Unacceptable Customer Service
Tony
Submitted this review about
Autoline Transport
Review made Live: 6/16/2014 1:55:00 PM
I have to write this negative review for Autoline San Diego to explain the terrible service I received and contrast it with the company’s business statement. First, I have to start off by saying – if you pay a business for a service and they do not follow through with their promise, yet they still take your money – what does that business become? Essentially, they are thieves. I cannot feel more robbed of time, dignity, and money from Autoline SD. I worked with broker Heidi Hill who’s response to my dilemma was “It’s not our fault” and “I was busy”. In the world of customer service, these responses are unacceptable and I will gladly paint the whole situation.
What happened is this: I needed my car shipped from California to Virginia so I can move around base. I had a stringent timeline and Autoline put in writing that my car was to be picked up on Monday, June 9 and delivered by Thursday, June 12. I made plans to use that vehicle to drive to Washington DC that weekend.
In my current job, I often don’t have communication because I’m conducting exercises out in the field so I double-checked that everything was set (including contact info) for the week of the operation. I paid Autoline an extra $175 to expedite my service and paid the carrier $1000.
On Thursday, June 12, after a week out in the field, there was nothing more I was looking forward to than picking up my car and heading out to Washington DC. I called the location of where my car was dropped off and they said “No, unfortunately your car was not dropped off.” I was confused as to why this could happen. I called Bo, the truck driver. After 3 calls, he finally gets back to me and says “Oh, I can’t deliver today, I’ll deliver it by Monday or Tuesday.” I respond with, “Well Bo, the contract says it was to be delivered by Thursday [today] June 12.” Bo responds and says that he can’t do that, that he’s a truck driver and that he’s too tired. He says that delivering the vehicle cross-country in the span of 4 days was impossible. I agree that it’s a tight timeline, but why did I pay the extra $175? Why is it in writing that my car is to be delivered by Thursday, June 12? In addition to that, why did I not receive a call or email from Bo or Autoline to say that my car was not going to be delivered by the expected date? On top of that, if my delivery date is now going to be doubled (from 4 days to 8 days) why am I not being issued a refund for the cost of expediting the service?
I presented all these questions to Heidi Hill at Autoline and she said that none of it was her or the company’s fault - that once in the carrier’s hands, it’s on me to talk to the driver and get the refund back. Simply put, it’s “Nope, it’s not our fault, it’s your fault, you’re not listening and you should’ve read the contract.” I was surprised at this response and have never received customer service like this in my life. So, I decided to dig deeper and went onto the company website and found this:
“Autoline transport is both a broker and an auto transport carrier. With our in-house carrier network, our fleet covers approximately 10 major routes across the US. As a Bonded Broker (ICC/MC-737302), we deal with a large network of auto shipping and car transport companies who service the remainder of the US routes. We deal only with reputable carriers who are properly licensed and insured, and parallel the standards that of Autoline Carriers. When contracting a load to a network carrier, Autoline will act as the liaison between the carrier and you, the customer. We have a well established base of trucks providing quality service to assure you a worry free move. So whether your on an Autoline Truck or a Contracted Truck, you can rest assured that your getting the best service in the industry either way.”
From the above information, was Autoline not listed as both the broker and carrier? When I called Heidi on Thursday and Friday, I asked if she knew the situation of the vehicle and she had absolutely no idea of where Bo was with my vehicle and when it was going to be delivered. I had to uncover this information on my own. Autoline says they deal only with reputable carriers but if a carrier can’t meet the listed deadline, how is that reputable? Furthermore, if Autoline is acting as the liaison between me and the carrier, why am I constantly calling Bo the truck driver trying to figure out where my car is and why it has not arrived on time. Lastly, it says that the trucks provide quality service and that I’m getting the best service but how could that be? This whole process has been a nightmare. I had to completely cancel my entire plans for the weekend due to the fact that I didn’t have my own transportation from base to Washington DC. Heidi Hill says that she was busy, but my time as a customer wasn’t valued at all. There was no insight into the fact that I, too, work an 80-90 hour week yet I still took on the responsibility to figure out what was going on with my vehicle.
I also need to point out this:
First, the company advertises a military discount and this is completely negated if you pay for the rushed delivery. Okay.
Second, every single time I called Heidi Hill, I received attitude or the call was rushed. She was obviously frustrated every time and this amounts to bad customer service.
Third, if you pay for a Fast-Track service, the company should ensure that the vehicle is delivered within the timeframe. If that’s 4 days, deliver it within 4 max 5 days and explain why, don’t extend it to 8 days and say it’s the customer’s fault or it’s not your (the business’s) fault. This is ridiculous and you leave your customers dumbfounded.
Lastly, the response of “It’s not our fault” and “I’m busy” is truly unacceptable. I asked Heidi first if I could talk to her manager, she hung up on me and when I re-called she said “that was an accident” with a sneer tone. I asked again for her manager and have yet to receive a phone call or email.
I’ll end it with this. There’s an ethics to business. If a customer pays for a service (especially as much as $1000), there is a duty to fulfill that promise. If you have a date listed on the paper, you should meet that deadline. If you don’t meet that deadline, you should explain to the customer why. If you say you’re a liaison between me and the driver, ensure that there is communication to prove that the vehicle was delivered. If not, explain to the customer in a civil manner why not. Lastly, if you charge an extra $175 for the vehicle to be expedited and it instead, gets doubled in delivery time – refund the customer that money.
It’s unfortunate that I had to write this review, but I hope all customers in the future will be wary when dealing with this business.
