Company Response Review Report Review
Very Poor Experience

Craig Submitted this review about Specialty Mobile Systems
Review made Live: 10/3/2005 9:29:00 PM
I have never shipped a vehicle across the country and didn't know where to begin. After a few evenings of research, I settled on Specialty Mobile Systems to transport a pickup truck from New Hampshire to San Diego. The process seemed simple; pay $195 now, and SMS arranges to have a trucking company come get the truck. Then pay the balance, $1200, upon delivery in San Diego. I signed the contract and provided my downpayment. After a couple of weeks, I still had not been contacted about the transport. So I called SMS. After a few unsatisfying calls, I finally reached a fellow named Corey. It was evident that he made things happen. Within a couple of days, I had a scheduled pickup. Things went down hill from here.

The truck driver called and said he would be at my house at 3 pm. I left work early so I would be home at 3 pm. Around 8:30 pm he finally called to tell me he was almost here and requested that I come to him instead of him trying to find my house. I met him at a well known truck stop a few miles away at 9pm. He spoke very poor english, but was driving an almost empty car carrier and had the right paperwork with him. He filled out the Automobile Origin Condition Form, acknowledging only one scratch, and I signed it. He said he would call when he was a day away from San Diego, which would probably be in 7 or 8 days.

He called on the 8th day and said he would be there tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning turned to afternoon, then evening with no truck and no call. We called him, SMS, and his trucking company, but didn't reach him. He called that evening and said he was in Airzona, but would deliver the truck tomorow around 10:00 am. Why didn't he call earlier? When he didn't arrive by 10 that morning, we called SMS and the trucking company. No one was able to help us. They said the trucker was "out of control" and doing his own thing. They were sorry. He finally called and said he would be there early afternoon the following day. Not surpringly, he didn't arrive early afternoon and didn't call to say he would be late..........neither did SMS or the trucking company. Around 8 pm that evening he arrived at the address in San Diego. He was actually driving the truck we had contracted him to transport. He had put almost 300 miles on it since he picked it up. The vehicle was overheating, had several new scratches on the exterior, had oil and grease stains on the cloth seat, and someone had written in ink on the dashboard. It is stil there today. The truck driver signed the Destination Condition Form, acknowledging the new condition (damages). As if that wasn't enough, he demanded that we now drive him back to his rig, somewhere outside of San Diego. We did not.

We were reluctant to hand over the $1200 certified check. SMS was very sypmathetic and said they would reimburse us the $195 we put down. The trucking company and driver were also very apologetic and promised we would be reimbursed for our troubles and all repairs to the vehicle. I still refused to pay the balance and ended up having to call the police because of the scene the truck driver was making out front. The following day there was no sympathy. We were told we would have to submit 3 estimates to their insurance company and they would talk to our insurance company for any potential reimbursement, but we were legally obligated to pay the $1200 first. No way.

The manager of the trucking company called me a few days later to discuss the situation. After a brief, but polite discussion, we agreed to split the difference. I sent him a check for $600. The other $600 went towards repairs. Specialty Mobile Systems never did reimburse our downpayment.

I read many good reviews before deciding to go with Specialty Mobile Systems. Apparently my experience was an exception. I really believe the process is a crap shoot and is highly dependent on the quality of the trucking company SMS contracts to haul your vehicle. The people I dealt with at SMS were professional. However, in the end all that will be remembered is the very poor experience I had with them.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
New Hampshire
Pickup:
Not Provided
Destination State:
California
Delivery:
Not Provided
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
0508010307
Quote or Order Cost:
$1395

Company Response
Amy from Specialty Mobile Systems Submitted this response.
Response Date: 10/3/2005 9:29:00 PM
We apologize for this customer’s poor experience and understand the customer’s frustration. The driver referenced was fired by the carrier. The carrier does not concur with all circumstances and issues as stated by the customer. As a general rule, the deposit is paid with a credit card, and the balance is paid COD (cash or certified check) directly to the carrier’s driver upon delivery of the vehicle. In this instance there was police involvement due to the fact upon delivery of the vehicle, the customer refused to pay the COD. This isolated incident is not the norm for Specialty Mobile. We rely on honesty, integrity, and constant communication with all parties involved, in order for things to go as smoothly as possible. As soon as we were aware of the difficulties with this move, we diligently worked to resolve the issues regarding this transport, acting as a liaison between the carrier and the customer. Amy/Specialty Mobile