ComplaintsforSonic Auto Transportation

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Transaction date September 4th. Company quoted me at 550 for auto transportation. I was told there was no upfront costs, that the quote of 550 would be final. Upon talking to other companies, I was informed that sonic did not have a driver for this delivery and that there is no way they could do it for 550. After finding this out, sonic called me shortly after to tell me that they could not get a driver. That the driver saw the job bidding on other job boards and is reluctant to take the job in fear I went with a different company. I come to find out the driver did not take the job because the bid was too low. I was also sent a screen shot of Sonics bid amount actually set at 800 dollars. When confronted they assured me that was not true and they were getting a different driver. The next day I was sent a text that a driver was assigned and could do the job for ******. I was told 550 now we are all the way up to ************************************************************************************************** by a different company

  

  Business response

  09/05/2024

  Dear Customer, 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. Our agent did his best to get the price as low as she could, however $800 that was the lowest rate that drivers agreed on, and it was proposed to you as well.

• Initial Complaint

  09/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was supposed to have my car shipped sept 4th i.e today. I booked this service 3 weeks ago. I'm Friday I reached out to ***** to get information about the pick up time since it would be the weekend and labor day and we would need it shipped the day after. He told me the shipper would reach out to me over the weekend- he did not. I called again yesterday and ***** told me the shipper would connect me shortly. Every hour for2 hours I reached out to ***** saying the shipper didn't reach out to me. Finally the shipper called and said he'd be there at 10 am. Today at 950, I called him and texted him and he didn't pick up. I called ***** and he said he's called the shipper 7 times this morning but didn't get an answer. After 10 min I get a text from the shipper saying he is canceling the shipment. I cqlled ***** and told him we had flights today so we needed this shipped. Once I looked at BBB, this is the SAME thing happening to different customers. ***** called back saying he found someone who will take it for double the amount and after 2 days when I wouldn't be here. Don't get scammed. I looked at their ****** reviews so I don't know how there's this huge discrepancy between the bbb and the ****** reviews

  

  Business response

  09/05/2024

  Dear Customer, thank you for reaching out. We are so sorry to let you down. Unfortunately, we are only the middleman between you and the driver, we've carefully reviewed your order and ***** contacted you as soon as carrier assigned to the order notified us regarding cancellation. As for the driver, this is definitely not acceptable, we will put him on our Black List and make sure not to ever work with this company. As we were limited on a time, ***** provided you with an only option that he had. 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 hope for your understanding.

• Initial Complaint

  08/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In negotiations with this company to ship a vehicle I discovered that the Shipping Order Form agreement has a place for the customer signature, agreeing to the terms, but does not contain an authorization signature from the Sonic Auto Transportation company agreeing to the terms and conditions covered in the agreement.Contract law states that - A written contract must be signed by both parties to be legally enforceable. A contract is only partially executed when one signature is on it, and it's not binding. It's necessary to have the second signature on the contract to officially execute it and set an effective date for the agreement.It is puzzling to me how this company has operated for the last 4 years under this non-binding agreement.

  

  Business response

  08/28/2024

  This is Shipping order form, signing which you accept all terms and conditions.

  Customer response

  08/28/2024

  agreement is not binding as it does not have both parties signature to the agreement. 
  Sonic specifies conditions for both client and company but only obligates client to those conditions with client signature. Company is not responsible for any conditions as company representative has not signed agreement. 

  

  Business response

  08/30/2024

  Please specify conditions that weren't met from our side.

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sonic Auto transportation quoted me $700 to pick up my vehicle on a specific date. One day prior to pick up their driver called to tell me he would not be able to pick up my vehicle. So they said they would need to get me another driver and the cost would be $1500. They literally doubled the price supposedly because they needed to find a different driver ?? They took my credit card information and told me they would not charge it until they pick up the vehicle! Another lie!!! Because they charged my card $650 the person was extremely unprofessional once I told him I wanted to cancel! He literally told me sorry you signed the contract and were coming to get your vehicle! I said no youre not!! He argued with me & insisted that the driver was comingunbelievable!! Be aware & dont trust this company.

  

  Business response

  08/28/2024

  Dear Customer, as per our records your car was picked up, only after that we charged your card as was agreed. Please review your complaint.

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I recently needed to have my vehicle transported by an auto transportation company. I reviewed several quotes from different companies to find the best deal. Sonic Auto Transportation caught my attention. They offered me door-to-door service with no upfront fee for $495 USD. I agreed to the service, but a couple of days later, they informed me that they couldn't do it for such a low price and raised the cost to $1,200 USD. I accepted this new price since it was the average rate charged by other companies I had considered. However, on the day of relocation, they increased the price to $3,000 USD and demanded upfront payment. I refused and had to leave my car behind to catch my flight. Sonic uses this classic bait-and-switch tactic by offering a low initial price to lure customers and then significantly raising the cost on the day of relocation when the customer has little to no alternative.

  

  Business response

  08/21/2024

  Dear customer, we are sorry that this happened with you. We want to admit that all prices we sending to our customers are estimates, and we inform about that, because we as a broker company have no power to determine the final cost of the shipping, however we can try to negotiate it, this is actually what our agent did. $3000 is very high price, we completely agree with you, and we want to make an internal investigation regarding this pricing from our agent, please send us some screenshots (if it was offered by text), so we can have a look and review it. It is definetely must be some misunderstanding or a mistake about this rate. As per our records the last price which was offered to you by our agent by call on 8/19/24 at 7:40 PST was $1275 as a total. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After days and days of going back and forth with this company I was finally able to cancel our contract. My daughters car was supposed to have been shipped from ** to ** with an arrival date of 8/7/24. Today, 8/5/24, they finally informed me they found a driver, but the price was triple what they quoted. Additionally, I had emailed them regarding this concern over a month ago, and was assured the price would not change from that of which I was originally quoted and signed the contract for. They then call back, and tell me the driver can do it for over double the original quote. On top of the prices being way off, the car still would not have arrived on time. Even though, they LIED as well as broke the contract delivery date, they want to charge me $200. This company is a scam, and just continues to take fees from customers and not hold to their contracts. Now I have to have my parents driver my daughters car so it is there in time, which will take 2 days of them driving, putting crazy miles on her car, gas and tolls. I would have done that before had I know I was working with a TERRIBLE company, that no one should ever choose to work with. The stress and lack on communication is awful. Now I also have to fight the charges for something that was beyond my control. Shipping a car is stressful enough, do not work with them and have to stress even more!

  

  Business response

  08/06/2024

  Dear Customer, thank you for reaching out. 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 appreciate your feedback as it helps us to identify areas where we can improve our service. According to the contract we have 5 business days from the first available pick up date to pick up your car and if customer decides to cancel prior to that date, customer may be responsible for the cancellation fee. We hope for your understanding.

• 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!

*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. ↩