While there are a lot stories online about car shipping fraud and related problems, the vast majority of the over 3 million used vehicles shipped each year are delivered without incident. Nonetheless, it is worth a little effort to ensure the car shipping company you choose is legitimate.
3 Steps to Ensure Your Car Shipping Company is Legitimate:
- Check the Shipping Company’s MC Number – Car shippers are required to be licensed by the US Department of Transportation. Ask the car shipping company for their MC Number. Then visit the DOT web site to check that the MC Number is valid and active. Enter the MC number under Docket Number and click on Report to see their details. It should show their company name and say that their Broker Authority is Active.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau – Car shipping companies are not required to be members of the BBB. However, consumers can register complaints or problems they had with a company whether it is a member or not. Reviewing any complaints registered against a company and the types of complaint gives you a better sense of how they treat customers.
- Online Search for Company Name – Consumers frequently report scams and problem companies on different web sites. A Google search on a company name can help you to find any complaints registered against that company. Just be careful that it is a real complaint. And remember, a single complaint is typically not sufficient to avoid doing business with a company. You want to look for a pattern of problems.
