For those of us who are moving across the country and is need of their car, but many a reasons cannot drive their cars. Has no choice but to employ a company to move their cars for them. In this case, the service of a car carrier is needed. There are many questions a person will have when searching for the right car carrier. First is, are they reliable? Second, how much are they going to charge? And if they damage my car, how will they fix it or pay for the damages.
For the first two questions, the customer would have to do the research themselves. Other than finding out the price, finding out if the car carrier is reliable is extremely hard. Unless they have been around for years and everyone has heard of them. Whatever company the customer has chosen, the chance of damage is always there. A few things you as the customer must understand. As soon as the customer signs the B.O.L. (bill of lading or inspection papers), the customer is releasing the car carrier from all responsibilities in regards to electrical (any wiring), instrumental (knobs and levers inside the car), exhaust system and such. Basically the ONLY thing the car carrier would be responsible for are the outer body of the vehicle. Sometimes rims and soft top convertible covers are listed. At delivery make sure to note any new damages on the space provided on the B.O.L.
Now what to do to help reduce the headache of getting your car fixed at the cost of the car carriers. Again, let me repeat myself. Car carriers are only responsible for the outside of the vehicle. First make sure the car carrier carries an adequate amount of insurance. If the car carriers trailer holds 5 to 7 cars, they must be insured for $100,000.00. If the trailer holds 8 plus cars, they must be insured for $250,000.00 plus. This is so every car on the trailer will be covered sufficiently, if the trailer was to fall over.
Now on the day your car gets picked up, get a hose and rinse off all the dirt. That way you can see every major scratches, dings, and dents on your car. Second, as soon as the water dries off, take pictures. Take one from the front, high and low positions. Passenger side high and low, rear high and low, driver side high and low. Also if you can, take a picture of the roof of the car. These pictures will be your evidence of the general condition of your car. You should do the same during deliveries. If no water hose is available. Make sure to go home right away and hose down your car. And start looking for damages. The longer you wait to look for the damages. The less likely the car carriers will take any responsibility. Usually you must report it within a week of receiving the car.
Now depending on the damage your car gets, the cost of the repair varies. Honestly if you want to have your car fixed right away, its best to be honest with the car carriers. Don't try to throw in the other dent that was there already. For many car carriers the deductible is $1000. If the repair cost is less than that, then the car carrier will opt to pay for the damage in cash. Like any other insurance, every time a damage is reported the chances are for the premium to go up. If the car carriers HQ is not too far from delivery address, let them fix the car. Many times they would have the local body shops fix little damages that might have happened. If you want to take your car to the body shops of your choice, then you will need to get estimates from three different body shops. Obviously the car carrier is going for the cheapest estimate. Sometimes they would just pay the median of the three estimates.
Never yell at them for the damages. Its not like they did it on purpose. Transporting cars are their livelihoods. And most people/companies do not want a bad reputation for whatever they do. Stay civil. You can start off by yelling and screaming small claims court. But if the car carriers are true dead beats, then they would simply disappear and you would just end up with a damaged car.
To reduce even more headaches during an auto transport, you can always go with an auto transport broker. For about an extra $100 to $300 you can have the broker find the proper carrier. If the broker has been around long enough, they would have a good list of car carriers they use to move cars around. And many of these carriers are trustworthy enough where they usually pay within 2 weeks of damaging the cars.
But whatever route you choose remember to do the research yourself. Not everyone can be lucky and end up with a trustworthy company. So the main points to remember is
1. Take pictures (at pickup and delivery).
2. Write any new damages on the B.O.L. * Make sure its in the extra spaces provided not the pictures of cars. That's where original damages are noted during pickup.
3. If damage occurred see if the car carriers can get it fixed at their cost.
4. If you want them to only pay for the damages make sure to get three estimates from three different body shops.
5. Make sure they carry adequate insurance.
6. Stay civil or stay calm.
Remember whatever type of service you get may depend on how much you pay. How much should you pay? Well that is another article.
