STAY AWAY!!!
David
Submitted this review about
Best Auto Movers
Review made Live: 11/9/2011 4:27:00 AM
On September 21, 2011, I had purchased a collector's car from eBay. The vehicle was located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Truthful Transport had contacted me and asked if I still need to have the vehicle ship to California. The total shipping cost for an enclosed trailer was $1,200.00. The broker, Truthful Transport, would be paid $100.00 as their commission for locating a carrier to transport the vehicle and the remaining $1,100.00 will be paid to the carrier, Best Auto Movers. Todd from Truthful Transport had stated to me that Best Auto Movers is an excellent carrier that operates enclosed trailer only. Todd also stated that Best Auto Movers has a “Cargo Insurance” deductible of $1,000.00 and has transported high end vehicles for him in the past. Todd told me that Best Auto Movers only handle cars with “White Gloves” and that my collector's car will be in very good hands. The seller, Bryan, had parked the vehicle on his driveway on his private property while he waited inside his house for a phone call from the driver like the driver stated that he will call 1 hour prior to arrival. Bryan had called me immediately on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 to let me know that he had received a call from Best Auto Movers and that the driver will call him 1 hour prior to his arrival to pick up the vehicle. Bryan said that the driver told him that the window timeframe for pick up will be 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST. Bryan had call me and asked me to set aside 30-45 minutes when he calls me so that I can be on the phone with him so that he can tell me exactly what is happening during the pick up and loading process. Bryan said that he didn’t receive a call 1 hour prior to the driver’s arrival like the driver stated he would. By 9:30 PM EST, Bryan called me to let me know that the driver was not here yet. At the same time, Bryan said that he looked at his video cameras that were installed on his property and happen to noticed 2 kids walking around and attempting to open the driver’s side door on the vehicle. He immediately walked outside to ask the kids to please don’t touch the vehicle and get off his property. He said that the kids have replied “It’s ok. We’re just looking at your car.” Bryan said that he didn’t like the fact that those kids were on his private property and touching the vehicle. Bryan knows that this vehicle has a very high theft rate because of the limited production. He said that he does live near by a high school and had been followed home before in the past because of the vehicle. He only parks the vehicle in a garage due to the high theft rate. Bryan begins to walks over to the vehicle after his request to the kids to get off his property had been ignored. As Bryan approaches the kids, the kids finally decided to identify themselves as the drivers from Best Auto Movers. Bryan had asked them “How come you didn’t call me 1 hour prior to your arrival like you stated earlier? You know that in the State of Florida, you could have been shot by walking onto someone’s private property without permission and then start touching their property, like their cars.” Bryan asked them for identification and the kids had shown him their IDs and the bill of lading as proof that they are from Best Auto Movers here to pick up the vehicle. Bryan noticed that the kids already made a bunch of markings on the bill of lading that he disagreed with in regards to the current condition of the vehicle. The drivers had begun performing the pre-inspection without Bryan’s presence, which is not what was told to Bryan by Best Auto Movers. This was not how it should be done as Todd from Truthful Transport had explained to me when I placed the order with him. Bryan had asked them to remove the markings on the bill of lading and start over because they are supposed to perform the pre-inspection together with Bryan and not without. The kids had stated that they could not remove the markings that are already made because the bill of lading is carbon copy, but the kids are willing to walk Bryan through the markings. After Bryan and the drivers walk around the entire vehicle with the bill of lading, Bryan had told the drivers that he does not agree with the excessive markings on the front bumper because what the kids thought were scratches were actually dirt. Bryan had wiped off all the dirt spots to show the drivers that they are not scratches. The drivers and Bryan agreed and due to the bill of lading having carbon copies, the driver could not erase the markings that were not present, but instead, the driver wrote down on the bill of lading “Only 2 scratches on bumper and side skirts.” Bryan was on the phone with me during this whole process and I had heard every word of the conversation between Bryan and the drivers. After the pre-inspection was done, Bryan had given the drivers the keys to the vehicle so that they load the vehicle. Bryan said that 1 of the driver had put ramps on the back of their enclosed trailer while the other driver is driving the vehicle onto the ramps to go up into the trailer. As the vehicle was at the top of the ramp right before the vehicle actually got inside the trailer, Bryan said that he saw the bottom of the side skirts and front bumper scrape against the metal ramps near the top of the ramps. Once the vehicle was loaded inside the trailer, the drivers proceeded to secure the vehicle by using ratcheting straps on each of the wheels. I was still on the phone with Bryan as the vehicle was being secure. Bryan told me that the vehicle is located at the very rear of the trailer on the lower deck. After the vehicle securing process was done, Bryan is still on the phone with me as he was walking back to his house. He told me to watch the front end, especially the bottom of front bumper, because the bottom of the front bumper will scrape on the ramps again when the drivers unloads the vehicle. Bryan had told me to make sure I’m there when the drivers arrive to watch them unload. I had called the driver on Friday, October 28, 2011, to ask them what state were they in and do they have any idea on what day will they arrive in California. The driver didn’t tell me what state they were in, but had told me that they’ll be in California on Tuesday, November 01, 2011 to deliver my vehicle. I had asked them “Do you have an idea what time?” The driver told me 12:00 PM PST. I had also asked the driver “Where is my vehicle located at inside the trailer?” The driver had told me that my vehicle is on the upper deck all the way in the front. I had asked the driver “Why did you move my vehicle?” Todd from Truthful Transport told me “Once your vehicle is loaded in an enclosed trailer, the driver will not move your vehicle until he arrives and unloads your vehicle. Enclosed trailer shipping is a premium service and your vehicle will be handle with “White Gloves” only.” He didn’t answer me, but just continued talking to the other driver in the truck with him. I told him that you could have cause some damage on the bottom of the front bumper and side skirts. On Tuesday, November 01, 2011, I had taken a day off from work and left in the morning to drop off my kids to school. After dropping off my kids to school, I went to run a few errands and was planning on being home at 12:00 PM PST to meet the driver for delivery. At 10:14 AM PST, I had received a text message from the driver letting me know that he was already at my house and had already unloaded my vehicle. I had quickly called him, but he did not pick up his phone. This was not the appointment time that he had made with me. I had called Bryan immediately and Bryan told me that he knew that the driver would try to pull something like that because the driver didn’t want me to see him unload my vehicle because I would see him scraping the bottom of the side skirts and front bumper if I was there watching him unload. I had rushed home and when I arrived, I noticed that my vehicle was already unloaded in front of my neighbor’s house on the street. I had asked the driver for the keys so that I can move my vehicle onto my driveway. I wanted to inspect my vehicle on my driveway and off the public roads. The driver said that he cannot give me the keys until I pay him. He said that I can inspect my vehicle where he had parked it. I proceeded to inspect my vehicle and I found all the fresh paint scrapes, cuts, and damages on the bottom of the front bumper and side skirts. I had also found some dents on both rear quarters, paint scratches in the center of all 4 wheels where the driver was securing the vehicle, and both front headlights had spider web cracks. The driver refuses to let me mark my finding and told me that he cannot allow me to mark on the bill of lading. If I wanted my vehicle, I need to sign on the bill of lading, pay him, and he will give me my keys. I told the driver that I will not sign on the bill of lading without some documentation of the additional damages that I had found. He asked me to write down, on a separate piece of paper, my findings of the additional damages and he will sign and acknowledge that the additional damages were not there during pick up in Florida. I wrote down on a separate piece of paper “Driver from Best Auto Movers will not allow additional markings for additional damages on his bill of lading. Additional damages on both side skirts, bottom of front bumper, dents on quarter panels, scratches on all 4 wheels, scratches on headlights. By signing bill of lading, buyer receives car with additional damages.” The driver gave me his “Cargo Insurance” information and asked me to give them a call to file a claim. I had called his insurance company’s agent “Demetree Insurance Service Inc.” and open a claim for the damages. The representative told me that I will be receiving a call back from the adjustor within 72 business hours. The adjustor would need more information regarding the damages before they send an appraiser out to inspect my vehicle. As of November 09, 2011, 96 business hours later, I did not receive any call back. I had called the owner of Best Auto Movers, Yelena Inna at 904-220-5119, to let them know about the situation and to ask for a fair resolution, but was unable to get anyone to answer their phone even during business hours. I had called the driver again asking for a fair resolution to these additional damages that he had cause. The driver told me “I challenge you to sue me and take me to court. I will not pay for the damages and you’re just wasting your time. Better luck next time.” The driver stated again “Better luck next time” and hung up on me. I am respectfully asking for a fair resolution to the situation for the damages that the driver from Best Auto Movers had cause. Thank you very much for your time.
