To pull off the biggest scams, posting fake car transportation reviews is a great weapon at the disposal of different car transportation companies. Poor customer reviews are a simple way of identifying potential car transport scams. The short answer is that some auto transportation companies view bogus reviews as a harmless way of getting new business. There are companies that will create fake, positive reviews for businesses.
The reason companies are paying for these fake reviews is because four- or five-star ratings make the company seem more attractive. As easy as accessing reviews is, it is equally easy for shady companies to publish fake reviews – either positive (5-star) reviews of their company, or negative (1-star) reviews of competitors. Beware, some car hauling companies will go to extraordinary lengths — including paying people, even their own employees, to post fake, positive reviews — in order to garner favorable ratings from multiple review sites.
When looking for a reputable car transportation company, you are likely going to visit several review sites to check out past customers experiences. Take time to read what previous customers have really said, rather than simply looking at how many reviews are positive or negative about auto transportation. When researching companies for your car shipment, be sure to spend time reading reviews about the company. Read online reviews of vehicle transporters and get to know both the company and the vehicle transport industry.
If you are looking for a car transport service, use only a legit, reputable company that has been operating for many years. Look for a vehicle transport company that has glowing reviews mentioning lower prices, great customer service, or professional drivers. If you have identified an auto transportation company that seems like a reliable option, then finding favorable reviews to back up the company’s image is the next objective. Look for reviews that list pros and cons, use different words other than amazing or fantastic, and seem to assess an automotive transportation company from a neutral perspective.
Of course, not every legit review will be perfectly written, nor will it be without mistakes, but if you notice a lot of reviews for an auto transport company contain strange errors, or omit crucial information, you should take care. When looking for an auto transportation company, chances are you are going to see more 1 star and 5 star reviews compared to 3 star reviews, since simply being satisfied or having a good experience usually does not motivate someone to start firing up Yelp or Angies List. There are plenty of transportation companies with legit, credible reviews, but – like in every industry – there are always some dishonest players trying to exploit our reliance on online reviews.
You are going to want to look for people who have used a business and know they are legit. There are many different ways for you to look at the business and know whether they are legit or not. You will want to ask a brokerage about the kind of background checks it does for prospective drivers.
If the broker says these kinds of things never happen, that is a sign you are likely not working with a legit company. At this point, an unscrupulous broker will get the carrier to come up with the actual price, tack on their own inflated brokers fees, and then claim a price change once the vehicle is on the move, since you’ve agreed to do so. Once your required time for moving the vehicle starts running out, and you are in a panic, the less-reputable companies will return with inflated price estimates for charging you extra to move your vehicle, all while pretending that their prices were too low to begin with.
If a company wants the money before sending a truck, or wants you to pay 100% of your transportation costs upfront, you are dealing with a vehicle transport scam. This phony auto-shipping company, often a scammer-operated website, confirms that it has a vehicle that you need upon contacting it. Using an extremely professional-looking website, the company offers to transport your vehicle for very reasonable, usually cheaper, rates.
After getting some quotes for shipping a car, a customer finds one company offering an excellent deal. The customer searches in the search engine shipping company near me or freight companies near me, and finds several companies. At that point, the customer does not consider digging further into the company’s details to ensure that he is not about to be the victim of a vehicle transport scam.
Carrier companies know they are among the types of auto transport companies customers think they will need most, which is why it is unlikely that they would offer you the lowest possible transportation costs. We have even found one company (American Auto Shipping) who does not use carriers if they do not get 98% or better.
Belief makes it possible for fraudulent car shipping companies to provide vehicle transportation services, fooling customers into believing in them, all the while working on the backs of legitimate companies. The rise is problematic both for customers, who wind up missing money or vehicles, and the legitimate trucking companies, which are trying to differentiate themselves from front-running auto transportation scams.
Car shipping companies paint a perfect picture in front of customers, and they do not let them know the truth. In order to boost business of different vehicle transport companies, they are not afraid of painting fake pictures in their websites as well. You will find many companies that brag about being able to beat any quotation, and to be honest, who does not love an offer. No matter how you came across the name of the company you are thinking about using for the car move, you are going to want to conduct some thorough research into the company.
