Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/08/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 11/6/2023 sonic auto transportation that provides transporting cars interstate. They accepted and signed contract to transport a car they took deposit $100 right before they were supposed to pick it up they said the driver canceled and gave 2 options. Either i pay $350 cancelation fee although the company canceled or pay $500 additional to the original price that was $800 to get the car transported. I agreed to pay the additional fees to get it delivered. They did not pick it up and ignoring all ways of communication

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2023

  Dear Customer, thank you for reaching out. We apologize for any confusion caused.  Weve checked your order, please be aware we havent charged your card $100 deposit.  You can check this info with your bank. As for paying $350 cancel fee, we have never asked you to pay any fee as well. Once the driver canceled on us, we started looking for another option immediately.  Our initial quote was $800 and we found a driver for $975.  There is no $500 difference. As per our system, your shipping agent is in constant contact with you.  The car wasnt picked up since the date wasnt suitable for you.  Our agents are doing their best to help you here.  We rely on your understanding!  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/25/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Company lied about contract details when asked clarify and then tried to use scare tactics to bully you into paying almost $500 more than it was initially quoted. They gave you 15 minutes to decide or they charged your card that they have on file. this company is a scam, I was told there were recordings I do not believe this is the case, I cannot get a hold of an actual employee (they all use personal phone numbers) or anybody in management.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2023

  Dear *******, thanks for reaching out.  Please pay attention to the contract the you signed, Section 5 L.  It states 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 Mechanical failure, inclement weather, carriers schedule or Acts of God.  Also, we never charged you anything upfront.  Weve just checked all the calls and texts, ***** and her assistant ****** never promised you specific carrier or price. We informed you that we have to send your request to all carriers on file and once we get confirmation from them, we will reach you back. Thats exactly what ***** did. As per the contract - your shipping agent has 5 business days to find a carrier company to transport your vehicle. The $200 is a cancellation fee if you decide to cancel your reservation beforehand. Thank you for your feedback!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/27/2023

  Hello,

  My issue is that I called into sonic prior to signing the contract to clarify the terms. I  texted **** and ***** for clarification and got no response so I called on 10/24 around 10:13am to ask. I let ***** know my cap was $900 and asked if unable to meet that in 5 days if I had the opportunity to back out. I was told she had 5 days to find someone at contract price and if unable to do so in said time frame I could back out with no penalty. Due to this information I signed the contract with confidence I would be able to pay. I was aware this was a low quote and brought my concerns up upfront to make sure I was not financially bamboozled.

   

   

  I sent an email I sent your company and never got a reply. It is too long to include here Please despond.

   

   

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/30/2023

  Dear *******, 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. ***** did her best to get the price as low as she could, however $1100 that was the lowest rate that drivers agreed on, and it was proposed to you as well. As per our records, your card was never charged because this option ain't worked out for you. Please, get back to us if you still need your vehicle shipped and we promise to work hard to get you the best driver for the most reasonable price. We appreciate your patience. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Terrible company. Do NOT recommend. They quoted a fake price and then they wanted over $600 more than the original quote to actually schedule a driver. Even after that, the driver then never came to pick up the car, and Sonic Auto still wants to charge me a $200 fee because it was 'out of their control'. Turns out the driver wasn't even insured! Outrageous! This company has no ethics.I called a week in advance to schedule a car pickup, but Sonic Auto didn't schedule a driver until the day of pickup, but I was assured that the driver would be coming that day or the day after. Immediately after scheduling, I contacted the driver directly to confirm that they were indeed coming that day, but the driver told me that they weren't coming until several days later! I then tried to call Sonic's 24/7 support line to inform them of this, but they told me that no one would follow-up or support me in any way until the next day. Since I wasn't sure if maybe Sonic Auto gave me the wrong driver info and I didn't want to miss the pickup, I waited for a driver anyway, but they never came! What a waste of time!This company deceived me multiple times in the process just to sign me on! I talked to ****** in management, and he was very rude and unhelpful! He said that a $200 fee still applies for cancellation even though the first driver never came because they went ahead and scheduled another driver without my consent for a day I already told them wouldn't work for me. I wish I could give this company ZERO STARS for a thoroughly TERRIBLE experience! Stay far away from this DECEPTIVE company!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2023

  Dear ****, on behalf of the entire Sonic Auto Transportation team - we'd like to apologize for the inconvenience caused. Indeed, $925 was an estimated quote for transporting your vehicle, though we weren't able to find a carrier that would agree to pick it up for less than $1479. Our shipping agent made it clear to explain how transport business works. As for the driver, we assigned him for pick up on 10/18 with the delivery on 10/24. Unfortunately, delays may occur prior to, and/or during transport due to weather, road conditions, carrier mechanical problems, etc. there are no absolutely no guarantees regarding pick up or delivery times and dates. We informed you in the 1st place that there will be a delay and it was ok for you, otherwise we could have started looking for another option.  We always work only with insured drivers; we can easily send you their insurance file.  As for support team, weve got one call on 10/18 at 12:18 and our manager called you back same day at 1:07 pm.  Weve reviewed the call with ****** and he wasnt rude at all.  Youve talked over 30 min and he was explaining you the situation with the carrier in a very polite way. As an auto broker company we have to rely on them. The driver still can pick up your vehicle tomorrow and its all good to go.  Please let us know if any assistance needed. We rely on your understanding! 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired Sonic Auto Transportation on 09/27/23 & worked with rep ********************* to transport a vehicle I purchased from MI to ** on 10/5/23. They quoted me $450 & I signed contracts. They could not meet this price range at all; false advertisement. I gave them a second chance with an additional $250 added to the quoted price. They canceled the first transporter against my wishes. They found a second transporter to pick up the car on 10/6/23. At that time my account was charged the $200 deposit. According to section C of their contract, "Once the vehicle is picked up the deposit amount is due and charged to the credit card on file." So, I assumed my car had been picked up only to receive a call from the dealership on 10/7/23 that the car was still there. By this time Sonic Auto has already broken their contract because they charged my card before the retrieval of my car. However, I gave them another chance to pick up the car 10/7/23 with a delivery date of Monday 10/9/23. On Sunday 10/8 I still hadn't received any contact from the transporters. Upon inquiry, I discovered they never retrieved the car on 10/7/23 & Sonic Auto canceled the transport without informing me. I gave Sonic Auto a final chance to secure a transporter on Monday 10/9/23 to no avail. Therefore, I informed their Rep ********************* that they had broken their contractual agreement by charging my card before the retrieval of the vehicle hence, the contract was null and void & I would be moving on with a different provider. Instead of rectifying the situation, the rep chose to argue with me over the semantics of if my card had been pre-authorized or charged, ignoring the fact that neither acts should've been committed without picking up my car first. He then kept stating they had until 10/13/23 to find a transporter and threatened to charge a cancellation fee. Then, proceeded to make no contact with me thereafter. Last date of contact: 10/10/23. Yet, they charged my card a fee of $200 on 10/16/23.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/23/2023

  Dear Customer, thank you for reaching out.  We value our customer and we assure you that we take all customers feedbacks seriously. On behalf of the company, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused.  Weve investigated your complain and terrified about the service that was provided.Refund will be applied shortly.  Let us know  if any assistance needed at **************************************.  Thank you for being such patient customer! 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/11/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Sonic auto was horrible. The driver never showed on original scheduled pick up date of 10/9/23. I contacted driver on 10/10 /23 to see if they would pick up the vehicle on that day and they stated he would be there in the morning and never showed up. I spoke with dispatch her and driver who said they would.come at 3 pm.and nevere showed. Driver texted me at 3:55pm stating "i am almost there" but two hours later never showed. I called driver 3 time and texted 3 times and no response. I contacted dispatcher 3 times and he stated he is reaching out to driver but no response and that he must be driving. On the 4th attempt to contact dispatch her he answered and then hung up the line on me. I texted the dispatcher and stated to please cancel because driver is not coming. The driver then texet3d me stati g "please donot cancel" to which I replied no thank you. The dispatcher then sent me a text saying "go f*** yourself" and then charged me a 200 dollar cancelation fee. They did not not provide service and delayed my pick up plus never tried to complete the job on 10/10/23. I was scammed and I am requesting a refund as i am ***********. This is one of the worst services that I have ever had with a company you and that dispatcher and driver are incompetent and should not be in business with they way they treat customers.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2023

  Dear Customer, we appreciate your honest review. However, we are so sorry to let you down. As per the system, the driver was scheduled on 10 of October. You can see your driver confirmation email, it states the dates are estimated.  Delays may occur prior to, and/or during transport due to weather, road conditions, carrier mechanical problems, etc. there are no absolutely no guarantees regarding pick up or delivery times and dates. As for the driver, weve got all the texts and recording and there are no such texts that you mentioned above.  Please take into consideration, your pick up location is in ** area, and driver was late due to the traffic. You asked to cancel when the driver was 15 min away from you, so $200 has been charged as a dry run fee. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/28/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I recently booked Sonic Auto Transport for services agreed on a price, signed contract. Now on the date contract is supposed to be honored, I get a call stating that they need more money.. I said we agreed on a price I signed a contract for the agreed price Now Sonic Auto Transport wants me to pay more money. I declined. They said in order for me to get out of the contract I would have to pay a fee. Why should I have to pay if they don't honor the contract?act $375

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2023

  Dear Customer, thanks for reaching out. We are so sorry to hear that your experience with our company has not met your expectations. Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and we are truly sorry that wasn't demonstrated to you. Indeed,the original driver changed the route and we had to look for substitution in a short notice. We apologize for not meeting your requirements in pricing. Our duty as a broker company to offer all the possible options, that we have, but you don't have to accept them. We apologize for the inconvenience you've faced with your transportation! Hope for your understanding!   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/25/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On April 27th, I schedule a car pick up for my car to be shipped to ******, *****. I called to follow up a week before, days before and the company cancelled at the last minute. I stressed to the office that I had to fly out tomorrow morning at 5am and not able to stay longer. They promised and guaranteed Saturday first and cancelled and then Sunday, June 24th with no return call.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  Dear *******, please accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience caused. We do realize our huge issue which is the miscommunication that you faced and we have discussed that. We will make sure that nothing like this happens again. We appreciate you being such a patient customer and are entirely grateful for your understanding!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/16/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was quoted a price of $625. Asked numerous times if this price was guaranteed as I know how some of these transport companies work. Sonic assured me the price wouldt change, that my car would be picked up on the specific day, and that they wouldnt play any games. All lies. Low and behold, the day of pickup I get a call saying the driver was supposed to pick up a bunch of cars from a dealership but the dealership didnt receive payment from any of their customers so they canceled the transport?!? This story is completely fabricated, and after that nonsense, I received another call saying my car could be transported but it would now cost $1200. Well, I found out through central dispatch (they are a database for drivers), that Sonic never put a bid in for the $625. They only submitted a bid for $1200 and they did so only 2 days before my car was to be picked up even though I was told they already had a driver days prior to this. Their reviews outside of BBB are fake and this business has to be stopped. Ill be making an expose on TikTok, so stay tuned.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/22/2023

  Dear *****, thank you for reaching out. Weve reviewed your order and indeed the original driver that was assigned to your order, canceled the reservation last minute since he got cancelation from the dealership. Its a real story and we had to act quickly to find you a substitution.  As you already mentioned,all brokers use the same ******************* (Central Dispatch) to find a carrier company, weve managed to get only one offer from the driver for $1200. 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. Our job is to present all options that we have to the customer and its your choice to accept it or not. We want to assure you that our business practice is absolutely honest and you can see that from our thousands of positive reviews. We apologize that the process didn't go as planned. We rely on your understanding!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/28/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I contacted several transport companies about taking my 39' Living Quarters horse trailer from ******, **. to ***********, **. Sonic came back with the best quote, and although there were several 'scam' reviews there were also a number of good ones. We agreed on a date, signed a contract and they sent me a payment agreement for the full price, even though the contract said 1/2 upon loading of the vehicle and the 2nd half in cash to the driver upon delivery. I told them I would not pay the entire amount, only half, and not before it was loaded and ready to go. They attempted to object at first, but when I would not budge, they agreed.The driver, "Bill" from ****** Cartage,Inc. of *******, **., contacted me shortly thereafter. The day before the scheduled pickup he texted saying his transport vehicle had a safety issue and he was sorry but had to cancel. I also got a similar text from Sonic saying they would find a new driver.Subsequent contacts have gone unanswered. I sent this last message to both driver and company:"So since you can't even bother to text a response I am assuming perhaps you (your driver) aren't (isn't) broke down at all...and good old Sonic? Not one reply much less a replacement driver. I an guessing it's because I refused to pay ahead? Before I file complaints against ****** ************* and Sonic everywhere I can, thought I would give you one more chance to respond. Thank you."No response from either the driver or company. This is an obvious ******** will be reporting it in as many forums and with any pertinent agencies as well.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/26/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I requested a refund and did not receive it. They make me fool from last 1 week . Everyday they have new excuse. I totally disappointed this company. They cheat me . They cut $240 from my account and nobody came to pick up my car. Now when I ask for my refund then they say sorry I cant do. I really humble request to you please refund my account as soon as possible. Otherwise I need to take any other action.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  Dear Customer, thank you for reaching out. We apologize for any confusion caused. We want to
  provide you with a more detailed response, however, we weren't able to identify your order in
  our system. Please, contact us at ************************************** to provide your order ID or contact
  phone number. Have a blessed day!