Shipping Vehicles In the Moving Truck: A Wise Choice?
More and more moving
companies are encouraging transferees to ship their vehicles on the truck,
especially due to the space available because of the overall decline in moving
volume over the past few years. While it seems convenient to have all of your
belongings on one truck, is it the wisest choice?
Growing up in the
hospitality industry we moved several times during my teen and early adult
years. Each time the moving company came, packed up all of our belongings and
then took our car. We then would wait for the car and a few key items at our
destination hotel as we closed on our new home and awaited the final delivery.
Often the car and those few items were critical for us, as we moved often and
throughout the country, bringing us to varying climates and different
metropolitan areas.
During one move, we
shipped our car with our household goods on the moving truck. It was highly
recommended because of the convenience and control by the van line. As we
waited for the car and our winter jackets to be delivered during the move from
Florida to Massachusetts, we received a call from our relocation coordinator at
the van line. There had been an incident and the deck holding some of the
household goods above the car on the moving truck had given way. Not only were
those items all damaged or ruined, but also they all fell on the roof of our
car, so that was damaged as well, with numerous dents and scratches and a
broken windshield.
As our family sat
outside, freezing and waiting for our delivery, they removed what was our
recently purchased family sedan out of the moving truck. While the physical
dents did not constitute a total loss, the repairs meant being without our car
and with a rental for several weeks. All while we also dealt with the fact that
our furniture was also damaged and requiring repairs or replacement.
From that move on, we
always requested an experienced auto transport company in lieu of the moving
company for our automobile transportation. While its only one incident, it’s
one that has stuck with each member of our family for many years.
Posted on 08/2/2010 in | Comments (4)
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When Things Go Wrong...
It’s a fact in the
transportation business. Whether you transport pets, cars or household goods,
there is something that is bound to happen during the shipment or delivery that
creates an issue or, as we refer to it, a ‘service failure’. While service enraged
and frustrated transferees most often report failures immediately to us, there
are occasions where we actually discover the failure during the follow-up call.
We were working with a
client transferee, shipping his SUV. As is our standard process, on delivery
day, the relocation counselor called to follow-up on the delivery. After the
pleasantries of the conversation, the transferee confirmed that his vehicle had
been delivered. As the counselor probed further, he admitted that there was something
amiss about the vehicle. While the SUV had been delivered, it came without its
roof. Mind you, this was not a convertible. As the discussion progressed, the
transferee admitted that the driver had told him that the SUV was missing its
roof and it was ‘back a few states’, lost as a result of the driver taking a
wrong turn and experiencing low clearance issues.
Of course, upon
hearing this news, the relocation counselor was horrified and immediately
contacted the transporter to file a claim and expedite the resolution. Together
with the transporter we worked feverously to resolve this issue as quickly as
possible for the transferee, and for that he was most grateful.
No matter how
incredible your service is issues do arise. In this case an accident happened
and we were fortunate that our client transferee understood that and worked
with us to ensure ultimate satisfaction and resolution.
Posted on 07/8/2010 in General | Comments (0)
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VINs: Why We Need Them?
We’re often asked a lot of questions regarding the
information we require when transporting a vehicle for a customer. One of those
questions is why we need the vehicle identification number or VIN.
While there are hundreds of car models on the market
today, it’s not uncommon for there to be more than one of the same kind in a
mall parking lot, on your street or even at a transportation terminal. Even if
they’re not exactly the same, say for example one is a different model than the
other it’s likely that, for a passerby, they may be mistaken for one another.
Recently we had 2 vehicles at the same local terminal.
While both were black BMWs, one was a three series and the other a slightly
larger body five series. The vehicles were confirmed for pick-up and when the
first driver arrived, he picked up the five series and set off for delivery in
Ohio. The only issue being that he was supposed to pick up the three series,
but didn’t have the VIN number for confirmation, so he went on the fact that it
was 1) at the local terminal and 2) a black BMW. When the transferee in Ohio
met the driver to receive the vehicle, he thanked them for the ‘upgrade’,
noting that his BMW was the smaller three series and not the five series they
were delivering.
At that point the transferee and driver notified us
as to the mistake and we immediately contacted the transporter, who, within two
days, had the BMWs each delivered to their rightful owners. While the issue was
resolved quickly and the transferees were both 100 percent satisfied, if we had
provided the VINs in advance for each vehicle, the entire incident could have
been prevented.
Posted on 06/11/2010 in General | Comments (0)
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Loading Your Own Vehicle – Not Recommended
Owners are often very attached to their vehicles. It’s not uncommon for owners to name their car, providing it with a real identity. While I personally have never named a car, I am very loyal to my vehicles and try to keep them in top shape, protecting my investment, so I can somewhat relate to this next story.
Several years ago, while I was with another company, we were handling the move for a senior level executive. I cannot recall the details around the specific origin and destination, but I do vividly remember one aspect of the gentleman’s move. He owned a very expensive Porsche, which, I believe, was his pride and, most likely, one of his most prized possessions. He was very concerned about the vehicle, and extra insurance as well as an enclosed van were coordinated to ensure its safe transport. While all of the details and processes had been confirmed with the gentleman several times prior to the pick-up date, naturally, things did not go as originally planned during the pick-up and load.
During the pick-up we received a call from the driver advising that the gentleman was insisting on driving the Porsche onto the truck himself. Obviously this was not something that we promoted or even allowed, as, if something happened, the insurance coverage by our company would be voided. We would not be responsible and there would be a void of legal liability. After several discussions, we realized, along with the driver, that this was a battle we were not going to win. We provided the gentleman with a legal release form; abdicating our company of any liability should damage occur during the loading of the vehicle, and the load proceeded.
I am sure by now that you can guess where this story is leading, and you’re correct; this is not a ‘feel good’ story. Once the release was signed, the gentleman got into the car and began to inch it towards the ramp, the driver was attempting to provide him with guidance, but he assured everyone that he had the experience and skills to do this with no problem. After all, this was his car. Well, as fate would have it, his experience and skills were limited to traditional driving; on roads, and not to driving a car, which, if you did not know, sits very low to the ground, up an incline and onto a truck on two ramps. Within moments the car began to shift to the left and just seconds, although for the driver and the individual it must have seemed like an eternity, later the Porsche was hanging off of one side of the ramps – the undercarriage preventing it from completely flipping over. Needless to say, the car needed removed at this point, but no longer moved. After coordinating with a tow truck and other local professionals, the car was eventually removed and transported to the repair shop and not to destination.
While we all understand the passion and emotional connection that often exists between a vehicle owner and the vehicle, it’s important to leave the transportation, including loading and delivery, to the professionals.
Posted on 04/27/2010 in | Comments (0)
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