Auto Transport Tips: How to Be a Good Customer
The auto transport industry is full of people who think they know what they’re doing. No, we’re not talking about shipping companies (though there are a few out there that are just about clueless when it comes to transporting a vehicle); we’re talking about customers, and it’s funny because auto shipping customers tend to be the people who know exactly how the industry works, why things aren’t going fast enough or why the shipment isn’t cheaper. yada yada.
It can be frustrating for an auto transport representative to have to sit and listen to a customer explain what they’re doing wrong – after all, people don’t call them up and tell them how to do their job, so why is it fair for them to do it to the people over the phone at the auto transportation brokerage? The answer is it’s not, and in this blog post we’ll give you a few tips for being a good auto transport customer.
Not only will it lead to a better customer service experience for you, but it’ll also make things a lot easier for your representative, who will then be more inclined to talk to you as opposed to try their best to ignore (they do that with rude customers at times).
For starters, always make sure that you’re as polite as you can be to your representative. This is kind of a no-brainer, really, but we have to say it: don’t go out of your way to be rude. Your representative doesn’t have to help you or answer your questions; they could easily tell you to take your rude self somewhere else.
If you talk to a representative, no matter what the situation is, you need to be nice on the phone, because people are more inclined to help others that are nice, and tend to ignore people who are rude. Plus, in auto transport, the customer isn’t always right, and I’ve seen more than one representative yell at a customer because they started yelling first. You want to also be understanding; remember, your representative has a job to do, and being yelled at doesn’t make their job any easier.
You need to understand that delays happen in the auto transport industry, and there are factors that can cause prices to go up before your vehicle is dispatched.
If your representative has been working on getting your order dispatched for a week or two, then comes back and tells you they need an extra hundred dollars, sometimes it happens, and it’s not their fault. They aren’t pocketing your money – the extra money is going to the truck so that the truck driver can pay for fuel and lodging so they can continue to haul vehicles for a living.
It’s not an easy job, especially with diesel prices as high as they are today, and they have to deal with representatives trying to haggle them down to the lowest possible price. Be nice, be courteous, and be understanding – those are the three main tips that I can give you to help you be a better customer.
If you’re interested in talking to someone about transporting a vehicle, you can call our toll-free telephone number at 800-930-7417 to speak to a live agent, and you can also fill out our free online quote request form right there on our homepage to get a free quote right away.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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