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Honest Answers to your Car Moving Questions |
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Why are the prices I am getting all over the map?
The hardest thing for people researching car moving companies to understand is that the prices they are getting are not hard and fast gaurantees, but rather ESTIMATES of what one company thinks it will take to get a vehicle moved promptly versus another company's opinion of what it will take. Don't be fooled, there are not carriers committed to take your vehicle at these quoted prices, the company you choose will still have to get to work getting a carrier to commit to move it at the price they quote you.
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What goes into the prices I am getting quoted?
Your total price breaks down into two parts, the broker's fee (or 'deposit' as everyone calls it) and the carriers fee (your COD amount) Make no mistake about this, EVERYONE YOU ARE GETTING SALES CALLS FROM IS GOING TO BROKER YOUR MOVE. In this industry, there are brokers who try to fool you into thinking that they are the actual carriers and there are an equal amount of carriers who sell themselves on the fact that they have a truck or two but are not being honest about the fact that they broker out 90% of the orders they book. Here is a quick easy way to tell, if a company takes an up front fee, whether they call it a deposit or any other name, they are a broker. Carriers do not take any payment until the vehicle is delivered.
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How does this industry work then?
Every company, and we mean EVERY company, brokers and carriers alike, use a site called Central Dispatch to post and find vehicles to transport, the main thing you are paying any company for is ACCESS to this site. ALL companies use it, their fees to post your order on it may vary, but the site is the same. ask your salesperson for further explanation.
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Should I pay a deposit before being given a carriers name and contact info?
In our opinion, you are crazy to do so. Have you ever been paid up front for the work that you perform for your employer? Why would you pay a fee up front when there are reliable and trustworthy companies like ours that won't ask for it until we provide you with your carriers details?
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Are my dates guaranteed?
No, all dates given are estimates and projections. For this reason we ask that you give us the earliest possible date you would be willing to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.
We put you in direct contact with your carrier and the carrier will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw it off their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.
If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.
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Can I pack items in my car?
Officially, no. Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.
We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, our carriers are not licensed to transport them from state to state. Both parties are licensed to carry just about anything else EXCEPT household goods. You can verify that by viewing our license from the Department of Transportation using the link below, just enter 632461 in the field next to MC. You can do the same with any other company to quickly view the same, as well as find out if they are a carrier or a broker.
http://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/pkg_carrquery.prc_carrlist
You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but the is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They will fine them if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items and the carrier will most likely pass that fine on to you, if they allowed you to leave them in there in the first place, that is.
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Is my service fee refundable?
Even better; We will stress again that we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup a carrier. This fee that you pay to our office is what you pay for our help in setting you up with a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct carrier.
The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by this office. Therefore, any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.
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How long does transport take?
The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will be between one and two weeks. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.
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How much lead-time is necessary?
This is a great question, and if you ask 10 different companies, you'll get 10 different answers. There is no “set” amount of necessary lead-time. Whatever you can give is great, but don't worry if you have to hold off until the last minute, if your move is priced correctly, it will get usually get picked up within a day or two of your first available date.
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Is my vehicle insured?
Of course. Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the carrier we put you on is covered by the requisite amount of insurance and that it is up to date. There is never any additional cost to the customer for this coverage, and their insurance is primary.
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What if my vehicle is damaged?
Damage is rare, but unfortunately it does happen. The single most important thing for you to do if your vehicle is damaged is to note the damage on your final bill of lading report when you receive the vehicle.
The bill of lading is the report that the driver will fill out on pickup, denoting if there is any pre-existing damage. Any damage that occurs in transit must be entered on this report on delivery. Failure to do so could seriously hinder your damage claim, so we cannot stress this enough. Look your vehicle over thoroughly when you receive it. The bill of lading is a document that releases the carrier of liability once signed at delivery.
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What kind of carrier is it?
We do both open and enclosed vehicle transport and all various sizes. The majority of cross country moves will be on an 8-10 car carrier, the kind that you see new cars on all of the time. The smaller 2-3 car carriers will tend to do shorter, more “localized” shipments.
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Is it door to door?
Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.
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Do I have to be there or can someone else give/receive my vehicle?
The carrier will contact whomever you tell us to contact, whether it is you, a friend, a dealer, etc. There is no “power of attorney” necessary. Someone simply needs to be present on both ends to sign the Bill of Lading, we do not recommend leaving the car unattended as you will not have the necessary verification for your damage insurance coverage if the Bill of Lading is not signed on both ends.
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May I see a copy of your Terms and Conditions?
Of course, they are always available here on our website by using the following link:
Terms & Conditions
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What about my other questions?
Call us, Toll Free. 866-221-1664
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