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Choosing an Auto Transporter

Auto transport can be a life-saver when you can’t drive a car a long distance, but you still need to move it. There are a surprising number of reasons why you might choose to ship your car. Some of the main reasons include keeping the mileage down and convenience.

However, if you choose the wrong auto shipping company, your attempt to save time and hassle might backfire. Unfortunately the auto shipping industry has built somewhat of a negative reputation. Many auto shippers have questionable customer service and poor business ethics in general.

Why Choosing a Good Auto Shipper Matters

Your experience shipping your car will depend mainly on finding a good auto shipper that takes your needs into consideration. The reason why you’re shipping your car, and the fact that you need it by a certain time, should matter to your auto shipper. But if you make use of a company that only aims to scam you out of more money, you won’t be saving yourself any effort by making use of a car shipping service.

Obviously, there’s no sense in wasting money on a service if you’re not getting what you paid for. If you paid to have your car delivered somewhere on a certain date for a specific price, you should get exactly what you agreed upon for the price you’re paying. You don’t want to pay more, but you also don’t want to pay the agreed upon price for poor service and a car that’s delivered late. For you to get the most out of auto shipping, everything should be in place.

Where to Find a Good Auto Shipper?

The easiest way to find anything nowadays is with a quick Google search. But just because a company came up in your search results, doesn’t mean you can trust them. There are a number of things you can look for when scanning through the information companies offer online.

One of the best places to learn more about any company you’re planning to work with, is to have a look at their website. So whenever you find companies through something like their Facebook page, be sure to have a look at their website, there should be a link to their website in the “about” section of their Facebook page. If you don’t see any links, try a Google search of the company name.

Alas, if nothing comes up after you did a search, it’s better to look elsewhere. Anyone can start a Facebook page and pretend to be an auto shipper, and they might even be a real auto shipping company for all you know. But the fact that this company isn’t willing to invest in a proper online presence should be somewhat alarming.

A website shows that the company is dedicated to providing you with information. And any company can easily set up a website for little to no money, so if they didn’t invest that time, it probably won’t be worth the bother.

What to Look For?

So, once you’ve done an online search and found some promising companies, there are a number of things to look at when making your final choice. The first thing is the amount of information a company provides on their website. Look for things like a business address, telephone number and email address.

Also have a look at the “About” pages on the companies’ websites, as these should describe exactly what kinds of vehicles the company ships and to where they ship. Not all auto shippers will ship to anywhere in the country, so a company that could’ve been wonderful otherwise might fall through the cracks once you know more about what they do.

Lastly, you’ll want to have a look at some online reviews before contacting a company. Remember, it’s okay if a company has both negative and positive reviews. Just read through them carefully to see if there are things that customers often complain about. The occasional complaint about a late delivery doesn’t mean the company is bad, especially not if they move thousands of cars annually. Circumstances beyond a company’s control can happen sometimes.

But how late were the cars in these cases? If uncontrollable circumstances causes a company to be late with your delivery, they should still do their best to get the car to you as soon as possible. Meaning a car that’s delivered a month or two late is simply unacceptable.

Another red light is if you see many complaints about the company charging customers more than they initially agreed upon when they go to collect their cars.

Contacting Auto Shippers

Once you’ve had a look and some auto shippers’ websites and you read through online reviews, you’ll want to reach out to some of the best companies and ask for a quote. Collect 5-10 quotes to get a realistic idea about what auto shipping should cost for you.

Be careful for quotes that are much higher or lower than average. Companies that quote too low often add extra fees you didn’t expect. In reality, they dishonestly use a lower-than-average quote to lure you in and get more money later. So it’s better to pay a higher price and know what to expect than to go for the cheapest company and cross your fingers they won’t overcharge you in the future.

Furthermore, all the quotes should be free. There’s no reason for any auto shipper to charge you for a quote. Why should you have to pay to know what a service will cost you? This is basic information you need to make the best choice, and trustworthy auto shippers respect that.

If you’re planning to ship a car, feel free to contact Suncoast Auto Transport for a quote on shipping your car and to learn more about working with auto shipping companies to move your vehicle.

Learn more about auto transport services Check out our office in Port St. Lucie!
JonGChoosing an Auto Transporter

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