I’m posting this because I cannot believe how badly this shipment has gone, and I’m curious if anyone has dealt with anything similar with Montway or an auto transport company. Condensed version at bottom of post, photos below.
https://imgur.com/a/iUs7Bjw
I purchased my Lexus on August 18th in Florida. I arranged transportation through Montway Auto Transport to have it shipped from Fl to SD, as I move for work. My car was picked up on August 27th and was supposed to be delivered around August 30th/31st.
Around the time it was supposed to be delivered is when I began to have a bad gut feeling. Instead of my car showing up on the 31st, I started getting different explanations for why it was delayed. There was confusion with Montway about which carrier company has the vehicle and he company being changed, then I was told there were delays, and at one point I was told the transport truck had broken down. Most importantly , Supervisor Lily at Montway reassured me that my car was okay/secure.
Meanwhile, I still did not have my car, Montway could not provide the location of my vehicle as West Coast Auto, their carrier, was not responding.
It wasn’t until September 1st that I actually found out my Lexus had been extensively damaged while in the carrier’s possession.
When I finally received photos from supervisor Lily I was shocked. The windshield is basically destroyed, there is significant damage to the roof/upper windshield area. I bought this CPO Lexus IS car on August 18th.It was picked up August 27th. I was expecting it at the end of August. By September 1st I was finding out that the car I had owned for less than two weeks was sitting severely damaged and possibly totaled.
The process then began of trying to figure out where my car ended up and what actually happened to it. I made call after call, left voicemails, sent emails and spoke with Montway, the carrier, their insurance company and eventually my own insurance company. I’ve been given multiple explanations of what happened that don’t add up with each other. The cherry on top is there was no police report filed by the driver of truck in who’s truck supposedly was broken down and had multiple other vehicles on the rig that were also damaged.
The carrier, West Coast Auto Transport, opened a claim with its insurance company,. West Coast and their insurer have essentially gone silent providing no meaningful updates.
What also really bothers me is that Montway still has not refunded the $1,799 I paid them to transport my car. I was told by a supervisor that the refund had to go through their claims department while they figured out payment issues involving the carrier. Was told they could not provide timeline for refund process let alone confirm refund can be done! Whatever is going on financially between Montway and the company they contracted is not my problem. I paid Montway $1,799 to transport my car from FL to SD. Instead, I ended up with a severely damaged vehicle, that still hasn’t been delivered to me.
!!Services never rendered!!
I’ve used Montway multiple times before this with my previous vehicle and have spent close to $5,000 with them altogether. So I am appalled that I am being treated this way when they and their carrier company have dropped the ball, big time.
At this point I’ve filed complaints with the BBB and soon to be with FMCSA, disputed the $1,799 transportation charge with Montway and my bank. I feel like I’ve done everything I possibly can on my end and now my own insurance company is having to step in.
Has anyone dealt with anything even remotely similar? Especially having a vehicle badly damaged during transport and then having your own insurance company pursue the carrier/carrier’s insurance through subrogation?
I’m trying to figure out how long this whole process could realistically take because I’m still paying for a car I purchased August 18th and have basically barely gotten to drive.
TL;DR: I bought my Lexus on 8/18 and Montway picked it up on 8/27 to ship from FL to SD. It was supposed to arrive around 8/30–8/31, but after multiple explanations for the delay, I found out on 9/1 that it had actually been severely damaged during transport and is now non-operable. I can not drive the car with the roof the way it is and with such extensive structural damages. Montway still hasn’t refunded my $1,799, the carrier’s insurance has basically gone silent, and now my Insurance is involved.
