USA Car Ship deserves less than 1 star from what I experienced. In June, we put down a deposit and arranged for our car to be shipped in October. October, over 3 months notice. We wanted to do as much as we could to get prepared for a cross-country move. They quoted us $795 and assured us via text and via telephone that we would not have to pay much more than what we were quoted. We thought it was too good to be true and it was!
In September, I reached out to the company to confirm our reservation and to check that the price quote was still valid. They assured me again that the quote was still good and that we would not have to pay more. My husband said it still sounded too good to be true, but I have had my car shipped across the country before, and what I was quoted in my last experience was what I paid. Honestly, I think there was a very small difference, under $50, actually less. Because I reserved the transport early, just like this time, 3 months before my move.
The Friday before the Tuesday they were supposed to have our car picked up, I called again to confirm our date, to get an idea of the time and to see if they anticipated any changes in the price. They assured me again that the price would not be different. Then they slid in that the charges are per mile, but that they would be negotiating to meet our budget. I called again and got to speak to someone other than my contact to get more information about the possible charges per mile to see how much they could exceed my quote. I asked him to let us know now if we have to end up paying hundreds of dollars so we can make other arrangements; because we are on a budget and cannot afford much more. He laughed, actually laughed, and said if it costs any more, it would be like $20 - $25 more, if that!
When Tuesday came, they called me and quoted us $1395, $600 MORE THAN WHAT THEY VERIFIED IN THE FIRST PLACE. They asked what our budget was. I told them our budget was what they quoted us in the first place and what they told me it would be no more than on Friday. Months ago, we could have prepared or gone with another company that gave us upfront pricing in a different way. But since we only had a few days left that we would need to be as close to what we were quoted as possible. He said no problem, not to worry, that is what it would be. When it was all said and done and they did our "negotiations" for us, the set price was $1195 ($600 more)! When it was all said and done, the price ended up being $1145 (the took off $50). So we were only out $550 that we could not afford.
USA Car Ship took full advantage of my family. They tried to blame the auto transportation group, saying they are just Brokers. But these brokers lied and made promises they had no intention of keeping in the first place. In addition, there is a government shutdown, so a lot of things are crazy with finances for so many of us. With our deposit, they ended up getting double of what we were quoted. And we confirmed far in advance! The last time I did this, I got a discount for that.
Lastly, after our car was picked up, they called to tell us they needed more money upfront. The deal was that we would pay upon delivery since we put down a deposit already. We expected to pay the driver something upfront, but they kept insisting that we didn't pay until the car was delivered. When they called right after our car was taken, they asked us for $150. Granted, this amount was subtracted from the order, but they should have told us when we asked rather than assuming we would have it. The communication was shady and inconsistent at best. I would never recommend this company to others.