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moab762
Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2014
Posts: 518
Location: El Segundo, CA
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 Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:19 am Post subject: |
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I think DAS auto shippers should be taken down from the recommended ones on the first post of this thread. Based on these terrible yelp reviews. http://www.yelp.com/biz/dependable-auto-shippers-san-lorenzo And this is just for one towns reviews of the company. I'm sure if you checked other major cities in Yelp you'd find more of the same.
Here's my own current terrible experience with them. Basically once they get your money, most if not all, communication ceases. My car is now two days late. After sitting in a terminal for a week. And I'm given no explanation whatsoever. All they know is that the vehicle is "in transit" in their not so high tech "Tracking System". And they can't even tell me where it's at. Or when it's going to arrive.
Several mentioned in their Yelp reviews this guy named "Bernie". Same guy I dealt with. But once the money had been received all communication stopped. I have no idea where my car is. Or when it will arrive. And I paid extra for a shipping date on the senders end. And directly to local terminal on my end. (I didn't pay for the cheap open ended shipping dates that can take a month or more to ship your car.) Had I known it was going to be this much of a hassle I would have opted for something more expensive or gone with the other company I found.
http://www.vintagewarehouse.com/transportpage.html Is a one man shop located on the west coast. And tows two trailers. One opened and one closed. With his dually. He was the same price as DAS $800 Seattle to LA. And was very communicative. The only reason I did not use him was that he didn't have a lot here. And I needed the car (at that time) to be stored at a lot for a few days. Until I could pick it up.
I'd steer clear of DAS. Their customer service is just non-existent. Some less that friendly woman always answers the phone. And has little to no information about your vehicle. I finally sent a general msg thru their contact us page tonight. And got a blank receipt email back from their service manager. Maybe she will be able to give me some information. But multiple emails and phone calls to the guy that set me up. And to the company in general have gone either unanswered or they had no information at all.
Do yourself a favor and use someone else. The Yelp reviews are terrible. Had I not relied on this thread alone. And read them. I would not have used DAS to ship my car.
Maybe reading Yelp reviews should be mentioned on the first page of this thread as well. There are simply to many people complaining about everything from theft to damage to their vehicles when using DAS.
The price was right. But the service isn't. I hope my car shows up some time soon. And in the same shape as when it left the sender. |
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EverettB 
Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 69807
Location: Phoenix Metro
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Mike Fisher
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 17969
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:24 am Post subject: |
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If you had used www.uShip.com you would have had your choice of Truckers & not have ended up with a Broker. Of course you don't even have a place to store it and expect a Trucker to do that for you too! 
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold
Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey |
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moab762
Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2014
Posts: 518
Location: El Segundo, CA
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:42 am Post subject: |
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| Mike Fisher wrote: |
| If you had used www.uShip.com you would have had your choice of Truckers & not have ended up with a Broker. Of course you don't even have a place to store it and expect a Trucker to do that for you too! |
DAS is not a broker. At least not according to their prices. And I took the recommendation right from the start of this thread. I have a place to store the vehicle. Was not sure then if I would be in town during the exact days they would deliver. And it is cheaper if you have them deliver to their local yard. Rather than straight to your house. Like a couple hundred dollars difference. It was something they mentioned. So thought it would be a good idea. It's a service they offer. Not something I needed that was out of the ordinary.
Whether they are a broker or not. Does not make it ok for them to forget about you or your vehicle once it's shipped. They should be able to know exactly where your vehicle is at any given time. AT least which two cities it's inbetween.
It also does not excuse a complete lack of communication. And rudeness on the phone. The whole attitude was "well we don't gaurantee anything so we have no answers for you. good bye.".
I didn't expect alot from a shipper. But I did expect some communication as to where my vehicle was. And why it was two days late. And mind you I still have not gotten my vehicle. They have only promised today. Which is what they've been saying for two days. And they have no way of telling you where the vehicle is. It's really weird. I don't know how they stay in business.
Lastly, go read the Yelp reviews. And tell me if you'd do business with them? My only concern was that more Samba members would read that first page of this thread. And think wow DAS must be the way to go. I'd venture to say based on those reviews and mine. That it isn't.
Try that other guy I listed above. He is for sure an independent contractor. And very nice to deal with. I think you'd get your car asap with him. And you'd know exactly where it was at at all times.
Last edited by moab762 on Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:11 am; edited 1 time in total |
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moab762
Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2014
Posts: 518
Location: El Segundo, CA
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:08 am Post subject: |
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I think if you wanted something really cheap. And you didn't care how long it took. And weren't worried about theft or damage to your vehicle. And you didn't care about communication as to where your vehicle was. Or when it was arriving. Use DAS's open ended service. They only quoted me $500 for that. Seattle to Los Angeles. But it can take up to 45 days to get your car delivered.
So maybe for an old roller it would be worth the chance (although the price goes up if it doesn't drive. I'm not sure by how much).
I don't know though. YMMV. Your sender would have to deliver it to their holding lot. And you'd have to pick up at their holding lot on your end. My seller was two hours from their local holding lot. And did not want to deliver the car that far. So like I said. I paid for them to pick it up at the sellers residence. Luckily for me their holding lot here is maybe 15 minutes from my house. So having it delivered there. And avoiding the added expense of having them deliver it to my residence. Made sense.
Personally I would go with this guy http://www.vintagewarehouse.com/transportpage.html for $800 he did door to door. It was $800 which was the same as DAS. And I believe he drives straight from pick up to drop off point. So there is no guess work in where your car is. You just call the guy and ask him where he's at. If he doesn't call you first. He seemed like a really nice guy via phone and email. I would use him in the future for sure.
But check those Yelp reviews. Sure some of the reviews may be plants. But when you get a vast majority of complaints against a service provider. The writing is on the wall. I won't use anyone again without checking Yelp. |
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Mike Fisher
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 17969
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:12 am Post subject: |
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DAS sounds like a Broker. I have had good luck with independent truckers off uShip. Jade Auto Services in WA is my go to guy now on the West Coast. I recommended Jade Auto somewhere in this thresd. He is picking up a set of seats from me headed to Seattle tomorrow.
P.S. I just got a text from Jade Auto saying they will be here today between 1-2 PM.
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold
Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey |
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moab762
Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2014
Posts: 518
Location: El Segundo, CA
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:22 am Post subject: |
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The way the first page of this thread reads. You'd think all the recommended shippers were shippers and not brokers. And even if they are shippers. Shippers still farm stuff out. According to the description:
"Brokers vs. Shipping Companies
Many transport companies are shipping brokers. They do not actually own a truck or make deliveries themselves. They will give you a quote and then find a company to to the actual shipping. They charge you $1200 and pay the actual shipper $1000. Not necessarily a bad thing, but just keep in mind that they are not actually in control of the shipping.
Also, many actual Shipping Companies will trade off with other companies if they can find another company who will do it faster or cheaper.
Many Shipping Company also contract with independent drivers too, so it’s hard to guess who will actually deliver your car."
So even when you choose an actual shipper they may farm stuff out. Which DAS might certainly have done. So using uship isn't always the end all answer either. My understanding of uship was that you'd probably just get a broker. So I didn't use them. Otherwise the beginning of this thread would have said "just use uship".
I'm glad Everett added the verbiage to DAS to check their Yelp reviews. It's really pretty bad. I think they get less than 2.5 stars out of 5 on yelp. And there are a ton of reviews. Not just three or four. And that one I posted is just for one small city of people that had used their services. MAjor cities must look even worse in yelp.
That's cool that you found a shipper that will even deal with parts for you. I'll give them a try next time too. At least get a quote. |
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TrulyVintage
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2008
Posts: 207
Location: Direct Enclosed Transporter
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:22 pm Post subject: Bottom Line |
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The Bottom Line ...
TALK to a real person who is handling the actual transport of your vehicle before you hire them ...
THAT would be the person loading - hauling - unloading your vehicle
IF that is not possible - make another call
_________________
Jim is on the road @ http://www.trulyvintagetrailers.citymax.com/trulyvintage-feedback.html |
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BarbBee
Samba Member
Joined: December 06, 2014
Posts: 16
Location: uk
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| Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 3:46 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Truly.
I have spoken with Kingston shipping co. They are going to quote me for a price to move from the van's current location to the port for both coming across as a roll on roll off, and also for the container route. The roll on roll off is the easier option if the van is reliably starting and running (I think it is, just awaiting further info) to go from Brunswick. Or the other option is to container it from Houston, though that means a longer trip from it's current home via the trucking service.
I'm going to speak to a few of the recommended hauliers for the USA side that are listed at the beginning of the thread.
Also, payment. Understandably, the seller doesn't want to let the bus go without the money in his hand. Given the distance, what is the usual practice on paying that covers both sides as best as possible? Obviously there has to be an element of trust there, but are there any tips etc on how to go about it please?
Does that all sound sensible enough? |
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TrulyVintage
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2008
Posts: 207
Location: Direct Enclosed Transporter
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| Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:15 am Post subject: Wire transfer |
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| BarbBee wrote: |
Thanks Truly.
I have spoken with Kingston shipping co. They are going to quote me for a price to move from the van's current location to the port for both coming across as a roll on roll off, and also for the container route. The roll on roll off is the easier option if the van is reliably starting and running (I think it is, just awaiting further info) to go from Brunswick. Or the other option is to container it from Houston, though that means a longer trip from it's current home via the trucking service.
I'm going to speak to a few of the recommended hauliers for the USA side that are listed at the beginning of the thread.
Also, payment. Understandably, the seller doesn't want to let the bus go without the money in his hand. Given the distance, what is the usual practice on paying that covers both sides as best as possible? Obviously there has to be an element of trust there, but are there any tips etc on how to go about it please?
Does that all sound sensible enough? |
The element of trust is ....
What YOU are comfortable with ...
If you trust the Seller - buy the vehicle.
If your ' little voice ' tells you something is not right,
do not proceed with purchase.
Some folks place funds in a trust account to be disbursed once a
vehicle purchase is completed - but that applies in general to transactions
taking place where both parties are in the same country.
It is not reasonable - in my opinion - to expect the Seller to wait
for any or all of their monies until you have physical possession of it
in another country.
Shipping could take up to several months ....
My opinion:
If you could find what you are looking for ' locally ' - this would not be an issue.
So - once you commit 100% to purchase - a wire transfer for the
complete agreed price should be sent to the Seller.
Upon the deposit fully crediting the Sellers' account,
the Seller should transfer legal ownership of the vehicle
to you or your designated representative.
Whoever is handling the shipping arrangements can advise you
as to whether they need the vehicle title and/or pink slip and/or
Bill of Sale.
It is normal & customary for the Seller to not release the vehicle
until they are paid for in full.
_________________
Jim is on the road @ http://www.trulyvintagetrailers.citymax.com/trulyvintage-feedback.html |
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roevets
Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2012
Posts: 8
Location: California
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| Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:42 am Post subject: Things to consider |
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| BarbBee wrote: |
Thanks Truly.
I have spoken with Kingston shipping co. They are going to quote me for a price to move from the van's current location to the port for both coming across as a roll on roll off, and also for the container route. The roll on roll off is the easier option if the van is reliably starting and running (I think it is, just awaiting further info) to go from Brunswick. Or the other option is to container it from Houston, though that means a longer trip from it's current home via the trucking service.
I'm going to speak to a few of the recommended hauliers for the USA side that are listed at the beginning of the thread.
Also, payment. Understandably, the seller doesn't want to let the bus go without the money in his hand. Given the distance, what is the usual practice on paying that covers both sides as best as possible? Obviously there has to be an element of trust there, but are there any tips etc on how to go about it please?
Does that all sound sensible enough? |
If it was me, I would not want a classic vehicle going roll on roll off. It is not secure and heard of things being nicked. RORO is cheaper to unload, but usually more expensive to ship. Depends on where vehicle is where is cheapest port to ship from. |
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BarbBee
Samba Member
Joined: December 06, 2014
Posts: 16
Location: uk
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| Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:50 am Post subject: |
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| Hi, I've taken on board what you are saying about the roro. Problem with the container route is the distance of the vehicle location to the ports on both ends for the shipping. In light of the comments about roro I am getting insurance to cover the vehicle for it's journey. It still works out a fair wedge cheaper, but the insurance gives a little peace of mind. There's not much to be pinched from the van tbh. |
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CiderGuy
Samba Member
Joined: December 23, 2013
Posts: 1351
Location: Bucks County, Pa
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| Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 8:31 am Post subject: |
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| I'm looking to get a price quote for shipping a Karmann Ghia very from the Ft Meyers, Florida area to upper Bucks County, Pa. The car isn't running, and will be covered with a car cover. |
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chasisaxle
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2015
Posts: 14
Location: San Jose
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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| This is one of the best thread/information resources I've seen on this. I wanted to throw out another good one for researching companies & learning the ropes: https://www.a1autotransport.com/info/auto-transport-companies.php. Per the rules mentioned in the thread, I have had personal experience with them and do recommend them. Their blog and information center is one of the best and it's worth a look for anyone shipping a vehicle that needs some input or has some questions. |
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sambaphil
Samba Member
Joined: September 04, 2009
Posts: 206
Location: Bellingham, WA
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oscarsnapkin
Samba Member
Joined: October 22, 2013
Posts: 558
Location: Bucks County, PA
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 3:03 am Post subject: |
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Looking for a recommendation, I'm considering purchasing a vehicle in Western Tennessee and would need it shipped to Philadelphia. Vehicle runs, and would prefer covered. Thanks.
_________________
- 1977 CEI Sunroof Bus 2.0L F.I. Hydraulic Lifters
- 1973 Thing
"It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate, it takes strength to be gentle and kind." |
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TrulyVintage
Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2008
Posts: 207
Location: Direct Enclosed Transporter
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 1:43 pm Post subject: Check out Samba Services |
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| oscarsnapkin wrote: |
| Looking for a recommendation, I'm considering purchasing a vehicle in Western Tennessee and would need it shipped to Philadelphia. Vehicle runs, and would prefer covered. Thanks. |
If you are shipping on an open trailer - do not attempt it until at least April ...
If the vehicles are in nice condition - go with an enclosed trailer.
Check out the Samba Services :
@ http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/cat.php?id=49
There are members who haul on there - you can click on their name
to see if there is a feedback thread on their services ... 
You do get what you pay for - some folks do not like what they get ... 
Deal directly with who is actually hauling your vehicle
Get a written price not subject to change
Good Luck !
_________________
Jim is on the road @ http://www.trulyvintagetrailers.citymax.com/trulyvintage-feedback.html |
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MoparMan
Samba Member
Joined: February 05, 2015
Posts: 5
Location: Charles Town, WV
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| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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I just shipped a Ghia from Florida today via covered carrier. I am VERY impressed with this shipper. Contact:
Felicia Williams
Auto Shipping Group Inc.
602-428-6872
http://autoshippinggroup.com
There was already a Lambo Aventador on the truck when they came for the Ghia. |
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jared1969
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2015
Posts: 1
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 7:28 pm Post subject: Importing to the uk |
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Hi all I am currently in the market for a square back and have come across a couple here on the site. I am interested in contacted the sellers to see if they are happy to ship to the UK but want to speak with a reputable company 1st to get some quotes and advice so I make life easier for the seller. Having never imported before and struggling to find anything in the UK to buy which isn't a complete basket case I have decided to give this route a try. If successful I would like to repeat by finding a late bay as a donor car to replace my rotten UK model. Great site and would appreciate any help before I contact the sellers of the square backs I am interested in.
Great site
Jared |
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Mike Fisher
Samba Member
Joined: January 30, 2006
Posts: 17969
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 11:28 am Post subject: |
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Post on www.uShip.com and you will get reply's.
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold
Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey |
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