ComplaintsforSonic Auto Transportation

• Initial Complaint

  07/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I found Sonic using a website search and was called by *********************** to set up the shipping of my 2004 ***** Civic from ***** to ********. On July 8th 2024 I signed a contract for $595 which included a $100 payment that would be charged to Sonic when the vehicle was picked up and a cash payment to the driver of $495 when the car is delivered. The car was scheduled to be picked up on July 17th 2024. On the morning of the 17th two hours before the car was to be picked up I got a call from **** with a made up story that the truck that was supposed to pick up my vehicle had their contract cancelled and they are trying to find another shipper. Coincidentally I received a call back stating they were able to find someone but it would be $200.00 ($800 instead of $595) more than originally agreed upon. I ended up having to pay $200 to Sonic instead of $100 and $600 to the driver instead of $500. Classic bait and switch. Of course with me having a flight leaving ***** the next day I had no choice but to go with the higher price. I had a talk with the driver when my car was delivered and learned that none of what I was told about the cancellation was true and based on some of the reviews it appears that this is normal practice for this company. I believe that the additional "made up charge" should have been paid by Sonic and I am requesting a refund of the additional $200

  

  Business response

  07/22/2024

  Dear ******, thank you for reaching out. We are so sorry to let you down. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate a driver for the original price due to the assigned driver's last-minute cancellation. The option we gave you was the only one available, we apologize for not meeting your requirements. We want to assure you that we did our best to negotiate the price and talk the driver down so he could make a discount for us. Unfortunately, the price offered was the final one. We have to admit it is quite higher than the rate quoted, but since it was a last-minute booking some drivers request upper payment. We do not reject our responsibility and hope for your understanding.

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After multiple confirmations of a May 8th pick up date, then multiple phone calls from sonic rep increasing price (almost double of the original quote) and pressuring me to sign contract and provide deposit as soon as possible which i did. On the morning of May 8th received phone call directly from the carrier advising car could not be picked up because he had been pulled over by the police. Sonic rep advised he "would try" to find a replacement and I advised him that May 8th was a firm pick up date. Multiple texts with rep and he could not confirm he could locate a replacement carrier and pressured me to cancel (in order to hold onto my deposit). I was forced to drive the car back to ** because car pick up was not on the agreed date of May 8th. I'm seeking reimbursement of deposit because it was Sonic's carrier who was a no show on May 8th.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Dear Customer, thanks for your feedback. As per our records, we found you a carrier, you signed the contract and we assigned to your order, but you declined him. In our contract as well as in driver confirmation email that we sent to you, we mentioned that 8th of May is the first available estimated pick up date. According to our contract, if customer cancels ********************** after driver is assigned or cannot release the car due to their fault - deposit becomes non-refundable. 

  Customer response

  07/20/2024

  I reject the business response.  Their facts of the events on May 8 are inaccurate. I never declined a ******.  It was their carrier who canceled on the morning of May 8 with a phone call directly to me saying he was unable to pick up the car because he had been pulled over by police. The Sonic representative, then contacted me, and said he would attempt to locate another carrier for pick up that day and by the afternoon I had to make a decision to drive the car back to ********** myself. Any reputable company would return a deposit if they couldnt deliver the services. 

  

  Business response

  07/22/2024

  Dear Customer, driver called you to reschedule the pick up for the next day, not cancel. Contract states that 8th of May is the 1st available pick up date, but not guaranteed. ****** got an unforseen circumstances and wasn't able to pick it up on 8th. You were informed about that, but decided to cancel, what we actually did. We submit a cancellation procedure and you were charged a non-refundable deposit as per our contract.   

• Initial Complaint

  06/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called the company. Spoke with ****. He called me $350 from ********* the south *****. He then rushed me to sign some paperwork and put down my credit card as a deposit. The next day he calls me saying he found a driver but its going be $700. That was not the price that we agreed on. I feel like they are using me as bait with the low price but up charging me. After days of not finding a driver, I asked **** to cancel since hes not giving me the price that he first offered. He then proceeds to tell me that he has five days to find a driver. If not, h*** give me my money back. He eventually called me, told me he found a driver that can deliver the same day, and You try to manipulate me into green with the $450 charge. The driver went to the origin, but he had the wrong trailer that did not fit my vehicle. **** tried to tell me that he did not know it wont fit my vehicle Even though I gave him the year make and model of the car. I told him we need to get another driver immediately if not, I need to cancel. He told me that he can cancel and give me my money back, but when I called him back After the weekend he told me theres going be a $200 cancellation fee, which was never told me. I tried to contact the company manager multiple times, but it would refuse to answer my calls or call me back. It has been a total of 8 days I have been trying to ship my car. I will give this company a negative star if they had it. Please do not use this company. They are not legit and are scamming people out of their money so at least if they dont find a driver, they can at least make $200 on cancellation. Please be very careful with this company and the people youre dealing with here. They are not here to help you and it is known to take your money.

  

  Business response

  06/18/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for contacting us. As per our records we have never guaranteed you a final price, and our shipping agent made it clear to explain how transport business works. We rely on your understanding. We want to assure you that we did our best to negotiate the price and talk the driver down so he could make a discount for us. We've got your year, make and model of the vehicle, however once driver arrived to pick-it up, it happened to have a lower clearance which is different from original model of this particular vehicle, because of that assigned carrier wasn't able to load it on a trailer. We've tried to find you a new one, however you decided to cancel with us. As per the contract, that you've signed deposit becomes non-refundable after carrier company has been assigned to your order. We rely on your understanding
  
  

  Customer response

  06/18/2024

  **** told me I have 5 day. After 5 days of not finding a driver Ill get my deposit back.

  

  Business response

  06/21/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for reaching out. As per our records we had a driver assigned to pick-up your vehicle, however he wasn't able to pick it up due to the fact that clearance of the vehicle was lower than regular for those types. Please pay attention to the contract that you've signed:
  9. Once a carrier has been assigned to pick up and transport the Customers vehicle Broker will contact the customer to confirm the
  schedule via phone or email (the email address provided in your car shipping order). After confirmation, Carriers' contact info will
  be sent via email.
  10. If the Customer decides to cancel the order after a Carrier has been assigned (see Paragraph 9 of how we notify Customer) the
  reservation will NOT be refunded. Broker has the right to cancel any order at any time for any reason
  We rely on your understanding!

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On April 29th, 2024, I contracted with Sonic Auto Transportation to relocate 2 vehicles from ***********, **, to *********, AK. I was informed that the quote I initially was given would be "all inclusive" and handle "door-to-door" delivery. Neither of those ended up being true along with threats, bait and switch tactics, and more. When I contracted with ******, the broker, I was given a quote of $6,800 for door to door delivery and full service. ****** assured me that the trucker would pick up my cars on May 14th. May 14th rolls around, and ****** informs me that, contrary to the plan, the trucker would not be there until later. I informed him that was no problem, but I was out of the state and would need to be kept up to date. Later, after several attempts to be informed as to what was going on with the cars, ****** informs me that the trucker has canceled and I would need to pay an additional $2,000 if I wanted my cars shipped. Already being out of the state and having no choice, I was forced to pay the additional $2,000 over the quote to get the cars shipped. Once the cars make it to ********************************** informs me that it is MY responsibility to pay the trucker and that I must to it over cashapp. This feels very sketchy, but ****** makes it clear that "if I do not pay, the trucker will take your cars back and no one will ship them." The threats continued to roll until I payed the trucker $2,350. I feel like this company pulled some bait and switch tactics and intentionally waited until the last minute to bring those things to light so that the buyer has no choice but to sign given the circumstances. On top of all of that, neither the "full-service" (i had to pay the trucker and facilitate all of this from thousands of miles away), but I also did not get door-to-door service. I had to rent a car to go pick up my vehicle from the port in ** after I had paid for door-to-door service. 0/5 stars.

  

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for contacting us. As per our records, the original driver that was assigned to your order has cancelled your load last minute, so your shipping agent were forced to look for a subsitution. Unfortunately, we are only the middleman between you and the driver and have no power to determine the final cost, only to make an impact on the driver in order to make the price as reasonable as possible. As per the payment processes, please pay attention that this is oversea shipment, and it involves third-party in face of freight-forwarder. According to the contract, payment is spliitted into two parts: initial deposit and carrier pay with cash/TCH/certified funds, as you were not present at delivery location on ****, ** carrier was expecting payment from you. Regarding door-to-door service, we're able to provide it only on main land, as carrier company can pick it up from your house and deliver it to your dorstep as well. We rely on your understanding!

  Customer response

  06/20/2024

  while I understand the driver canceling was not under your control, the promises, threats, and obfuscation of the requirements on my part werent addressed. When I booked with your company, I booked KNOWING it was a trip that required a ferry, and your agent knew as well, and none of the additional steps / costs were told to me until it was too late to change my mind. Had I received the full information before I booked, I would have never booked with your company- I had several other quotes that were more beneficial to me, but I selected your company for the promises that I was given, not the smoke and mirrors I received. Not only the additional costs and costly delays associated with the trip, but then I incurred extra costs to retrieve my vehicles that I would not have incurred through another company that actually provides door-to-door service. 

  

  Business response

  06/21/2024

  Dear customer, we're sorry to hear about your experience, however we're sorry for a delay, however as any other broker we heavily relying on a carrier companies, and if we weren't unable to find you driver who would be able to pick up on time, no one else could do it as well. We rely on your understanding!

• Initial Complaint

  06/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They said they would put my credit card on file to come and transport my vehicle and they would charge the card once they pick up the vehicle. They took the money off my card and still have never picked up my vehicle. They will not answer my phone calls or return them. When I call they either put me on hold or they say they'll call back and they don't. But they do keep texting me saying I will get a refund but that has yet to happen. This company has done this to quite a few people I recently found out they need to be shut down and stopped

  

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for contacting us, as per our records we've issued refund from our side on 06/05/2024. Please pay attention that PayPal refunds can take up to 30 days to complete, depending on the original payment method. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We got an estimate of $250 to ship a vehicle approx 4 hours drive from ******* ***** to *********** *********. Once they were told the vehicle did not start they increased the price another $150. I agreed. After a few days I was contacted and told the price would be $800 now, I refused, this was not the price I was quoted. I was told that if I cancelled the delivery that I would be charged a cancellation fee, b that I had to give them 5 days to fulfill the shipping request and if they couldn't find someone they would cancel it on their end. Later that day they called back and said they found a driver with a winch but it would be $600. I reluctantly agreed. It was suppose to be picked up that day and delivered the next. The next day we, were contacted by ****** who said the drive couldn't get the vehicle into neutral and left the auto repair shop where it's located. Contacting the auto repair shop they verified that they put the vehicle into neutral twice without issue when they pushed it in and out of the garage when diagnosing it. ****** started because the drive showed up he was paid $350 that could/ would not be refunded. My 50 year old mother in law even told me why didn't the drive just press the shift bypass. So it's clear the driver did not want to deliver the vehicle or was completely incompetent and should not we in the business of towing vehicle as the 2011 ****** juke makes no attempt to hide the access to the shift by pass. It's literally next to the gear shifter.

  

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for contacting us. As per our records, assigned carrier came to pick-up location, on a date that was agreed, and he wasn't able to pick-up your vehicle due to the fact that he wasn't able to put it on neutral and load with a winch. Our shipping agent proposed to find you another carrier, however you denied this option and deicded to cancell your order. Please pay attention to the contract, that was signed, clause 10: 
  10. If the Customer decides to cancel the order after a Carrier has been assigned (see Paragraph 9 of how we notify Customer) the
  reservation will NOT be refunded. ****** has the right to cancel any order at any time for any reason.
  We rely on your understanding!

• Initial Complaint

  06/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sent quote via email and expected service. After signing up to get a truck shipped from *****, ID on 5/22 was told need $150.00 (as you can see on the attached email says no upfront payment) made payment to continue with shipping. Followed up on May 31st as the paperwork stated it would be shipped by the 31st and **** said I would have by June 4th. **** stated still need a couple of days would follow up on June 3rd. I hadn't heard anything, so I reached out to ****. He called and said they found a driver that will ship the truck for $1300. My agreement with Sonic was $750. This company uses false advertisement and seems to be a scam. They are not delivering what they advertised. I am now without a vehicle and need this truck ASAP. Sonic needs to get shipped right away for the rate they quoted $750. I they can't perform they shouldn't be quoting these rates and shouldn't be in business.

  

  Business response

  06/18/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for contacting us. As an auto transport broker, we provide a quote for the amount we believe it will take to ship your vehicle. As per our records we have never guaranteed you a final price, and our shipping agent made it clear to explain how transport business works. We've carefully reviewed your order, and it seems that we've never charged your card. We rely on your understanding.  

  Customer response

  06/18/2024

  This is incorrect as the agent didn't say that and the initial texts and emails didn't reflect that. This is a poor business practice and very misleading. I have taken care of getting the car shipped for an accurate and real price. These tactics are a scam.

  

  Business response

  06/21/2024

  Dear customer, As an auto transport broker, we provide a quote for the amount we believe it will take to ship your vehicle. Please pay attention to the contract that you've signed, clause L:
  L - The price of transportation provided by the company is based on recent shipments which were made on similar routes.
  The price may change at the time of assigning a Carrier due to the Mechanical failure, inclement weather, carriers
  schedule, or Acts of God, or other circumstances.
  We rely on your understanding!

• Initial Complaint

  05/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello,I recently purchased 2 project cars online and searched online for a vehicle transport company. Sonic Auto transport was one of the more affordable options, and based on conversations, one of the better equipped to handle moving these vehicles. I let them know that neither vehicle was operable, and that 1 vehicle was partially disassembled and that a few additional parts would need transported with the vehicles as well. The upped the price significantly after the vehicles had been paid for, leaving me in a pinch, but I agreed to have them continue the move as they had already billed me $200 as a down payment. They arrived onsite, and only loaded one of my vehicles and another customers vehicle. They told me they would then bring the 2nd at a later date for the same price, but would maintain the agreed upon total They are now insisting I pay more than the original shipment quote, and have attempted to make me sign additional contracts. The delivery agent refused to allow cash, credit or check to be used and refused to leave until being paid via Venmo, when told I would be able to pay via credit card after vehicles were delivered. I am seeking help in getting my other vehicle delivered at the contracted rate.

  

  Business response

  06/21/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for reaching out, we're sorry to hear regarding experience that you had with us. Unfortunately as any other broker company we heavily relying on the carrier companies. As per our records, both of your vehicles was picked up already and will be delivered shortly. We don't deny our responsibility and rely on your understanding!

• Initial Complaint

  05/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  transaction date was 5/28/24..i was supposed to get my car transported by this sonic company. i spoke with a lady who told me it would 600.** to transport and then it changed to 700 and then it changed to 1000 and i asked why the change and i was told it was due to it being peak season. they then asked for my card number and i kept asking why they needed it and she told me its for the driver to know i am wanting their service i let her know i did not feel comfortable doing that because i have been scammed before. so not even 24 hours later i called, i sent text and i sent email about wanted to be removed from the list because it was too much money and the bait and switch was too much. as well as i have an email from the lady saying they had not found anyone to even take my truck. after multiple attempts i finally got email saying i was removed from the list and if anything changed to let them know. then just today 5/30 i am getting multiple text and calls saying i owe ****** and i did not understand why i kept asking why and then said it was because i was cancelling. and i then went from talking to a female to a male and he started telling me he wasted his time with me, when i have never spoke to him and he was telling me i had a driver and i let him know i did not because i never got ANY information. and then i am getting told they are gong to take me to court and i let him know i do not owe anything when i was never given a driver let alone ANY information as well as the way they talk to customers and beyond rude. i should not be charged a 200 fee when nothing was ever given to me and i was told multiple times i was removed off the list. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY IT WAS A HASSTLE HONESTLY AND THE HARASSMENT IS HORRIBLE.

  

  Business response

  06/21/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for reaching out. As per our records driver was assigned to your order, and you've signed a final contract with us. Assigned carrier has started his way to your pick-up location, however you've asked to cancell the order. Please pay attention to the contract that you've signed:
  10. If the Customer decides to cancel the order after a Carrier has been assigned (see Paragraph 9 of how we notify Customer) the
  reservation will NOT be refunded. ****** has the right to cancel any order at any time for any reason.
  In your situation, deposit was 200, and carrier was demanding to be paid for the fuel he spended going to your pick-up location. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I opened a Transport contract with Sonic Auto Transport at Sonic Auto Transportation at ********************************************************************* **********. on May 14th to find me a pick up driver to ship my car.The contract I was told was only for 5 Business Days per the contract.See contract below dated may 14th.Called after almost 7 days on Monday the 20th said they Would call me in evening for update.***** never did.She did this 3 times Friday,Monday and Tuesday!!Called Tuesday for update no driver could be found for Enclosed transport.Another Employee told me if they couldn't find me a driver as my 5 business would end Tuesday even though it was over 6 business days I could cancel contract Wednesday with no 200 fee.if no drive could be found.I called Wednesday after almost 8 business days.Then ***** then reversed what the contract and other employee said and wanted to charge me a 200 fee when the contract says 5 business from date of contract before i can cancel.I went almost 8 business days and they wanted to pull this scam.Wont cancel my contract and want 200.00.I went online I found dozens and dozens of same complaints.I called the BBB and they had 68 complaints.I have contract dated may 14th and waited til May 22.Unexceptable scam!!!The BBB told me to file this complaint this morning.Thankyou *****************************

  

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear customer, thank you for reaching out to us. As per the contract, we have 5 business days from the first available pick-up date to find a carrier for your shipment, WE're sorry to hear that you wasn't satisfied with a service that we provided. If you still need to ship your vehicle, please let us know and we'll do our best to handle it for you!

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩