Company Response Review Report Review
Kathy Ashlock Service Rep

Peter Submitted this review about Magic Carpet Auto Transport
Review made Live: 1/27/2010 8:39:00 PM
My experience with Magic Carpet was exponentially better than my previous car shipping experience, better than (relatively low) expectations, and I would use them again. With that said, I think that five star ratings should be reserved for truly exceptional experiences and this whole rating thing is a little bit of a scam.
I am convinced that all of these guys do the same thing (especially since the same company owns 3 of the top 5 brokers on this service or something like that). The person you work with calls when the car is delivered to make sure everything went well with your shipping experience and that you can give them a 5 Star rating. This is a reasonable and responsible practice. When I explained that I was satisfied and that the services exceeded my expectations but was planning on giving 4 Star rating my representative told me that they are judged on a pass/fail basis and anything other than a 5 Star rating is considered a failing rating. I have absolutely no doubt that is true and it is a brilliant business strategy because it guilts people who were considering a lower rating to bump it up to 5 Stars.
Initially, the representative had convinced me to give her a 5 Star ranking and then “explain my concerns in the narrative.” Then I got the email to fill out the survey Transport Reviews in order to get the $50 “rebate” included in the price quote. It said “Please do not check the box asking if you have been or will be paid for this review as it is strictly a ‘rebate’.” When I called to speak with my representative she said that I didn’t need to check the box because it was just a rebate from money I’d already paid and that the company wasn’t paying for the review. That’s a complete and total farce. I don’t get the $50 if I don’t fill out the review and this is their standard practice. To the representative’s credit she said it was fine if I checked that I was being paid for the review.
Now on to the details of my shipping experience with Magic Carpet that made it a 4 Star Rating instead of a 5 Star. I called on a Tuesday to request shipping. I was told that it would be 1-8 days before the car could be picked up. There was no communication until Monday morning when I called to get an update. My representative said she would check on it and get back to me. Within a few hours she called back and said that one truck had agreed to move the car (cross country) the next day but was asking for an additional $100. The rep said it was my choice but she thought that we could get a better deal and I appreciated that input. Before the end of the day she had found someone who could pick the car up on Wednesday for $40 more than the quote and the driver thought it would take 8 days to get cross country.
I decided to go with that driver and pay the additional $40. The driver was excellent. I was always able to reach him on his cell phone and he arrived to pick up the car on time. It took him 9 days to get cross country because of snow storms in California which is completely understandable. He dropped the car off when he said he would within one block of my apartment. Other than being dirty (as expected) the car was in good shape when I received it. To Magic Carpet’s credit every time I called they answered the phone and got me in touch with my representative quickly. As I’ve said the service was above expectations but not exceptional because:
1) I had to call and be proactive to get the car scheduled with a truck, within expectations but not exceptional.
2) It took the maximum end of the projection they gave me to get the car picked up, again within expectations but not exceptional
3) The price was $40 more than then non-binding projected quote. I knew that the price could go up and I wasn’t surprised that it increased. I appreciated the reps input not to pay an additional $100 over the quote but exceptional service would not have included any increase.

If I have to ship my car again I will use Magic Carpet because they were much better than the miserable experience I had the last time I was involved in shipping a car. To anyone looking to ship a car I hope this information is helpful.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
Washington DC
Pickup:
On Time
Destination State:
Washington
Delivery:
On Time
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
299433
Quote or Order Cost:
$1020

Car Condition
  • Vehicle was dirty
Company Response
Terry Williams from Magic Carpet Auto Transport Submitted this response.
Response Date: 1/28/2010 2:11:00 PM
Peter, thank you for your review and im sorry you didnt feell that you receive 5 star service but we are at the mercy of the drivers. Kathy~