My Car Damage and their Unresponsiveness to Damage

Alfonso J. da Silva Submitted this review about Dependable Auto Shippers
Review made Live: 9/11/2009 7:42:00 PM
I dropped off my car at origin in San Lorenzo, California ... a 2006 BMW with only 28,000 miles. The person who inspected my car at the origin only noticed and documented 2 chips on the hood of my car. I have the report if anyone is interested in the documented inspection report. I have a person, Carlos Silva who traveled to San Lorenzo and is a witness to the inspection and can validate that "no pits" were noted on the hood with the exception of two chips at the very front of the hood.

When I picked up my car it was filthy, I brought it to the car wash first thing in the morning and noticed that the hood had tens and tens of pits on the hood of my car. I immediately went to the local BMW Dealer who referred to a repair shop. The repair shop quoted $1,400 and took pictures of the damage of the hood that I forwarded to Dependable Auto Shippers.

I fought them for 7 weeks to get my claim resolved and they just rejected my claim today. It took me 7 weeks to get this resolved. 7 weeks to get it resolved. When I initiated the claim, they told me it would take one week. They offered me $200 - what a joke. They offended. Here is there response

Mr. da Silva,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. As discussed, we must respectfully uphold our decision of denial for the following reasons:

1) no exceptions were taken for new damage at destination and any loss or damage must be documented on the bill of lading prior to release of the vehicle, THE CAR WAS FILTHY AND NEEDED A WASH
2) no condition was documented that would have prevented a thorough inspection of the vehicle at destination, THE CAR WAS FILTHY AND NEEDED A WASH
3) the damage being claimed is consistent with normal wear and tear, or damage occurring as a result of normal road conditions; which is not covered by DAS,
4) and there are several paint chips noted as pre-existing on the same area of the hood at origin. PLEASE NOTE MY EXPLANATION AND I CAN PROVIDE ANYONE WITH A COPY OF MY INSPECTION AT THE ORIGIN

We must decide the claim based on the information provided and as a result we feel the decision of denial to be fair and justified. However, in an effort to resolve your claim I have offered payment to you in the amount of $200 as a good faith gesture. Per our conversation, you have declined this offer; therefore, we must rescind the offer at this time and close your claim without payment.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience incurred as a result of your vehicle relocation. We strive to exceed our client’s expectations and we regret that your experience has left you less than satisfied.

WHAT A JOKE. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THEM TO ANYONE ... AS A VP OF SERVICE AT COMPANY, I HAVE NEVER BEEN TREATED THIS WAY. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THEM AND YOU VALUE YOUR CAR, YOU ARE FOOLISH.

Company Response
J Krueger from Dependable Auto Shippers Submitted this response.
Response Date: 9/16/2009 4:56:00 PM
We are sorry to hear of the problem you encountered. Like every other auto transport company, DAS can only accept damage claims if the damage is noted at the time of receipt. Unfortanately, at the time of receipt, the car was signed off without any addtional damage noted.