Company Response Review Report Review
A Bipolar Experience

Ron Levy Submitted this review about Specialty Mobile Systems
Review made Live: 7/15/2005 5:56:00 PM
The first portion of my experience with SMS could best be characterized as a nightmare. Although the car pickup proceeded uneventfully, nothing else did. I needed to ship my car from NJ to MO within a very specific time window--it was intended for my elderly mother-in-law and I wanted to fly out to be with her when it was received so I could handle all of the necessary details. I provided SDS with a 4-day window, which I was told was quite adequate as long as the car was picked up well in advance. I therefore arranged for the pickup in advance of the time they originally had asked for it. Despite my frequent calls to them between the pickup date and the date of my flight, during which they provided only vague assurances that everything was alright and that there were no problems, I received ZERO information. They kept promising to call me back and provide details of the shipment and its progress but they NEVER did, despite my continued requests. I called them on several occasions each day of my stay in MO, EACH time being told, without any details, that, even though they were unable to reach the shipper, the car would "probably be delivered "tomorrow". Then, they stopped returning my calls--they also stopped answering the phone, even though my contact told me this was his home phone number (probably had caller ID and knew it was me). The car was never delivered and I had to fly back home. Furious, I called different people at SMS upon my return. To their credit, we finally started to make belated progress and in a short time I at least received some information and explanations, none of which had been communicated before. At my insistence they did follow up with me more regularly and the car was finally delivered several days later. It cost me a lot of aggravation and unnecessary expense, not to mention a lot of inconvenience to my mother-in-law and her relatives who had to suddenly rearrange their schedules to accommodate the then unexpected delivery date. However, the car was delivered in good condition (with no extra mileage on it) and they unhesitatingly returned my entire initial deposit. I did get the impression that this experience was indeed an aberration (albeit unexcusable) and that they (at least the second group of people that I worked with) were genuinely concerned about rectifying the situation as soon as possible. Take home message: I would STILL consider them for a subsequent move, partially because I think they would work hard to avoid a repeat embarassment and partially because I now feel that I know which people there are accountable and trustworthy. Whomever you decide to ship with, insist on frequent communication and meaningful updates.
Reply to SMS Reply
After reading Specialty Mobile System's response to my review of my recent experience with them (A Bipolar Experience) I felt compelled to correct several significant misstatements that it contained.

While they are quite willing to take responsibility for a successful move, their claim that they are not embarassed by this episode indicates that they are unwilling to take responsibility for a bad one--you can't have it both ways. The reason that anyone hires a group like SMS is because you expect them to coordinate the entire process so it goes smoothly. They choose the people they engage to provide the service so ultimately they MUST take a good chunk of the responsibility when that service falls apart. And they must take FULL responsibility for communicating the status of the move to the client. I was promised on several occasions that they would call me back within 1-2 hours WHETHER OR NOT they had any feedback from the shipper--yet I received NO such return calls. THAT is not the shipper's problem. And why was the shipper, as SMS says in their reply, "unavailable due to equipment malfunctions with his truck"? Since He was apparently unavailable for DAYS (that was the period of time I was told by SMS that he was not responding to their calls) I assume that he doesn't have a cell phone and can't find or doesn't know how to use a regular phone. Yet when I called SMS after the shipping window was missed without acknowledgement by anyone, they were able to tell me rather quickly that there were three different equipment "malfunctions" (they tried to recruit other carriers who also experienced these "malfunctions"). Why was I being told each day that I was in St. Louis that the car would be delivered the following day, with no explanation as to why delivery never occurred? They made poor decisions regarding the people they chose to work with and they made unexcusable decisions to not call me back on the numerous occasions when they promised to. Why did I have to call them to find out about all of the "equipment malfunctions"?
In addition, when they arranged to have my car picked up they assured me that they had it in "plenty of time to get it to St. Louis in time" i.e. to make the delivery window. Needless to say, I was flabbergasted when I read in their reply that "their records indicate" that delivery was scheduled for the 15th (6 days AFTER the 4-day window that never hinted was in dire jeopardy)! When were they planning on telling me what their "records" indicated? They obviously elected to do it by having me read their reply today!
They may try to somehow rationalize their communication failures, but the more savvy readers among you will be, or at least should be, very skeptical. The facts are EXACTLY as I reported them--if they choose to report them differently it is because they feel that they NEED to do so--just another way to avoid taking responsibility. It is especially disturbing that they are "in no way" embarassed by any of this--the communications failures alone that I've noted should be plenty of cause for that. I am more than willing to move on, so to speak, and not discuss this subject publicly again, but if there are any further "misrepresentations" of this adventure by SMS I will respond to them again--future customers have a right to know, just as I would have wanted to know before I engaged them.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
New Jersey
Pickup:
Not Provided
Destination State:
Missouri
Delivery:
Not Provided
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
0506130065
Quote or Order Cost:
$795

Company Response
Amy from Specialty Mobile Systems Submitted this response.
Response Date: 7/15/2005 5:56:00 PM
To our future customers ~ When a customer wants to place an order they are advised we have to work with a 1 – 10 day window for pickup and delivery is 7 – 14 days. This process can and many times does happen in a much quicker time frame. This customer could only give Specialty Mobile a four day window for pickup, we advised him we would do our best to make this happen, however Specialty Mobile could not and would not guarantee this. When a carrier is assigned Specialty Mobile will call the customer and advise them of the estimated pickup and delivery schedule; in addition the carrier driver will call 12 – 24 hours if possible. If the customer would like status of the move, of course they can call our office. Usually this process takes a while, as Specialty Mobile staff will often have to leave a message for the carrier and wait for a call back. It is not necessary for the customer to call hourly to see if there is an update; when Specialty Mobile staff receives the update we will return the call to the customer as promised. We were waiting for more information from the carrier, and definitely not avoiding the customer; calling the customer to tell them hourly that we do not have any further information would be redundant. The delivery schedule estimation is exactly that - due to the fact that unanticipated delays can (and do) arise, the driver will call and re-confirm prior to pickup and delivery. Specialty Mobile attempted on several occasions to make contact with this driver, whom was unavailable due to equipment malfunctions with his truck. The driver did indeed contact the destination prior to delivery. Specialty Mobile apologizes to the customer and his family for inconveniences they experienced; however this was neither ours nor the driver’s intent. We appreciate the fact that this customer would consider us for a subsequent move; we diligently strive to do all in our power for customer satisfaction, not to avoid embarrassment as the customer stated. In no way are we at Specialty Mobile embarrassed with the outcome of this move. Our records indicate that pickup of this vehicle was 7/5 and delivery was 7/15. The number one priority is a safe and secure move; which did indeed happen. We at Specialty Mobile apologize for any inconveniences that this customer and his extended family incurred. We will continue to provide customer service that our customers expect and deserve. Amy/Specialty Mobile