mid-70s MG and a mid-70s Corvette. During the first couple of days after the accident the owner of the transporter was incredibly stressed over what had happened. He had 10 different car owners and their insurance adjusters calling him and he was understandably worried that this would be the end of his business. His communications were not always the clearest which aggravated the situation and was understandably frustrating to Joseph.
Transporters are required to be bonded and carry liability and cargo insurance. As a broker, AutoGo verifies that this insurance is in place during the time a car is being transported. We obtain a certificate of coverage from the insurance carrier that includes the limits and exclusions of the policy. When the transporter's insurer in this case was initially contacted, they indicated they would not cover these cars because of their age. This exclusion was not stated on the certificate and frankly, this would not be the first time an insurer denied a claim just to see what would happen, especially with a claim that involved 10 vehicles.
As with all insurance, there is a deductible and in most cases, this ranges from $5,000 to $10,000. In the case of Joseph's cars, and most cars more than 25 years old, any damage, up to totaling the car, would be less than the deductible. So, policy exclusions aside, these cars would not be covered by insurance. But that doesn't mean that Joseph has been out-of-pocket any expense. AutoGo made sure that the transporter agreed to cover any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Joseph. That's what we do as a broker.
Contrary to Joseph's statement 'AutoGo ran my credit card, collected their 1850.00 and I haven't heard from them since', I have spoken to Joseph several times. With our last call, Joseph had filed a claim with his insurer, the transporter had agreed to cover any out-of-pocket expenses, the cars were being delivered and Joseph indicated that, under the circumstances, he was satisfied. He had my cell phone number and email address. I would have expected that if anything changed, he would contact me.
I take strong exception to Joseph's last comment. 'The true measure of a company's character is measured when nothing goes right. Buyer beware is the lesson here.' AutoGo has been in business for 15 years. We have always stood behind our customers when something has gone wrong in the transport process, including paying out of our own pocket when we can't get satisfaction from the transporter. There is however a process to follow which includes claims forms and adjusters and sometimes frustration but there is only so much control we can have over these obstacles. In the end, we do business on the Internet, we know how easy it is for our customers to post their frustrations, so if for no other reason than self-preservation, we want our customers happy.
Joseph, you have my number, I've left you a voicemail. I would love to talk to you and understand what has happened since our last conversation.