Hannah
Subie transport from central OR to interior AK
This was my first time shipping a car, let alone shipping a new car purchased at an out-of-state dealership. I chose Easy Auto Ship to help get my new subie from central OR to interior AK. While I realized I could have booked transportation to/within AK directly with Alaska Auto Transport, Easy Auto Ship was helpful in arranging travel from the OR dealership to the WA port. However, I wish they would have asked whether I wanted the cheapest driver possible, or the most reliable. I was notified via email a driver was assigned at 6 AKST. Less than 2 hours later, a driver from Millennium Group Inc of Illinois arrived at the dealership to pickup the car. The dealership sales associate was surprised to see him before opening time. He told me the driver was difficult to understand and brusque, apparently annoyed that he had had to wait for the dealership to open. The driver tried get the associate to sign an empty vehicle release form without a VIN number or destination and tried to drive off without the temporary license plate. The associate was also not offered the chance to review an inspection report before the driver left. I never received any updates from EAS or the driver about pickup, progress, or delivery. Fortunately, I had a MySubaru subscription, so I knew the real time location of the vehicle. The tracker indicated the vehicle was dropped off same day at what appeared to be Alaska Auto Transport. They confirme this over the phone and sent the Bill of Lading. I was sad to see numerous scratches and scuffs reported on the vehicle. I don't mind a few blemishes, but you don’t want to hear your new car already has scratches all over it. I reached out to EAS claims and they said to forward the inspection reports. I called Millennium Group Inc using the number listed on the dispatch email and requested the BOL they should have completed. It arrived in my email a few days later and showed no damage. EAS said to wait until the car arrived, inspect the vehicle, take photos of damages, and email the photos to the claims reps. Upon pickup in Fairbanks some weeks later I did as EAS said and found clearcoat scratches on the drivers side of the car. The day after I submitted my claim, EAS offered $100 reimbursement toward a detail if I sent them a receipt. However, the local rates for fixing minor scratches was min $300. I requested a $100 reimbursement towards products and tools to fix the scratches myself. They complied and I saw the $100 refund a few days later. Overall my experience with EAS was not without stress, but my new subie is safe and free of major damage. At the end of the day I was just grateful I didn’t have a broken windshield or something worse. The short: - Easy Auto Ship may find a cheaper driver than other brokers, but the chosen driver/company may violate the protocols that originally gave you peace of mind. - You may not get much notice of who your driver is before pickup. You should have time to request the shipper's insurance and USDOT number. I wasn't able to, but was afraid to turn down the driver in case of cancellation fees. - Your driver and/or the company may not provide ANY updates. Purchase a car tracker. - You must make sure damages are recorded on the Bill of Lading. I was fortunate that two companies handled my car and that the second one conducted a scrupulous inspection. Don’t rush the inspection on pickup and document everything in the BOL, or EAS may not help. - After payment, the EAS rep you worked with with may not reach out ever again. It seemed once I paid their job was done, though payment is given before the car has shipped. I would have been nice if the EAS rep took additional responsibility making sure the car transport companies he chose actually followed through. Anyone else considering an out-of-state car purchase, pickup the car yourself to save some stress and money. If that’s not an option (i.e., you would have to drive 4+ days from OR to interior AK in Feb in an unwinterized vehicle) maybe skip on using Easy Auto Ship, and try working directly with a shipping company.