Review: |
You can stop doing research on how to ship your car... Choose Ship A Car Direct!
Okay, let me break this down for you:
I received a job offer to move from the Bay Area of California to Nashville, TN, and driving my car basically was not an option with my schedule (and crazy weather). So I knew I needed to have in transported. I started doing research and immediately was TERRIFIED about shipping it. I read so many horror stories about cars being damaged, getting lost, getting stolen, or being cheated into paying exorbitant amounts of money to get your car back. I'm already a very anxious person, so reading these reviews had me completely panicked.
Then, I read Ship A Car Direct's reviews, and everything changed. 99% of what I read was extremely positive. (Okay that's not a scientific number, but that's how I remember it from doing my research.) I read one post in particular where a customer told a horror story about how the truck company lost his/her car, but Ship A Car Direct followed through with their end of the bargain and put their amazing skills to work to get the car back. It sounded like a worst case, terrifying situation, and this customer was 100% thrilled and satisfied with what Ship A Car did to help them. (Even helped comp rental car prices, and I believe hotel prices too! INCREDIBLE!) Anyway, so reading that review and tons like that, I was sold.
I called Ship A Car to get my pricing and explained to the rep (Stefan) how nervous I was and how I was really terrified to do this. He didn't seem annoyed at all. He sat there and talked it through with me, explained the process- every single step of it, and answered every little question I had. What I appreciated the most was how patient he was talking to me. It truly felt like a friend was helping me through a scary process. He never seemed annoyed or put off that I had a bunch of questions, never rushed me, was just extremely personable and helpful. I was already sold on using Ship A Car Direct, but my initial conversation just continued to solidify that I was making the right choice.
I gave my payment information for the $225 deposit, and was assured that no other charge would be made to my card beside that initial amount. Stefan helped explain how the rest of my payment ($700) would be made to the trucking company directly (with cash or a cashier's check) when I picked the car up in Tennessee. I had a bit of a waiting game to see which company would pick up my offer, and Stefan let me know when they did.
I did have a little difficulty communicating with my driver directly (thick accent, hard to get ahold of because of my time difference) but it honestly wasn't that big of a deal. They did pick my car up 3 days later than they originally said, and it was kind of a problem initially, but with help from my family we made it work. The car was delivered on time of when they predicted (they said Thursday or Friday delivery, and it was Thursday night). The company was even great enough to help accommodate to wait for me to land at the airport and meet me right by the airport for delivery.
Stefan and Ship A Car checked in on me every step of the way and helped me with small questions, etc. Even after I had my car in Tennessee, they still followed up and made sure that everything was going well. Oh and did I mention my car had no damage?? And nothing was stolen- but that's because I wasn't an idiot and listened to Ship A Car when they told me not to leave anything in there. Don't chance it- take EVERYTHING out of your car like they tell you to, and then nothing will get stolen. Don't leave something and then get mad later, it's really not worth it.
Bottom line: I just wrote a HUGE review because I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHOOSE THIS COMPANY. Moving is stressful, scary, difficult, and expensive, but Ship A Car was EXACTLY what I needed to help make things less stressful, scary and difficult. They will help you every step of the way. It was 100% worth the money I spent on it. (Which in my opinion didn't seem that expensive... Shipping a car from CA to TN is far!! I felt like it was a fair price, especially for the peace of mind knowing I was going with a reputable company.)
My one piece of advice is once Ship A Car connects you with your driver- stay VERY active with them on communication. I had entered multiple family members' cell phone numbers as a point of contact (because I was still working 2 jobs and was worried they wouldn't get ahold of me) and in hindsight I wish I would've only given mine. They gave my mother and father different information than they gave me, and then when I tried to confirm with them, I couldn't get ahold of them. It ended up being a tad stressful because they called in the middle of a huge party saying they needed to get my car in 30 minutes. I was told they wouldn't even be there until the next day. Bottom line is we worked it out (my family is amazing) but it could have been avoided if I would have been a little psychotic with my communication with them, and if I would have only given them access to MY cell phone number so that they didn't give conflicting dates to my mother and father. So my advice is just double and triple check EVERYTHING with your driver so you won't be in the middle of a party and get a call that they need your car. :) [But please understand, this has NOTHING to do with Ship A Car- this piece was out of their hands. AND for that matter, when I called them in a panic because I hadn't watched the "prep your car" videos yet and didn't know what I needed to do, their customer service agent calmly talked me through it and told me what I needed to do. EXCELLENT customer service.]
Okay, longest review ever. But I did this because I feel SO strongly about what a positive experience this was for me, and I want YOU to have a positive experience too. Thank you Stefan, Dale, & Ship A Car for helping make my move less stressful. Happy moving, reader! |