The dispatcher in Ohio told me to get the pickup condition report signed before the driver left, and it saved me $900 | Auto Transport Discussion - Hub Chatter
The dispatcher in Ohio told me to get the pickup condition report signed before the driver left, and it saved me $900
When I shipped my sister's Camry from Columbus to Phoenix last spring, the dispatcher on the phone said something I almost ignored: make the driver write down every scratch and ding on the bill of lading before he pulls away, and take your own photos of the same spots. She said if you skip it, you have no proof the damage wasn't already there. I did it, got him to note a scuff on the rear bumper and a chip in the windshield, and signed off. Six days later the car showed up in Phoenix with a cracked taillight and a fresh door ding, and the company tried to say it was pre-existing. I pulled out the signed sheet and my phone pics, and the $900 repair claim went through without a fight. My neighbor shipped his truck last fall and skipped the paperwork, and he's still going back and forth with the broker over a dented tailgate. Has anyone else had a carrier push back on a claim even with the condition report in hand?
I shipped a Corolla from Cleveland to Tucson back in 2022 and the driver tried the same thing, claiming a dent in the fender was already there when it showed up. I had the bill of lading with every mark written down plus about 20 photos on my phone with the date stamp showing, so I emailed all of it to the claims department the same day the car arrived. They came back saying the report was not filled out right, but once I pointed out the driver signed it himself at the pickup, the claim got approved in about two weeks. The key for me was sending the photos right away before anyone could say I took them later. Keep the original signed sheet too, not just a photo of it, because they asked to see the paper copy. Sounds like your neighbor is in a much worse spot without any of that.