North Carolina to Washington State
Paul
Submitted this review about
Jimmy Hopkins Trucking
Review made Live: 4/17/2008 12:07:00 PM
This was my first time having a car transported. I was a little apprehensive considering all of the horror stories I have heard. But, I went ahead and jumped in with both feet.
My criteria was pretty simple. I wanted my vehicle to get to me undamaged. But, I didn't want to wait forever to get it. I wanted a reasonable price. But, I didn't plan on taking the lowest price (you get what you pay for) and yet I didn't want to get taken to the cleaners either. Most importantly, I wanted a company with integrity.
I contracted with Agape Auto Transport as my broker. They in turn contracted with Jimmy Hopkins Trucking to do the actual moving of my vehicle. My car was scheduled to be picked up on a Monday and delivered the following Sunday. I was impressed that it would be delivered in 6 days. From the other reviews I looked at, it usually took 9 to 10 days to ship a car from coast to coast.
My car wasn't picked up as scheduled. So, I called the next day. I got the driver (Jimmy Hopkins himself) and he was there picking it up at the dealership I had bought it from. He said they didn't have it ready the day before. As it turns out, it was ready. But, he thought the dealership should do a better job prepping the car for me (as in fixing paint chips, etc.). So, they did and he came back the next day to pick it up. The driver was great in that he treated my car as if it was his own. Obviously, he doesn't want to pay for any damages, so he was very careful with my car.
The days went by without any contact. Then, the delivery date came and went (I added one day to it since the car was picked up one day late). Nobody called or emailed me. That is my only complaint is that they are reactive in their communication instead of proactive. But, I fully understand that they are used to dealing with dealers who don't care about proactive communication. However, some of the other companies do provide this service.
After the vehicle was a day late, I called the driver. He explained he had been delayed a day because of an ice storm. I was fine with that. This is what I mean about being flexible. Would you rather have your car damaged in an ice storm or have it delivered a day or two late? I'll go for getting it undamaged. When talking with him, he said I could expect my car the next morning. The next morning and afternoon came and went and still no car. So I called him again. This time he had gotten stopped at a weight station for being overweight (he had just filled up with diesel two miles earlier, which put him just over the top). In Washington State, they won't let the truckers leave until they get back under weight. So, he was waiting for another truck to come take one of the vehicles. As soon as it did, he delivered our car that night (after first asking if it was okay to do so or if we preferred it in the morning).
We met Jimmy at a local shopping center parking lot. When unloading the car, we could tell he cared about each vehicle. Our vehicle was a little dirty from the trip. But, it was undamaged. We paid and went home very happy.
As I said earlier, when you ship your vehicle from one coast to the other, you can expect some things to go wrong. Jimmy Hopkins Trucking handled those situations well. We were very pleased with them as our trucking company. In addition, Jimmy Hopkins was a very nice, courteous, respectful, and honest man to deal with. I wouldn't hesitate to use him again when I need a car transported.
