Auto Transport Tips: More on the Cancellation Policy
Back in August, we wrote a post detailing some of the things you needed to know about the typical auto transport cancellation policy. We discussed when you can usually cancel, what kinds of reasons are acceptable and unacceptable when trying to cancel an order, how cancellation fees are assessed and levied, and also various commonly-seen refund policies.
In this blog post we’re going to discuss more about cancellation policies, more specifically some of the different refund policies and how you can get the most out of having to cancel your order. No one wants to cancel their order, of course – when you book your shipment with an auto transport company, and pay them money, you expect them to ship your vehicle for you within a timely manner while understanding that nobody’s perfect and delays can happen.
The auto transportation industry is fluid – as we speak, fuel prices continue to drop, which takes some of the strain off of car shipping carriers and allows them to lower the prices they charge to customers, which in turn means that you’re going to get better deals on your shipment.
Prices across the industry are falling drastically which is fantastic for everyone, including car transporters, but sometimes the price just isn’t good enough to warrant staying with one specific shipping company. Customers cancel – it’s just something that auto transport representatives have to put up with.
The good thing is that you can cancel for just about any reason, and many companies won’t even require a reason if you want to cancel – you just can. Many times, customers don’t like how long it’s taken to find a carrier (and for some routes it can take a while, this is true), but just about any reason is valid. Most companies will allow you to cancel your order completely free of charge up until the date of dispatch – in other words, until they actually find a car transport truck and schedule your vehicle to be picked up.
Some will allow you to cancel up until the time your vehicle is loaded onto the truck, but this is less common than the former, and it’s impossible to cancel once your vehicle is actually in transit because the carrier’s already picked it up. That’s like trying to get the post office to mail back a package you sent out while it’s en route to its destination – you just can’t do it.
Cancellation policies vary from company to company, with some more extreme than others, so we always recommend reading your shippers’ cancellation policies before making any final decision in terms of booking or making a reservation with a shipper.
Most customers have a good experience with their shippers, and auto transport companies hate cancellations so they do what they can to retain their customers as much as possible. Some companies will offer incentives for you to stay including lower deposit prices, vouchers for future shipments, partial refunds and more. At the same time, some companies will laugh in your face if you try to cancel in order to get a better deal, so be careful with this one.
At the end of the day, though, if you’re looking to ship your vehicle from one part of the country to another you’re going to require the services of a car transporter, and that means finding one to book with. The best way to go about that is to fill out our free online quote request form, as it’s absolutely free, takes only a minute to complete, and gets you a free quote directly from us. You can also call our toll-free telephone number at 800-930-7417 to speak to one of our live agents, who can answer your questions, help you get your quote and give you sound advice and direction on your auto transportation services completely free of charge.
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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