CarbonR1

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys,
I had Ramy's (FDNEWbie) old 93 R1 shipped to me in Torrance a month back, and the shipping company totally screwed me.

They evaluated the car when Ramy shipped it out and marked down any imperfections on the body (which were few).

They were supposed to ship it to me and compare it with the final condition of the car when I received it.

After asking Ramy about the scratches on the hood and fender, he confidently stated they weren't there before, and showed me his copy of the receipt, which should be the exact as mine.

Somebody during the shipping put down a bunch of scratch marks and tried to say they were there already, changing the receipt in the process.

I called Pioneer Auto Shippper's claim department and after a bunch of unkind words, the claim adjuster said I didn't have a claim.

I told him that he was full of crap, since you're not supposed to change the receipt, and he told me the scratches were noticed "after a wash" since the car was too dirty when shipped out.

I told him I'd have to "do this the hard way" and he said "sounds good!" with a hint of overconfident and cockiness that made me want to beat his head in.

They weren't even supposed to wash the car. They are so damn shady, does anyone think I have a case, or does anyone know of any lawyers that would help a fellow FD owner out?

-Kevin

DomFD3S

Do you have pictures BEFORE shipping versus upon arrival?

I didn't think shipping companies EVER washed cars prior/after transport. Unless this is something that they provide typically as a part of their "services".

If not, then...they are hiding something.

How bad is the damage?

BoostedRex

I've never heard of a shipping company washing a car once they have possession of it. Typically they load it on the trailer and hit the road. I'm sorry to hear about this though. Get with Ramy and ask him for recent pictures that you can compare with what you have now. That and a faxed copy of his receipt to bump against yours. That will at least be a start. Best of luck with this.

CarbonR1

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the support guys,

The thing is, I can get pictures before and after, and I even have copies of both of our receipts, but they won't do anything unless I have a lawyer correct?

Carzy Driver

yah, you need the before and after pics, a copy if the shipping contract, and a lawyer. most car shippers require that the car be washed before they load it on the trailer, but once it's on the trailer, they are not supposed to touch the car or wash it.

pshaw118

Fatfree rx7

You don't need a lawyer to get involved with this as long as you are sueing for less than $5000. Take your proof, and file a claim at the "small claims court". It's $52 to file a claim and lawyers arn't allowed to be there anyway.

matt g

Thats is crazy i got my car shipped from ct to burbank like 3 mon ago from the same place. They broke my window and there was a little dent they told me nothing but bulshit. That place screwed me.

CarbonR1

iTrader: (2)

I think I might try filing a small claim, where would I go to do that?

|aFk| LiMiTz

Sorry about your misfortune. I have shipped cars out and received cars through trailers before. On my last purchase, my car received a ding that wasn't there before but I did not notice it when I went to inspect the car. Couldn't fight it, as I had already signed off the car. I had a bad experience with DAS (Dependable Auto Shipers), my car literally took over 2 months to get to me.

If you have before and after pictures, I would fight it.

This is why when someone buys my car I take pictures of the car prior to shipment and even when the car is being loaded.

CarbonR1

iTrader: (2)

Car shippers are just terrible. I used DAS for two of my cars shipped from IL to CA, and they damaged both. I think it's because of the people that actually ship them having no brains. Not to dog on truck drivers or blue collared workers, but something needs to be fixed if 3 out of 3 of my cars being shipped were damaged.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Well I thought I'd chime in. I'm not sure if I still have the before pictures, but the bodyshop definitely does. And I MAY have a CD w/ the pic somewhere... There are PLENTY of people who can vouch for the car being MINT. In fact, Kevin, remember I mentioned I took the car to a local car meet that Friday right before it shipped out on Saturday? The stinker is (Kevin knows this), the car had a SHOWROOM $7K paint job. I mean it was PERFECT. I got a nick or two in it just from driving it, but that's about it.

Then here's the stink of it. The shippers filled out the form in my presence, and the guy marked up EVERYTHING...even some things that I couldn't see lol. I remember commenting about how thorough and detail-oriented he was... And on the form is a section that mentions the car's condition...there are 4 boxes: Dark, rain, snow, and dirty. THE "DIRTY" BOX WAS NOT CHECKED. So as far as I'm concerned the shipping company is COMPLETELY liable. They had NO right to wash the car, and they should have marked the "dirty" box initially if they thought it wasn't clean enough for them to evaluate the damage (or lack thereof) PRIOR to shipping.

And FYI guys, the car doesn't have a nick or scratch; it has LONG STREAKS...VERY long scratches (like someone keyed it, but not as deep) all along the fender and the roof/hood? (I forget which one Kevin mentioned). That kind of damage is a wee bit hard to miss, no matter HOW dirty the car is, don'tcha think? Buncha crooks...

Kevin, I'd team up with matt g and see if you can file a Class Action lawsuit if possible. If not, then file joint or simultaneous suits against the company. And anything you need, you let me know. I'm behind ya 100%. I'm REAL sorry this happened...my baby was MINT

~Ramy

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

well you do have a suit against them if you have copies of both reciepts and if you can get Ramy to be a witness then you can hit em with fraud since they fudged the paperwork to make it appear everything was as it should be when the car arrived.

now for the unfortunate part, well one good thing is small claims (under $5k) doesn't require an attorney nor are they allowed in court to aid you... thing is if you are suing someone you must sue them in their county- that is why he was cocky because he knew you wouldn't fly out there just to sue them for a few K.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Kevin is local to them... As for me, I wouldn't mind visiting LA again. I mean heck...sue them for all expenses, including my plane ticket and hotel stay if you need me as a witness

VincenzoL

iTrader: (1)

I just shipped my FC to the buyer in Hawaii this Monday and Wednesday morning I got a call from the freight company at the port in San Diego telling me there was damage to the car. They told me the guy unloading it from the truck let it fall off the trailer. Cracked both sideskirts in half plus whatever else! Sad after all the work I did to it.

I knew they were incompetent so I took off the front bumper and put it in the car and also adjusted the coilovers as high as they would go to avoid any damage. But I never thought the idiots would let the car fall off the ramps!!!

Luckily I took pictures the whole time the car was being loaded. I initially was taking the pics just to get the buyer excited that the car was on it's way. I even have pics of it on the transport and you can clearly see it's in perfect condition and just washed. Glad we have those pics because those bastards are going to have to pay up.

CarbonR1

iTrader: (2)

I'm not gonna back down to these guys purely for principle's sake. And OH yea, I'm local