Crystal Car Shipping Avis 1 117

Connor helped me get my car in a timely fashion. Was quick and insured that everything was okay with my car and it arrived safely

Phil was patient and thorough with his explanation of the process. I would definitely recommend Phil and Crystal car transport.

This is the most important 1-star review you’ll ever read. Tl;DR: Crystal can and WILL change your rate last minute, sometimes (in our case) increasing it by 3x. We paid $685 up front, and two days before our pick up, they called and said we now had to pay $1800. I did not heed the warning of other similar reviews and painfully regret it.

Crystal was recommended to me by a friend who successfully used their services. They’re a broker, and as such, work with various carriers to get customers’ cars shipped to their destination. My dad originally wanted to go directly through a carrier, but my friend’s recommendation and the low quote seemed too good to pass up. Boy was I wrong.

I spoke to Connor to have my elderly father’s car shipped from Texas to California for his big move, and due to certain constraints, there was no way any of us could help him drive, so we opted to fly him out due to age-related factors. Two days before the scheduled pick up, a carrier calls him and says that there are no drivers available and that they could do it for $1800. My dad, due to prior experience, thought it was a scam, and immediately called Crystal to sort it out without consulting me. According to him, they were able to lower the price significantly, but it was still several hundred dollars more than our original quote. On top of that, they tried to charge him a $200 cancellation fee, which he got reduced to $125. I called and spoke to both Connor and a manager to have that fee waived, and they insisted that it is standard procedure under the contract (it is, but read on to find out how in our case it actually isn’t). After I had a chance to process everything and evaluate options, I called back a few times to A) try to reinstate our contract at the increased cost and B) to try and have the fee waived if they could not provide the service anymore. I asked to be connected to a higher up, and on three occasions was told that I would receive a call back and never did.

Is this something a great business would do? How would you feel if this happened to your elderly parent? According to Connor, this happens occasionally. In my opinion, a great business would absorb the cost. At least that is how I run my business; I try and lead with empathy and compassion. Connor also explained that this is how brokers work. I have personally worked with so many brokers (albeit insurance brokers) and can attest that this is NOT how brokers work. According to the fine print in the contract, Crystal can certainly change the fee at their discretion (true). I ignored it due to the glowing reviews and recommendation from my friend, and thought that if they did, it wouldn’t be much of a difference. On top of all this, a broker’s job is to help you find a deal - they are your point of contact with all parties. Apparently, once your information is in their system, any of their carriers can call you directly and try to negotiate a different deal (not how brokers work). This is a total bait and switch situation, and I can only imagine the extra profit they make on top of doing this to a “few” clients here who give little to no resistance.

My last resort, after being denied multiple callbacks from a manager, was to point out a flaw in the contract. The stated pick up date on the contract was mistakenly recorded as a date 18 days prior to the actual pick up date. The contract states that the penalty fee applies to cancellations within 5 days of the scheduled pick up. Due to this error, theoretically we should be absolved from any penalty fee. Any court of law would see it this way. I truly wonder if there are enough such cases to warrant a class action. Jimmy McGill, if you’re reading this, have at it.

In the end, my stubborn dad drove himself as we found no other drivers. We were all worried sick, but he did make it okay. Most of you will probably have an experience similar to all the good reviews, but if you really want to play it safe, go with another company for your moving needs.

Edit: Crystal's response is correct - I did speak to a manager who explained the situation - and noted this in my initial review as well. However, subsequent attempts to reach a manager (3+ times by Connor and another associate) were met with no response, even after being reassured by Connor that I would receive a call back. This response is misleading as it doesn't paint the full picture. This business model is also constructed in a way to force profit at the customer's expense - you get called a few days before pick up with an outrageous increase, at which point you are either forced to accept or cancel at a cost. It's a win-win for Crystal. The more appropriate policy would be to charge the cancellation only if there is no price increase on Crystal's end. And there is always a way to reduce the fee to $0, they would rather just soak up the profit from this misfortune.

After talking with several transport companies, Crystal Car Shipping was the only company that was reliable, fast, and easy to deal with. It was hard trusting companies on this industry but you can trust this company! Car arrived 5 days before expected! Thank you!

Connor helped me through the whole process and was extremely polite the entire time while also finding me the driver I needed for a difficult situation. The price I got was great too. Truly can’t recommend enough.

Excellence customer service was provided to me by Wayne Richards. Keep up the great work! Thanks again for everything.

Connor Santana really worked hard for me. I was dealing with a kid on the other end and not easy dealing across country, but Connor put the work in to get everything right and a great price . He was extremely reliable. Would do business with him again if I need to.

It's a great experience to work with Wayne. He is very professional and quick response. Thanks

They did their best to get my car from a fairly remote location. They ended up getting me an enclosed carrier for a very good price. Thank you Paula!

This review is long overdue. Crystal car shipping is absolutely amazing! I have shipped my car a few times with different services and Crystal Car has been the best so far. Excellent customer service who genuinely listens to customer concerns and goes out of his way to make sure customer necessities are met.

My requests were very last minute cross country shipping at a good rate and Crystal Car shipping went out of their way to make that happen!

Overall I couldn’t thank them enough. My car was picked up very fast and delivered cross country from California to southern Florida in about 4 days!

I highly recommend this company!

They delivered my car for the price they promised, with no surprises. The process was very smooth.

The only problem I had is that my back license plate got stolen.
It could be the driver, thieves, or an inside job.
If you see more reviews like mine then you know the answer.

Not bad overall

Thank you Tina for your help and patient, I really appreciate your hard work and thanks God that I got you over the phone and not someone else cuz you really know how to do your job in the best way. Look forward to work with you and your company.

I’ve used them 3 times and 2 out of 3 times the vehicle was early! I’m sure I’ll use them again!

I had my car shipped from Florida to California. The transportation delivery company was very professional and delivered the car sooner than expected. The exchange of funds between the Crystal Car Shipping and the driver were seamless. The whole experience was very efficient and stress free. Paula from Crystal Springs Shipping was my point of contact and provided great support throughout the process. Overall, I would recommend this service to anyone looking to ship their car.

Fast service and responses. Good with last minute adjustments.

Phil was very helpful locating shippers on short notice and on follow through calls. He also screened potential shippers. Truck arrived ahead of schedule.

Highly recommend crystal car shipping. Excellent experience. Had my car shipped from oregon to Florida in the time they had promised. Rowan was helpful with the entire process. Will definitely use them again in the future.
Milena

Thanks you guys to stepping up to the plate when another company negligence cost my daughter car been vandalized and all her clothes and personal belongings been stolen after they refused to pick up the car for no reason whatsoever as soon I explain what happened you also try to make sense and reach out as well to the other company that would not answer, but you guys call someone else and within an hour the car was picked up, I was amazed when the guy call me and said they send someone else to pick up the car you just don’t know the feelings when you’re 3,000 miles away and hand cross and depend and trust people you don’t even know and forever grateful that cristal car shipping back me up when it was much needed … many blessings…

Super helpful. Great rates & quick delivery. Customer service was amazing & when my original driver got into an accident they found me a new one in less than 24 hours.

Great experience! Company stayed in touch with every step of the way and to reassure my confidence. A lot of scams out there so I was very skeptical but the came through and what they promised was delivered.