make sure you give yourself a generous window of time for pickup and delivery
K.Hanna
Submitted this review about
Montway Auto Transport
Review made Live: 9/30/2011 9:09:00 PM
Overall, I am pleased that my car arrived, was not broken into, and was delivered directly to me in one piece at the rate I was quoted. This rate was lower than other companies that I had talked to, and Montway's reputation with friends and other auto transport companies was great. Ultimately, this is why I chose them. I should have heeded the warning by past reviewers that the window of time they give is merely an estimate and can often be an OVERestimate of the time it will take for both pickup AND delivery. Each time I spoke with customer service to ask when my car would be picked up (after the first available date of pickup), I was told that there was never a guarantee of pickup date. I would have appreciated this being emphasized on the website, confirmation email, and on the phone when I specifically asked the suggested turnaround time for pickup (I was told 1-3 days, and this is on the website as well). After Day 3 (Friday), I called, and was told that pickup turnaround is really one to FIVE BUSINESS DAYS (business days were never communicated prior), though then I was given the wishy washy response that it would be possible to locate a transport carrier the next day (Saturday, not a business day), and I should follow up the next day. That said, I then felt that it was my responsibility to create a sense of urgency at Montway to find a carrier; if I didn't follow up daily, I got the sense that my order would be delayed even further. By this time, I was worried, because I would be flying out of the state the following Tuesday and wouldn't be around for pickup if delayed past the five business days. Thankfully (but with a lot of probably unnecessary stress), my car was picked up on the fourth business day (but six days) after pickup, and the day before I was to fly out of the state (but with only 1.5 HOUR's notice!)- but not without a lot of phone calls to Montway. Be persistent if you have this issue because they are at least responsive to your pleads.
*PROS*- 1. my car is here 2. my car works and looks just as it did before 3. i packed up the back seat and trunk with boxes for additional $100, and everything was there during delivery 4. my original quoted price was what i paid (versus feeling pressured to pay more so that my car would be picked up that day by a carrier who was asking for more money- i was given this offer and complained that it sounded like i was given an ultimatum. peter took the offer off the table when i described my concerns, which i felt reflected the integrity of the company. maybe this is why i was only given 1.5 hour's notice that a carrier was coming to pick up my car- perhaps because they had hustled to get my order processed since i was so worried about the car not being picked up before my flight) *CONS* 1. wishy washy explanation of the amount of time for pickup after first possible pickup date (e.g. 1-3 days, 1-5 business days, call on Saturday because it's possible your car could get picked up then...) 2. i was given only 1.5 HOUR'S notice to have my car ready for the carrier to pick up (versus 12-24 hours that was communicated on the website and confirmation email) 3. i felt i had to call repeatedly to followup on the status of my pickup and then the status of my delivery 4. my car was so dusty that the auto transport carrier could not give a proper description of the car during drop-off (although after driving across country, i don't know how this could be avoided, but thought it was worth mentioning. Overall, these guys are reliable with getting your car from point A to point B, which is what matters most to me. Just plan for extra turnaround time in pickup and delivery because they're slower than I expected.
