Shipping a vehicle-
Recently I helped a family friend ship her deceased husband’s vehicle from California to her home in Farmer’s Branch. I didn’t have a clue on how a vehicle would be shipped and pricing; so I used a search engine to begin this endeavor. I saw a few websites claiming to provide immediate quotes once my contact information was provided on the online applications. After doing so, I received a barrage of text messages from transport operators who offered immediate pricing starting with $600 to $1000, which I was pleasantly surprising, since I honestly thought it would be an exorbitant amount of money- well over $5000 to ship a vehicle ( please keep in mind this is all new to me). So many operators texted; I randomly selected 2-3. I heard back from two of the operators - one using AI and the other a live person from Fairway, named Tony Reed who was professional and helpful. I learned a lot from my connection with Tony, such as how companies like Fairway operate. Here is how I understood it. So when I initially completed the online contact information, many of the companies like Fairway sent text messages with an estimated dollar amount which will most likely change.. to a higher cost. These companies, brokers per se, connect clients to actual hauling companies. Once a potential client agrees to work with a broker- in my case I signed an emailed agreement to work with Fairway-the broker will reach out to various hauling companies to find available drivers who would be in the area willing to take on the transport and offer bids to do so- may be multiple bids. At first, it was a little confusing because it seemed that the dollar amount offered in the initial text correspondences from all the brokers was what the family would actually pay. So when the quote came back, in my case doubled, it felt like a bait and switch. HOWEVER, Tony patiently explained that the actual prices can and most likely will fluctuate based on availability of the driver and other possible conditions such as fuel prices etc. He assured me that he would do his best to find someone to deliver the vehicle at the price closest to the initial offering of $900. Once I got over the initial surprise and realized how the program works, then it came down to the fundamentals of customer service and responsiveness that influenced my decision to go with Fairway. As I shared, I reached out to 3 operators, and only heard back from one live person- Tony Reed with Fairway and the other, AI. My preference, especially when it comes to an experience such as this, is to work with a human being. Working with Tony was great. He was responsive and did as he committed, he found several drivers who offered competitive quotes for my route. He asked that should I decide on any of them, I was to Docusign a contract and pay the deposit, in my case it was $250. I had a cancellation window in receiving a refund of this deposit, just like anything else (ie. Hotels etc). The deposit went towards the final cost. So if the final cost is $1500 and my deposit was $250, then when the driver safely delivered the vehicle, the recipient or I would pay the remaining amount in cash (COD). Going into this type of arrangement, if you understand how it works as I have shared and accept pragmatically that pricing will be different or fluctuate based on availability and possibly other factors such as fuel prices, then it comes down to the rapport you develop with the broker with whom you work. i found Tony to be extremely responsive, respectful, professional and available for ALL my questions. Out of the 5 quotes presented to me by Tony, I selected DMS Hauling LLC with the most competitive rate. From there, everything was seamless. I signed the contract, paid my deposit, received an email and text from Tony with the driver’s name and phone number as well as when he is expected to be in my area within the following day or two and asked to expect a phone call which I received. The driver was Ava with DMS Hauling LLC. He was polite and professional. My husband and I offered to meet Ava on a larger street because the transport truck was extremely long to accommodate all the vehicle transported- no way he was going to fit on our small winding street. Everything went smoothly with Tony consistently checking in. I have to say, I was somewhat shocked or pleasantly surprised at how fast it was for the vehicle to reach Farmer’s Branch. The vehicle reached its destination safely and the recipient was extremely happy. I Zelled the driver the remaining balance and left this entire arrangement, very happy. If I should ever need to ship a vehicle again, I would reach out to Tony Reed (209) 674-4002 with Fairway without reservation, and should you need to ship a vehicle, I recommend that you reach out to Tony as well.