| Rod |
| 8/21/2008 2:19:00 PM |
| Cascade Vehicle Shipping, Inc. |
| Remember this is just a broker. |
Readers should be aware that almost all of the companies listed on this site are just brokers and not the actual shipping company. Their business model is basically to find customers who need transportation services, then scramble to find third-party drivers who are willing to carry the vehicles. The only leverage a shipping broker would have against a shipper to enforce customer service, therefore, would be to refuse to do business with shippers that received complaints. Since the transportation companies are the lifeblood of the brokers, the bottom line is that here, as with the moving business, the drivers are holding most of the cards, and brokers are just getting their cut.
With all of that said, Cascade did a fair job of scheduling our pickup and delivery. Unlike many brokers, they did not charge a "deposit" (i.e., their fee) up-front simply to try to locate a driver, and they were friendly on the phone. Minor complaints are as follows. We had to reschedule our shipment because Cascade could not find a shipper on our preferred date. This was no big deal, except that Cascade didn't call to let us know. When they didn't call as promised, we just assumed the move was off. Over a week later, our contact emailed me to let me know she'd scheduled our pickup for xyz date. Okay. I checked our calendar, and fortunately, the date she'd picked worked for us, so we agreed as long as they could ensure storage on the delivery end if the cars came early (we were going on vacation). Our contact also wasn't great at returning phone calls, and she waited until the day before the cars were scheduled to be picked up before confirming that we had storage facilities lined up. Finally, when she actually did confirm the driver she forgot to collect our deposit. Several days later she apparently realized her mistake and left me a message while I was in Costa Rica, saying that she knew I "was a good guy" but threatening to ask their shipper to put our cars in storage if I didn't call her immediately. I'd left messages and tried to give them our billing information three days before, but no one called me back.
So my overall impression was that it's a somewhat hectic, high volume operation that doesn't really focus on the customer unless it becomes a priority for them. This is probably a function of the driver-centric nature of the industry, and I doubt it would be much better with any other broker (and could be far worse). But readers should know the nature of the beast beforehand.
In the end, our two cars were picked up on the correct day (driver was several hours late) and delivered on the correct day (and correct time), without damage, for a competitive price, so I have no major complaints. And Cascade gets as much credit as a broker can get for that.
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| Posted by a representative of Cascade Vehicle Shipping, Inc. on 8/21/2008 5:22:00 PM |
Rod,
We apologize for the inconvenience of going past your wanted pick up date. We did however find a carrier that dealt with your situaion.
It wasn't that we forgot to collect the deposit, we were unable to get ahold of you to collect the deposit information.
It does state in our terms and condition about payment:
Payment to the carrier is due upon delivery. Unless other arrangements have been made ahead of time, payment will be made with cash, cashier's check or money order. Should delivery be attempted after proper notification (2 to 24 hours in advance to phone number provided) and the shipper (or agent) is 1) unavailable to receive delivery, 2) does not have the proper funds, or 3) refuses delivery of the vehicle, carrier will transport the vehicle to a nearby storage facility until the matter can be resolved. Shipper (or agent) will be responsible for any accumulated storage fees, redelivery fees, etc.
This does include our fee as well. It was not meant to be a threat and we apologize if you took it that way, we were simply following policy at that time.
We are sorry that your experience was not what you expected. Next time you wish to ship a vehicle, please give Cascade another chance to exceed your expectations. |
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Rod gave Cascade Vehicle Shipping, Inc. a rating of:  
| Review details | |
| Quote or Order ID: | 539662 |
| Quote or Order Cost: | $2369 |
| Origin: | Tennessee |
| Pickup: | Late |
| Destination: | Washington |
| Delivery: | On Time |
| Truck/Carrier Type: | Open |
| Dirty: | No |
| Items Stolen: | No |
| Damaged: | No |
| Honesty: |   |
| Knowlegeable: | |
| Hold Times/Promptness: | |
| Overall Customer Service: | |
| Primary Contact: | Kim |
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Valley Solutions, Inc.