Review Report Review
A Great Expierence

Jameson Submitted this review about FedEx Custom Critical
Review made Live: 6/2/2008 2:29:00 PM
I was looking to transport a very rare 1987 Callaway Corvette (only 3700 miles!) from Denver to Chicago and, never having shipped a car before, was overwhelmed by my choices of carriers! After reading through the backs of Corvette magazines and getting quotes from those ads, and getting a quote from the company (Plycar – not on this website) that Callaway recommends, I stumbled upon this site and learned a WEALTH of information about transporting vehicles. When I heard that FedEx offers automotive transportation I added their quote to the rest (about two dozen) and noticed they fell right in the middle (at $1154) for an enclosed transport.
Right off the bat I learned something very valuable – while ALL these other automotive transport companies are simply brokers that bid for space on independently contracted trucks, FedEx OWNS their own auto transport company (Passport Transport). This is very important because if the price the broker quotes you is too low then no truck will accept their bid and your car won’t get picked up unless you give them more money. Since FedEx owns their own auto transport trucks, the price they quote you is the price they charge you. My final cost wasn’t a penny more than their online quote they gave me.
Other things I learned: FedEx doesn’t charge you a deposit until your car is picked up while some of the brokers charge you a non-refundable deposit as soon as you book your transport (then, if you say no after they come back to you looking for more money as per above, then you are out your deposit). If you book with a broker you’re your vehicle is damaged during transport, you have to go after the contracted truck driver (good luck!) as the broker excludes themselves from liability in their terms. With FedEx, you know they’ll be around after you get your car if you have to make a claim.
OK, on to my experience… called FedEx Passport Transport (they have a dedicated phone number with 24 hour LIVE attendants). Matthew Haynes was the account person that took my call and booked everything with me over the phone. He gave me his personal extension if I needed to call him for anything as well as his e-mail address. He was very responsive to all of my e-mail questions throughout the course of this transport.
The 24-hour live line was especially useful since the day after pick-up, serious storms went through Nebraska. I woke up the next morning to news reports of semi trucks blown over on I-80, right at the place and time that my truck would have been there! Needless to say I called FedEx right away, and they assured me that everything was OK. Whew!
Once my load was assigned to a driver, I got a call from the driver (Steve Vance) to set up the pickup in Denver. He was very courteous and professional, and he had much respect for cars, especially the valuable ones he was transporting. Pickup was arranged with my father, and TWO DAYS LATER the car was in Chicago! Granted this was a little extreme since he didn’t have any stops to make in between. At the delivery Steve was great about calling with updates on his ETA and unloaded the Corvette quickly. There wasn’t a scratch on the car, and he had covered it with a plastic tarp to protect it from anything that might drip from the upper level.
I would use them again in a heartbeat, especially after reading one horror story after another on this website about other companies. Please feel free to e-mail me per the link above if you have any questions!
Shipment Details
Origin State:
Colorado
Pickup:
On Time
Destination State:
Illinois
Delivery:
On Time
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
263825
Quote or Order Cost:
$1154