Anyone here ever use U-ship to ship a car?

[speeder]

I went on their site to see what's up and it immediately started asking me what I want to ship, where, etc. before letting me proceed.

They somehow started an auction for my shipping job w/o my actually asking or clicking any tabs that would indicate my desire to do so(?)

Now I have multiple shippers bidding on the job, (basically hauling a running car from SF Bay Area down to L.A.), with no way for me to contact the shippers directly through their site, of course.

There are plenty of issues with this site for me, besides the obvious one of starting an "auction" w/o my consent. When they emailed me that it had started, I immediately emailed back, "fk you. I did not start an auction".

No response to that and the "auction" is running w/o any personal info from me that would allow them to bill me. They tack on a 16% fee before you can contact the shipper or vice-versa, BTW.

Anyone else use them to ship a car? Anyone here know a hauler that runs down the west coast? TIA.

[Tobra]

Don't like the sound of anything you are telling me about this vendor.

If it is running, why not drive it down? Seems to me that there have been Pelicans hauling stuff from one end of the state to the other for people in the past, maybe that would work. When does it need to happen?

[speeder]

Timing is flexible but would like it soon. I'd fly up and get it but it's 50 miles north of SF and has minor mechanical issues that would be easier dealt with here than on the side of the 5 freeway.

[stomachmonkey]

I hate businesses that pull crap like that but EOD they are assuming, and likely have the data to confirm that a percentage of people that get pissed off by their methods will get a bid that they end up accepting anyway.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Could you drive up, rent a U-Haul trailer one-way, then tow it home?

[mgatepi]

I have used Uship. They always auction. Or say they are. They also show fixed prices for which you can choose. It really is no big deal and what do you care, they don't have any real information on you. They are strictly the middle man and take a hefty cut. There are, with a little searching car shipment companies out there that will give you a fixed price.
I used Uship to deliver a car to me from Va. (to Ohio) Absolutely no issues and the car was on time and I paid what I agreed to.

[speeder]

Could you drive up, rent a U-Haul trailer one-way, then tow it home?

Of course I could. Or I could just hook a u-haul to my PU truck here and go get it. Neither of these options make economic sense or I would already have it here.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by speeder

Of course I could. Or I could just hook a u-haul to my PU truck here and go get it. Neither of these options make economic sense or I would already have it here.

Just throwing out an idea. People tend to forget about the rental options.

[rattlsnak]

I've used them twice and never had a problem. I was able to get the drivers number both times though and both of them checked in with me along the way. Probably not the norm though.

[VaSteve]

You might get in TV if those shipping wars guys bid on it.

[javadog]

How often do you play Russian roullette? That's U-ship, in a nut shell. I wouldn't use them to ship anything that was worth enough money to ship in the first place.

JR

[t-tom]

I sold a Datsun Fairlady Z on eBay a few years ago, the guy that bought it used U-Ship. The First guy to show up didn't even bring a trailer, he was just going to hook a tow bar to it. I tried to explain to him you could not do that as the wheel bearings and rear end has no oil in it. Once he realized there was no place to hook the tow bar 2 he wen to his truck and came back with a drill. "THAT'S RIGHT A TRUCKING DRILL" He wanted to drill holes in the front cross member to hook his mounts to. I told him there was 15 grand in paint on the car and he should probably leave before things got ugly.

[john walker's workshop]

This is why I would never use Uship - must see photo!

[Dan J]

UShip? Really?

[speeder]

Thanks, everyone. Uship is nothing but a clearing house, same as most "shippers" such as DAS, etc.. They are all a complete crap-shoot, the only difference is that with uShip you can presumably talk to the shipper before accepting the bid and look at his feedback, etc.

The well known, high-end shippers are the best, of course. But in this case, it has to be cheap or I go get it myself. It's only 450 miles away but still it will cost me $500 in gas and trailer rental + a lot of my time to do it. If I can get someone who shows me who he is and what he's trailering with to bring it for $300, it's a done deal. It's a one day, 8 hour drive down the 5 freeway.

[jperry]

What kind of automobile are we talking about?

[speeder]

Originally Posted by jperry

What kind of automobile are we talking about?

It's one car. An older Mercedes-Benz.

[afterburn 549]

I will tell you all you need to know-
Demand Cert. of insurance from "their" underwriter (faxed to you)
Demand air ride.
Demand DOT numbers.
if you do not get these things, You will get LESS. You will get your money worth of head aches i promise

[rcooled]

I ran into this last year when I had a car shipped from Idaho to the SF Bay Area. After I mistakenly called a broker instead of a hauler, I was getting calls for weeks...even after I already had the car!

I used J & S Transportation for that job and wouldn't hesitate to use them again. They have their own fleet of trucks, but will also farm out some jobs that aren't on one of their regular routes. They picked up promptly and delivered right on schedule. The car never left the truck, and I was in contact with the driver the whole time it was in transit. These guys are haulers...not brokers. A friend recently had them deliver a car from L.A. to San Jose, and was also very pleased with the service.

Learn more about the best auto transporter in the business right here

[speeder]

rcooled, thanks for that. They sound like a fantastic operation. It sounds like their entire business motto is that it's not hard to beat the competition because the industry as a whole is such a pit of snakes. It's one of those businesses.

That's actually not a bad way to get rich- pick a racket where everyone is a total bag of schit and operate on the level.

You generally get what you pay for in this world, (but not always), and their service probably costs more and is worth it. OTOH, it depends what you are shipping. If it's a parts car or a total resto project, you do not need nor should you want to pay for the gold-plated service.

I've learned a lot in the last couple days and I think I've found my shipper.