Nov 4, 2008

Getting Your Car Moved Safely

Every now and then you might want your car transported to another city. Maybe you’re moving to a new job in a new town, or you’re going to take an extended vacation where renting a car would be prohibitively expensive. Getting your car shipped to another location can be easier than you think, but there are a couple of things you should watch out for. We’ve got some tips that’ll help keep you from getting ripped off.

One of the most likely areas of contention in a car-transport-gone-wrong scenario is a prepaid deposit. Kelsey Hughes, founder of American Auto Movers, says his company often receives calls from people who have paid a deposit to a company that not only didn’t pick up their car but wouldn’t give them back their money either. This frequently happens because the transport company that gives the lowest rate also assigns the lowest priority to that shipment. If another job comes along that pays more, your shipment goes to the bottom of the list. It might get shipped sometime, but that’s probably not definitive enough for you.

To prevent this from occurring, your two best options for payment are either to pay a deposit after the vehicle is loaded on the truck and the balance to the driver on delivery or pay the entire amount on delivery. Either way is totally acceptable and safe. After your vehicle is on the truck, the trucker is responsible to deliver.

Another tip is to research with the Better Business Bureau any company to which you are about to entrust your car. Look at their rating as well as their number of complaints in the last 36 months. This will allow you to predict if they take care of their customers.