Hiring a car shipping company should not be a cause of stress and worry. Sometimes you need your car to be shipped to a new location or you might have purchased a car that is not in your local area. Car shipping services can make it easy to relocate a car to anywhere in the US or even overseas as long as you know how to pick the right company for your needs.
When you are shopping for a car shipping company, it can be tempting to pick based on price or other factors. Using a single factor as the reason for your choice is not often the best way to select from different services, however. If you are not sure how to choose the right car shipping company, this guide can help!
If you are ready to learn more about how shipping cars across the country works and tips you should use before hiring a car shipping company, read on!
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Tips Before Hiring a Car Shipping Company
1. Long Trips Can be Tough on Your Car
While it might seem like hiring a car shipping company is the right choice to save you adding mileage to your car and spare you hours of driving time as you relocate, there are some factors about cross-country trips that can be tough on your car when a shipping company is in charge. Your car will be exposed to weather, rocks, and other road debris, and the possible risks of being driven on and off the trailer when other cars are dropped off along the route.
This is one of the key factors that requires some research into the companies that you are thinking of hiring for the job. You do not want to send your car with a company that will not take really good care of it so that it is in great condition when it is delivered. Always make sure that you think about the possible risks to your car related to the weather at the time of year that you are shipping it and the possibility of it being damaged due to being driven on and off the trailer by someone else.
2. Read Reviews
One of the most useful ways to help decide which company to pick for your auto shipping needs is to read reviews. You will be able to get a good idea of the experiences that other customers have had with the company in question and you will be able to learn a lot about the kinds of care options that the company offers when they relocate cars. Picking and choosing from a bunch of quotes can seem daunting, but reviews can tell you a lot about the companies that you are trying to pick from.
Ignore really extreme reviews on either end of the spectrum and see what the median response seems to be. If most of the reviews are essentially two stars out of five, you should avoid this company even if the language in the reviews is not that harsh. It is always wise to pick a company with mostly positive reviews for your car shipping needs.
3. Consider Avoiding Brokers
While brokers can sometimes help you to get a great deal, they are often just the middlemen in between you and a car shipping company. These services help car shipping entities to fill up their transport trailers with vehicles but they are often not the best resource for you as the customer. They are not likely to know any of the details about the company’s practices and they might not be able to provide insurance or licensing documentation for the company.
You will almost always have better luck booking directly with the car shipping company and you will be able to get your questions answered more easily when you are talking to the actual business than when you are speaking with a broker. Most people will tell you that a quote that comes directly from a car shipping company is more authoritative and complete than one that comes from a broker.
4. Be Wary of Deposit Requests
No competent car shipping business will ask you to give them a deposit upfront to hold your spot on the trailer or as a down payment for the trip. You should never work with a company that asks for this to be done because this is likely a scam. It is a sad reality that there are some scammers out there that are pretending to be car shipping companies who are just looking to take your money and give you nothing back.
If you are asked to give a payment to the company before your car has been delivered to you at your new home, you should decline the quote and move on. This is one of the key ways that you can avoid being scammed and you should remember that quality shipping companies will only ask for payment on delivery.
Car Shipping Can be Easy and Painless to Arrange
Hiring a car shipping company can be really easy if you know how to find the right company for your needs. Making sure that you are not being taken in by a scam is easy if you look at reviews and avoid companies that ask for a deposit for the trip. You should also ask to see licensing and insurance information and a quote from any company that you are considering hiring before you actually pick them for the job.
Knowing what to look for and what questions to ask can make the process of picking an auto shipping company for your car’s relocation really easy and stress-free. You will find that most quality companies will be easy to work with and willing to give you all the information that you need upfront. Always listen to your gut and pick a company that gives you a good feeling and that you feel that you can trust to relocate your car with the right attention to detail.