Tag Archive for: auto transport tips

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GREAT ADVICE ON MULTIPLE CAR SHIPPING QUOTES WEBSITES (MUST READ)

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How Do Auto Transport Lead Providers Work?

When a customer searches on the Internet for an auto transport company, it is sometimes hard to tell which sites are in that business from the pretenders who are merely lead generation sites. The multiple auto shipping quotes web sites disguise themselves as real companies, capturing personal information and the particulars of an auto transport shipment, and then turn around and sell that information to nearly 10 brokers. What happens next is often chaos and confusion for the customer. Multiple QuotesThere are probably about ten former auto transport brokers who for whatever reason decided to give up shipping vehicles and now dominate the multiple quote lead business. The broker business is hyper competitive and takes a toll on most owners, so off they go. The lead providers usually own several sites that they optimize for certain major keywords. Many lead generation sites employ people whose only job is to find ways to push their auto transport web sites higher on Google, Bing and Yahoo. The customer has a hard time discerning the real from the sudo-real companies, and may unwittingly submit his or her personal information that is within seconds sold for $1.00 to $2.00 per lead to several actual brokers. The average total value of a typical multiple quote lead is therefore roughly $10 to the web site owner. If the auto shipping lead generation site has natural or organic web position, then the $10 collected per lead is pure profit. However, if the site used advertising companies such as Google Adwords to generate the multiple quote lead, then usually that advertising service will get the lion’s share of the $10. Ouch. So most lead providers use a mixture of both methods. It’s all numbers, and some lead providers are simply sharper than some of their lead providing competitors.

Who Buys The Multiple Quote Car Shipping Leads?

Usually, but not always, very aggressive auto transport brokers buy the leads. They have to be aggressive or somebody else will eat their lunch. Think about it. That broker knows that the lead they just received was also sent to as many as 9 other companies at precisely the same time. On average it cost each broker $1.00 to get that lead. Let’s say he buys 100 leads every day, so that’s $100 regardless of whether he books an order. The auto transport broker sends an email to the prospective customer just as soon as he can figure out the quote. But by the time he does that, the customer may have already received 9 other emailed quotes. If that broker’s quote is too high, he is likely to be eliminated from consideration, even though he knows that the order is unlikely to ship anytime soon for less than his quote. For our part, we are oblivious to competitor quotes. We know what it will take to actually ship an order within one week and will not deviate our approach. For that reason, we only occasionally participate in the lead buying business. ALSO CHECKOUT THE COMPANY YOU ARE GETTING A QUOTE FROM MOST OF THESE ARE FLY BY NIGHT COMPANIES AND WILL ONLY BE AROUND IN A YEAR OR 2. AMERICAN TRANSPORT HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS  FOR NEARLY 10 YEARS.

 

 

Beware The Auto Transport Quote Rip off

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Beware the Auto Transport Quote Rip-off

Here are a few things to look out for when shipping your car:

1.  Beware the ultra low quote and things that sound to good to be true. Dishonest companies will do anything to get their hands on your credit card numbers and you could face big problems. Ask yourself…would I haul somebody’s car for .25 cents a mile? Not unless you are desperate! Good transports don’t need to work for low pay but poor quality transports will take almost anything they can get their hands on and if you go with ultra low quotes THAT is who will be carrying your car. BAD BAD news… 

 

2.  Giving a deposit before a truck is assigned to your vehicle is a big NO-NO. Booking your car weeks in advance is another. Some dishonest trucking companies will gladly take your money upfront and then ignore your car. It happens EVERYDAY somewhere in the USA. Loads get cancelled and delayed constantly in this industry and the further out you book the more likely it is that your car will sit and you won’t get it picked up or delivered when you expected. It’s as simple as that.

 

3.  So you call for a quote and the price is just soooo low and you’re liking it and eager to book your car at that price and then comes the CONTRACT. Yes, the dreaded contract MUST be signed, so they say. Yes, they do need it signed and returned but not for the reasons you think. Many of those auto shipping companies use contracts to protect themselves, not you OR your car. Take a very very close look at the terms you are agreeing to. Often times the contracts are written in a way for the dishonest transport to keep your credit card deposit. Their car shipping quote suddenly needs “priority” upgrading or other nonsense which forces you to spend more money. Or you cancel with them and they get to keep your deposit. Then you decide to hire a lawyer to get some fair treatment and the lawyer informs you all disputes must be held in their local court system forcing you to travel. These are just a few tricks they use to get your money. They can’t wait for you to just go away and not bother them about moving your car. Many people actually do. They give up. Some even go to the next company and cross their fingers it doesn’t happen again. One way to find honest brokers and dispatchers is to visit the Better Business Bureau. Avoid the online transport reviews websites. Most are surviving by accepting advertising money from transport companies. Does that tell you anything? The information they offer is custom tailored and often tainted to hurt the transport companies that DON’T give them ad dollars.

5 Easy Tips to Improve your Auto Transport Experience

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You asked for it, and we delivered. Here it is…a simple list of 5 tips that can improve your auto transport experience exponentially. Without further ado, here they are!: 5 Easy tips to improve your auto transport experience

  • Don’t Go For the Cheapest Quote!
  • This is something that far too many people go for. If you go for a cheap quote, you’re probably going to get burned. The problem is that anyone can give you a cheap quote, but no one can get you cheap auto transport. It’s expensive and you get what you pay for
  • Always Check Out the Credentials of an Auto Transport Company
  • This is pretty straightforward. It’s also a standard for smart shopping of any type. Always make sure that the people you work with are reputable.
  • Be Reasonable With Your Expectations
  • Understand that auto transport involves some heavy duty logistical planning. It’s not easy to plan routes, and when things go wrong it can delay transport by a couple of hours.
  • Figure Out What Kind of Service You Need Before Booking
  • Figuring out what you need before you book is going to save you from a bunch of time and money. Get all your ducks in a row before you book! Cancellations can be expensive, and so can rescheduling a transport.
  • Choose your Route Carefully
  • Just because an auto transport company offers ‘door to door’ transport doesn’t mean your vehicle needs to be shipped directly to your door. You can choose any door you like for shipping, and in many cases making a slight adjustment can save you hundreds of dollars. Here’s an example. Say I live in Manhattan and I want to ship a car to myself. If I send it right to my apartment in Harold Square, it’s going to cost me about $1,000. If i try to ship the same car to Newark, however, it’ll only cost $800! Be smart about your route!