Review Report Review
Bumpy ride that ended very well

Dan Reese Submitted this review about Montway Auto Transport
Review made Live: 3/30/2011 5:02:00 PM
First, let me say that Montway gives a $25 gift certificate to any customer that does a review. This is offered to everyone regardless of the rating given. I found them by using uShip.com and read reviews at TransportReviews.com before proceeding.

After accepting the bid, I contacted Montway (on a Saturday) and got through to someone who could see the bid. He took my information. I told him that the vehicle was ready to be picked up at any time and could be delivered any day over the next two weeks except for Wednesdays. He said that once he had scheduled a truck, he could contact me again to get a deposit. I was expecting that and wasn't concerned.

Over the weekend, I got a little concerned wondering how long finding a truck would take. At around 6pm on Monday I got a call from the driver who told me he'd just loaded my car and would be dropping it off the next day (Tue).

This was very surprising for two reasons. First, I hadn't told the dealer that shipper was coming. The dealer was expecting someone to come, but I hadn't told them who or when. Apparently, the driver had enough information (my name and vehicle VIN) that the dealer trusted them.

Second, I hadn't heard from Montway yet nor paid the deposit. Montway called soon afterward. When I mentioned my surprise, they apologized and explained that Mondays are busy. Overall, though I was surprised, I wasn't upset — they were just going faster than I though they would.

The first problem was that my in-laws (where I was shipping the car) were not going to be available at the time the driver was planning to drop off the vehicle. This was due to them being sent out of town at the last minute for work. So I called the driver to ask if he could arrive earlier (by about an hour) or later (by about 4 hours). This was Saturday night. I left two messages. Then I texted him the situation and said that I had a backup plan if needed (an alternate destination). I did not hear back.

On Monday morning, I called the driver 3 more times and then called Montway. Montway couldn't get a hold of the driver either.

The driver had originally told me that he would call about an hour before delivery to let me know the exact time. I got a call almost perfectly on schedule. He'd stopped to pick up some additional cargo and was now going to arrive about 5 hours later than planned. I'm not sure if he'd gotten my messages and decided to make the best of it or just did this on his own. However, it worked out well for me.

At delivery, the driver didn't really want my in-laws to inspect the vehicle, but I'd coached them on how to do it and asked them to do so. The driver was honest and the inspection only took about 5 minutes, so I don't think he minded too much. As far as we can tell, the vehicle was not damaged in any way.

It was stressful for me not to be able to get in touch with the driver. I'm not sure how common that problem is, but I wonder if that just comes from using a broker. I did save some money though.

Overall, Montway did their job as broker really well. And I don't really feel justified expecting more from the driver. Maybe he was just the type who prefers driving to talking to customers. I'd use Montway again, however I would probably look into working with a shipper directly before making a final decision next time around. I guess that, for me, lower stress might be worth paying a little extra money.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
California
Pickup:
Early
Destination State:
Nevada
Delivery:
Late
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
7775
Quote or Order Cost:
$368