I am a first time shipper from California to West Virginia. A 22-year-old graduate student who needed my vehicle to be shipped practically across the nation. Being my first time, I learned the following...
Please note, all of those new to transporting your vehicle across the nation, this is not a spic and span clean-cut industry. The steps of transporting your vehicle are as such:
1) You agree upon a quoted price
2) Quoted price is posted for truckers
3) Truckers interested in price contacts broker for arrangements
4) Trucker must pick up vehicle
5) Trucker ships vehicle and delivers
Note that a delay in any one of these steps will delay your vehicle to be delivered. Call 3-5 weeks in advance of your desired scheduling day and you shouldn't have a problem.
On that note, Around the Globe Auto Transport is a company with good intentions. My initial contacts were Gretel and John. They were superb in customer service and set up my quote right away. I was lenient 2-3 days on delivering my vehicle for pickup and was in nor hurry. However, FLEXIBLE can usually push you back up to 7 days! So try and be as precise as possible, as this well iron out many of your problems.
However, as my scheduled pickup date (Aug 1) rolled around, no one from the company contacted me. This started my displeasure with the company. The customer service with their dispatch person(s) was miserable. They never initiated a call and whenever I inquired to when the nearest truck would be available, all they would say is "the route is backed up, driver not dispatched."
Day after day, I grew frustrated until I was on the verge of canceling my order and placing another one and starting the process all over again. Please be aware, "route is backed up, driver not dispatched" means there are no available drivers available to take your offer yet. (hence the need to schedule early!)
On Saturday, June 8th, I called in and emailed the company with full intent on canceling my order, but the company had claimed to finally have a dispatched driver. Tired of falling for the same thing over and over, the dispatchers with poor customer service forwarded me to Gretel, and the co-owner Jade. Jade persuaded me that if the driver (from Three's Trucking Co) would not pick up my truck by that evening, I would have a full return of deposit ($190). Additionally, the driver had asked for $200 extra, but Jade went ahead to cover $100 so it was a total of $870 from the original $770. Gas vouchers have not yet arrived, but I hope for their arrival soon and have been told (at least by Jade) that the vouchers will work.
I was expecting my vehicle on Friday, August 14th, but apparently the truck driver experienced mechanical problems with his vehicle and was stuck in Indiana until repair shops opened on Monday, with an new estimated time of delivery on Monday evening. I received my vehicle Monday at 9:30EST as expected.
In lieu of these minor hiccups, I feel that the company and industry should not be judged solely because of the poor customer service or the unreliable mishaps to the trucking industry. For those of you who still don't understand, turn on Ice Road Truckers on the Discovery Channel to understand the high regulations controlling the trucking industry and the possible breakdowns in the middle of nowhere (Indiana/Kansas/etc.)
Because of Gretel and Jade's superior customer service skills, and guarantee to satisfy my needs, I will most likely rely on Around the Globe to transport my vehicle back to California after graduate school.
