How to compare car shipping quotes – Is the cheapest car shipper always the best option?
Choosing the right company to ship your vehicle isn’t always easy. Pricing between companies can vary widely and so can service and transit times. How do you know you’re getting a fair price but also good service?
Price is not everything – Make sure you take service, reputation and transit time into consideration when comparing pricing between companies.
For example, if you received two quotes from two different car shipping companies:
| Company 1 | Company 2 | |
| Quoted Transit Time | Approximately 2-3 weeks | Exactly 7 days |
| Reputation | High – Lots of reviews online, professional website, active social media presence |
Low – Not a lot of online presence, old looking website and not many reviews and most of them negative. |
| Quoted Price | $1450 | $1150 |
At first glance, Company 2 with the lower price and faster transit time may look like the best option, but is it?
First you have to find out why there’s such a large difference in the transit time and if the transit times quoted are honest. Is the low transit time from Company 2 accurate, and does it take into account the wait time of your vehicle once its dropped at the shipping terminal?
Be wary of companies giving low transit times just to get your order – Is Company 2 quoting low transit times knowing that they will get more business from less savvy customers, but in actuality the true transit time will end up being even longer than what Company 1 said theirs would be. Is the company telling you what you want to hear or is providing realistic and honest delivery estimates?
The lower priced option now doesn’t seem so attractive. Not only are you not going to be getting your vehicle in the time you planned in, you may have to change your work schedule, rent a vehicle, take more taxis for that extra two weeks that you planned on having your car for but its still being shipped.
After Shipping Experience:
| Company 1 | Company 2 | |
| Customer Service | -Fast and professional email responses and phone calls answered. -Clear and concise information provided about the shipping process. -Easily able to track vehicle |
-Emails not replied to quickly and phone goes to voicemail frequently. -Hard to get straight answers from the company and to track your vehicle. -Excuses regarding the delivery time delay |
| Actual shipping time | 12 days | 21 days |
| Condition of vehicle on delivery |
No damage but a little dirty | Bumper damaged |
Should a company who gives low pricing and unrealistic transit times be trusted to move your vehicle across Canada with care and damage free? A company who does this may not be focused on the customer first and be able to provide a good level of service.
Best Advice: Ask lots of questions when your in the selection phase. Email and call multiple times to get a feel for the company. Don’t always go with the lowest price. Do you research before you ship. Understand the entire process and how shipping your car works so you don’t have any surprises.