Transporter Made Threats and Destroyed Property
Kelly
Submitted this review about
Elliott Equine Transport
Review made Live: 9/18/2018 10:59:00 PM
I needed a horse hauled from British Columbia, Canada, to Texas, and I needed a transportation company that could facilitate the border crossing. I knew that meant I'd be paying a premium for the distance and the border crossing, but the trip was $1950 plus about $400 in extra fees (not including brokerage, which was paid to that company separately).
Their communication is terrible. I booked the trip and paid the deposit, and then never heard when the horse would be picked up. Then one afternoon they tried to contact the seller in BC, who was away from home, and told her the horse had a spot on a trailer for Alberta THAT DAY. She wasn't home, but luckily her husband was able to get the horse on the trailer.
After that, I was unable to get a firm date when the horse would arrive. I told them I was going to be out of state for several days and asked that the transporter NOT arrive during that time. I heard the evening before she was supposed to arrive that they were going to deliver her while I was in Oregon. They told me by EMAIL. They also said she was "in distress" due to the heat. I scrambled to find someone to take custody of the horse upon arrival since I couldn't be there, and I was super concerned about her condition.
When asking about the heat being hard on her, the lady was very insulting and said, "Heat is hard on her if she was in distress I would be at the vets." She then proceeded to tell me about how the breed of horse is not meant for the climate (I actually breed these horses, so I know them).
The only clear communication I got was asking for money. I paid as requested, in full, before delivery. The estimated arrival was 9:00 a.m., then noon, then ended up being after 10:00 p.m. Our area had 15 days of rain almost continuously. The roads and the ground were saturated. My mom (not a horse person) met them at a place in town where their truck and trailer could safely park, took them to our property to assess the situation and see if they could turn around a 48' semi truck and trailer. My mom was willing to walk the mare 1.5 miles IN THE DARK AND THE RAIN to avoid them getting stuck. They walked around on the property and made the decision to drive onto the property. They got stuck in the mud when they attempted to turn to leave. My mother allowed the man who was driving to use our tractor to try to get their truck out. It didn't work, and the tractor sustained damage in the attempt. Evidently, they called a number of tow truck companies but couldn't get them to come out at nearly midnight in the rain. They said they would stay in their truck overnight. They unloaded the last horse on the trailer into our barn (breaking biosecurity) for the night. We agreed to that.
I got a nasty text message from the woman in the middle of the night when I was out of state. "Semi friendly delivery is part of delivery! We will be up for a 1000 tow bill now to get outta here. If we can find a wrecker called 7 and no luck. Sure not very happy at all."
I told my mom that they were paid, the horse was delivered and we were done with them. I said if they threatened her in any way (beyond the mean-spirited text message), she should call the sheriff and report them for trespassing. Luckily that was not necessary. In the morning they found a tow truck that could come out and they were able to get the truck out of the mud. They loaded up the last horse, and my mom said they "whipped the crap" out of the horse to try to get it on the trailer.
I am done with them. They are supposed to be a reputable big name horse transporter, but they were awful.
TL;DR -
Bad: Poor communication, rude and condescending when there was communication, poor scheduling (caught both seller and buyer away from home), poor estimate of travel time/delivery dates, got the truck stuck in the mud and threw a tantrum about it. Damaged our tractor, yard, and violated barn biosecurity. Used unnecessary force on a horse in their care - not good horsemanship.
Things that were okay: border crossing, facilitation of paperwork for border crossing, truck sounded like it was in decent condition. Horse arrived in acceptable condition (though does have irritated eyes, currently being treated). I will never use them again.
