Vehicle Transportation woes.

[Dr Haldex]

Having been around car forums for a number of years, a common thread usually pops up asking who to use when transporting a car interstate.

DO not, under any circumstances use Trade Car Transport Trade Car Transport to move cars interstate.

I will elaborate when this matter is cleared up, but let me just say, I'm very unhappy with their service.

[Dr Haldex]

I'm not usually into bagging companies on-line and if a company provides good service I am the first put my hand up and let people know I've had a good experience. But in this situation, I think people need to be warned.

So I wanted to move a car I had purchased in Melbourne up to Brisbane. I have moved cars on this route before and always used CEVA and had no trouble. I looked at about 8 companies and the CEVA quote was about $200 dearer than most quotes so I settled on a company called Trade Car Transport (TCT), who seemed to have a very professional website including on-line quote and clear terms & conditions.

I rang the company before paying on-line and asked how long it would take to get the car. The gentlemen in the office stated 5 days, but said, it will probably be "up there in about 3 days". The car was located in a Melbourne car yard, TCT took 3 days before they picked the car up. Fair enough, maybe they were busy. 3 days after picking the car up, I gave the TCT office a call to see when the car would be delivered (I would have to take the afternoon off work to receive the car), they said it would be up in Brisbane next Tuesday, that was 6 days away. That would mean they had taken 9 days to get the car up to Brisbane after quoting 5 days. I was annoyed, but was happy to know the car would arrive next week. On the Monday afternoon I rang again to see when it would be delivered. They said that it would be up "Thursday 2nd of June"...another 9 days away!? That would mean 18 days they had had the car... I was annoyed and voiced my displeasure, quoting the original 5 days and also quoted the 2nd of June that I was told the car would be arriving. The guy in the office said "sorry mate, it's a complicated business" and hung up the phone.

By now I was a bit concerned, They had my money, they had the car, I didn't even know where it was, nor could I do much about it. I sat tight and waited until the 2nd of June. On the 2nd of june I rang again and asked the same office guy about my car. He had a new date for me, Thursday the 9th of June. I was really pissed off. But once again, there wasn't much I could do but wait. So last Thursday I rang again and the office guy told me that the car was in Brisbane and would be delivered tomorrow. Luckily I had the day off last Friday and the car was delivered (without the agreed phone call to let me know when they were arriving).

The car was filthy, it had obviously been parked in a dusty lot and whoever had been moving it had dumped muddy footprints and filthy hands. This had never happened with CEVA.

I am really happy with the mechanical condition of the car and relieved to finally have it, but the service from TCT was terrible. It took them 24 days from payment to get the car from Melbourne to Brisbane. In anyones language that is poor service. Not once did anyone call me to let me know what was happening and while I understand that a backlog can slow things down, but 24 days when they quoted 5 days??!

anyway, thats my rant...

[mikinoz]

Well, CEVA are no better, I currently have a dispute with them and despite photographic evidence, they are unwilling to admit liability for damaging it while in their care.

It's a mugs game car logistics really, sorry to hear your story but.

You could always cancel your credit card transaction as unauthorised!

[GTiPilot]

I'd have to agree and warn people not to use these guys:

I had my car moved from Sydney to Darwin. I dropped it off at the depot and picked it up at the depot. The car had been driven 16km, scratches all over it, a flat tyre which had been driven on, average fuel consumption doubled, stones all over the windscreen and car stuck on with tar, the aerial was missing and I am still fighting them 8 months down the track - all this after being 5 weeks late! The car went Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide-Brisbane-Alice Springs-Darwin!

No customer service, never reply to phone calls or emails and deny any responsibility even when I have photo evidence of the car's condition and km before and after!