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Auto Relocation
When you need to relocate your car over a
long distance, you basically
have three choices:
drive it there yourself, have
someone else
drive it, or hire an auto transport
company.
If you know how it works and
can avoid the
pitfalls, auto transport is a
good solution.
How Auto Transport Works
When you contact an auto transport company,
you are probably talking with a broker, not
the actual transporter. The broker takes
your request, quotes you a price based mostly
on distance, and farms it out to a transporter
who contacts you to make pickup and drop-off
arrangements.
Higher-end transport companies tend to be
complete operations, handling their own requests
for transport and providing the drivers.
While these tend to be more reliable and
garner higher customer satisfaction, you
pay for this, sometimes twice the rate of
the separate broker/transporter operations.
Other price factors include: open carrier
vs. enclosed transport, timeframes, and damage
protection guarantees. Check with at least
three operations -- -free quotes are easy
to get from the web.
What to Look Out For
If you use a separate broker/transporter
arrangement, remember that the transporter
just picks up your job from the broker and
may suggest a different pickup/drop-off date
than was quoted. The quality of the independent
transporter who actually carries your vehicle
is a hit or miss thing. Sometimes you get
someone who is terrific, sometimes it is
a nightmare.
Damage is a concern, especially
with open
carriers. Rocks, weather, road
grime and
other hazards can damage your
car just as
if you were driving it. Another
concern is
oil dripping from the engine
of the car on
top of yours. Usually this damage
is not
covered by the transporter so
read the agreement
carefully. Your auto policy might
cover it,
however.
Watch out for transporters who
change the
deal enroute. Some are known
for trying to
get you to pay an additional
amount for arriving
early, to compensate for traffic
delays,
and other things outside your
control. Most
back down when they sense you
know the game
and question these charges. If
you complain
to the broker, they may just
say that the
transporter is independent and
there is nothing
they can do.
Using a higher priced, "all in one"
operation avoids many of these hassles because
there is less chance of finger pointing.
But these more costly carriers make sense
only when you are relocating a very expensive
luxury auto or one with sentimental value. |
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