Excellent service!
Leslie Sweeney
Submitted this review about
Automotive Transport Inc.
Review made Live: 7/26/2004 2:25:00 AM
Paula (and Janis) gave me great service, including first, Paula's patience in answering questions, explaining everything, and listening to all my details in setting up my order. She was (throughout the deal) businesslike and efficient, but also human and friendly. You could tell that she, as owner, took seriously her personal interest in carrying out her end of things. She is a broker, with a small operation, so it's very closely managed, and it's definitely to her advantage to try to use only good carriers/drivers.
Because the USPS managed to delay delivery of my payment to the car dealer 3000 miles away by a good week [Hint: Use at least Priority Mail, if you don't want to pay for FedEx!], my car wasn't available to be shipped for the first pickup time Paula set up, which was only a few days after I signed up with Automotive Transport. I had warned her, when I signed up, that my check hadn't made it there yet and so she should call me or the seller before booking a carrier if it was right away. However, the carrier driver called the seller directly, without my knowing (or knowing for sure if my check had arrived, in fact), to arrange the pickup, so the seller waved him off. Janis then called me (to make sure I was still around, I guess, but only left a "call back" msg, which I responded to with voice and email msgs that weren't answered). When I found out from the seller, the next day, what had happened, and explained it to Paula and Janis (who already knew what had happened, of course), they didn't waste time worrying about it (as they hadn't wasted effort to follow up with me, since they now knew I hadn't skipped town or anything), but just told me to tell them when it was safe to reschedule. I was embarrassed, but they were very nice about it!
When I alerted them it was ok to go ahead, they arranged a carrier for a few days from then (don't know if it was the same guy or not, probably not?), and this time they gave me (via email) his company name, his first name and dispatch phone number, a probable pickup date, and a 2-day range of probable delivery. Again, I heard from the seller that the car had been picked up, and it was a day earlier than I had been told to expect (fine!). I could have called the driver's phone to check on delivery but didn't really need to, so I just waited. He was supposed to give me at least 6 hrs notice, preferably 12 hrs, and Paula had said drivers usually call the night before, after they're stopped for the night. However, he called the day after the 2-day window, at 9am, from a few hrs away, but had things to do in that city and was fairly flexible about timing. He had me call him on his cell phone (since I don't have one) a couple times as we narrowed in on the delivery location (a shopping center) and exact time.
I arrived just as he was driving my car off the top of the truck, since he'd had to jump start it (turned out radio had been left on at very very low volume, by mistake, at seller's). But he (Andy, nice young Polish immigrant, independent owner-operator from Chicago base, with a very nice rig, also businesslike and efficient, but human and friendly) wasn't even a little upset at having this little glitch ("that's just part of my job!"). He was helpful and fairly patient with my inspection (which was slower than some people's probably, because I had only seen the car before in online pictures and descriptions). On the phone the first time, he was concerned to make sure I had the money in hand (must have been burned recently??), but once he could tell I was an ok customer, he was very nice. Car seemed (and seems) to be fine, and I watched him jockey another car to the top where mine had been and tie it down, get his truck ready (including politely asking some cars that had come along and were hanging out in the parking lot to move over a little so he could make the exit), and drive away, and I saw that he indeed appeared to be quite competent.
You would probably only by luck happen to get this same driver/carrier, but I would trust Paula and Janis to broker you an equally good job, and I know you will get good answers to all your questions, and all-around great service (without extra calls or ontoward interruptions in your life).
FYI, they had warned in their initial email contract confirmation to me (first time they scheduled, for pickup beginning June 25) that it was the busy transport season and it might take longer to schedule/deliver. However, they had someone to pick up within 3 or 4 days. When we were finally ready to ship, the actual pickup was on July 10 (I had been told to expect the 11th) and the delivery was on July 22 (told probably 20-21). I had told them that the pickup location (a dealer) was available 7 days a week, and that I was also available 7 days and not in a desperate hurry for the car.
I am happy with the times/dates and everything else about this transaction. It's a pleasure to recommend them.
