My A-1 Horror Story
Marylee Picciano
Submitted this review about
A1 Auto Transport
Review made Live: 7/6/2004 4:06:00 PM
Update on my A-1 horror story
My father spoke to A-1 this morning to discuss reimbursement for my smashed windshield (see reviews below for full story), and what do you know? A-1 doesn't cover glass! My father was told to "read the back of your contract... we don't cover glass." Well, how convenient for them. We were told we could file a claim, but that they don't guarantee anything. These people are SCAM ARTISTS.
In my first review here, I mentioned that A-1 would probably sell my engine to get revenge for posting a bad review. And their response was:
<<You mention "selling your engine?" I am not sure as to who you have done business with in the past where maybe they treated you this way, but a company our size doesnt fall into that category.>>
I'm sorry, I was wrong. A-1 WON'T sell your engine... instead they'll drop a ramp on your windshield while the car is in their custody, and then tell you they won't pay for it because they don't cover glass. I doubt this whole incident was an accident.
I'm not going down without a fight.
SMASHED WINDSHIELD?!?!?
Update on my last review: I FINALLY got my car back this afternoon (after 33 days), and my front windshield is COMPLETELY SMASHED in two places. It looks like someone dropped two huge bowling balls on my front windshield. The driver (who was as nice as could be and --not surprisingly -- is not employed by A-1) said the damage to the windshield was done in-transit from CA to NJ (where the closest terminal is). This poor guy who delivered my car from the terminal was sweating bullets when he pulled up to my house to drop off a damaged vehicle. Imagine my surprise today when my car finally arrived after 33 days and I learned that I now have to replace my entire front windshield -- on a holiday weekend. I went from being elated to pissed off in about 5 seconds. He said A-1 Auto had known about the damage to my car, yet no one contacted me to give me a heads up -- SHADY!! The only positive from this experience is that everything that I had put in my trunk was still there and accounted for. I cannot wait to call A-1 first thing on Monday morning and let these crooks have it.
Folks, the bottom line is this: DO NOT USE A-1 AUTO TRANSPORT. I don't care if you need your car shipped down the street, they will find a way to screw you over. Learn from my mistake and the mistakes of the countless other people who have posted on this site (not to mention the 120+ complaints with the Better Business Bureau). If you ever come across A-1 Auto when looking for a company to ship your car, run as fast as you can in the other direction!
I would also like to point out that the handful of positive reviews on this site all happened to be posted on the exact same say within minutes of each other. I find it hard to believe that the 10 people in this world who actually had a good experience with A-1 Auto Transport all got online at the same exact time and posted glowing reviews. That's awfully fishy.
FRAUDS
My car was picked up in Los Angeles on June 1st, and I was told by Dan that it would arrive in New York 10-14 days from the day it was picked up. It is now JUNE 30TH, and I still DO NOT HAVE MY CAR. I came across this website recently and felt the need to share my own horror story about A-1 Auto Transport.
I should have known something was wrong when I tried calling this company 3 times to schedule a pick up, and the receptionist (who, by the way is rude and obnoxious, and has absolutely no qualms about hanging up on people repeatedly) asked if she could have someone could call me back. No one ever did. When I finally got through on April 30th and spoke with Dan, he was nice enough and told me everything I wanted to hear - A+ for being a good salesman. I placed my order, and was asked to give my credit card number to reserve my order. I was told by Dan that my card would NOT be charged until my car was picked up on June 1st. Well, later that month I got my credit card bill... A-1 Auto Transport charged my credit card on MAY 4TH - a full MONTH before my car was even picked up! I had already paid for a service that had yet to be provided!! And that is only the beginning. Since June 1st, I have had problem after problem after problem with A-1 Auto. Their 'tracking' system on their website is ALWAYS down and when it IS working, it is hardly ever updated. When you call to speak to someone, the lovely receptionist either hangs up on you or asks for your name and number so someone can call you back. (By the way, I know she doesn't write any of it down - she took my name and number so quickly one day and then abruptly hung up on me without verifying the information. Who does that??) And for the record, no one has EVER called me back. I am now in the middle of an emailing war with their so-called 'Customer Service' via their website (which, by the way, is the ONLY way to get some kind of response from these people) because no one will give me an actual answer as to when my car will actually get to me. Whenever I've emailed them, they send me the same generic and vague responses. I only know this: my car is sitting at a terminal in New Jersey and that, according to 'Customer Service', the driver will 'contact me shortly.' They've been saying this for 5 days now.
I understand that this is a busy time of year and that they are shipping thousands and thousands of cars (or so they say), but c'mon folks. A straight answer won't kill you. A-1's customer service sucks. Forget about calling them to get any kind of information, because if you so much as ask to speak to a manager, the receptionist hangs up on you (SHADY!). I didn't want to post anything about A-1 Auto until I had actually gotten my car back from them, but after a month without a car, I couldn't help myself. So what if they sell my engine to get revenge? I am THISCLOSE to taking legal action. The entire world needs to know that A-1 Auto Transport are frauds who will take your money and will leave you high and dry.
