Many of us are buying our Primes remotely and having them shipped back. I am helping a friend work with an auto transport broker and their contracted driver after her new car arrived with damage. I am respecting her wish that I don’t name the broker service or the transport company until she resolves the issue with them but from my experience with helping her for the last month, here are a few tips that we wished we knew about before going with an auto transport broker service.
A large majority of our cars will be delivered perfectly but in those rare cases when something does happen to the car, you want to make sure you are protected.
Unless your car is in a covered carrier, there’s always a chance that the car is damaged on the way to its destination. How the auto transport company handles the claims distinguishes the good ones from the ones that just point their fingers to others and not take any responsibilities.
My friend is still patiently working with involved parties. By this point I would have called out the auto transport broker for the poor service she had received. For now, I will respect her wishes but I will let this group know what ends up being the resolution in the near future.
- Do your research on the auto transport broker company. Do they have any reviews? What is their track record with addressing damage claims? Are they registered with the Better Business Bureau?
- Ask the broker for the name of the assigned transport company and their insurance information. Validate with the transport company’s insurance company that they have current coverage. Don’t take their word that they are fully insured. Trust but verified.
- Ask the transport company’s insurance company what the deductible is. If they have a high deductible, keep in mind that their insurance will not pay if the damage is not above the deductible which can be $2500. It will be up to you to deal with the transport company/broker to get your claim paid in those cases where the damage is lower than the deductible.
- Call your insurance company to confirm if your car is covered during transport.
- At pick up, a rep at the dealership will sign a document called a Bill of Lading (BOL). This document shows the details of the pickup, car and an inspection report detailing any damage to the car. Make sure you get a copy of this document prior to the arrival of your new car. Have the dealership take a picture of the signed BOL and have it sent to you. You can also insist the transportation company email it to you before the arrival of your car. You want to know if the BOL has any notes of damage prior to the drop off of the car. That way there’s no chance the driver can claim there was pre-existing damage.
- Ask the dealership to take pictures of the car at pick up so that there is additional evidence that the car was in perfect shape at pick up.
A large majority of our cars will be delivered perfectly but in those rare cases when something does happen to the car, you want to make sure you are protected.
Unless your car is in a covered carrier, there’s always a chance that the car is damaged on the way to its destination. How the auto transport company handles the claims distinguishes the good ones from the ones that just point their fingers to others and not take any responsibilities.
My friend is still patiently working with involved parties. By this point I would have called out the auto transport broker for the poor service she had received. For now, I will respect her wishes but I will let this group know what ends up being the resolution in the near future.