Farris and Sons Towing and Transport

1 review

1. I shipped a high-value antique car from California to Virginia where I am living. Well before shipping, while I was still living in CA, I had put the car in a shop in Riverside, CA, to get some issues resolved post – restoration. Then, after moving to Virginia and after some months of car work back at the shop in CA, I consulted the shop manager for a reference for a transporter who consulted a customer and 150224 I got back the name of Ray Farris & Sons Towing and Transport in Pasadena, CA (Farris). I called Farris to learn about their business. I was told that they owned their own trucks (maybe so but they also broker) and that they were not a broker (not true). I was also told that they insured their customer’s vehicles during transport (not true-the brokered truck owner carries insurance). I requested enclosed transport of my car from Riverside to my new location in VA. After a bit of negotiation, they priced the move at $1500.00. The car was prepped at the shop prior to the trip with a thorough cleaning and wax job, followed by a number of photographs. The shop manager filled in all the paperwork at pickup, which I did not see until much later. The car was picked up at the shop 150303 and delivered to me 150310. On arrival, I found that the transport vehicle was not an enclosed trailer as agreed to, but was a soft-sided canvas-covered trailer. Hence, although there was no obvious damage, the car was very dirty – and could not be examined on arrival for damage. On delivery, I was for the first time provided with a Bill of Lading and requested to sign to acknowledge receipt. Only then did I learn that the transporter was actually Goodguys Auto Carriers of Highland, CA (Goodguys). I paid and signed the bill of lading (a big mistake) per the driver’s request to acknowledge receipt. The bill of lading noted 4 small scratches, one on the rear door driver side, one on the rear roof pillar driver side, one on the lower rear quarter panel passenger side and one on the lower edge of the trunk edge driver side. A few days after the driver had gone, I got the car cleaned up and found three near-full-car-width horizontal strips ~1-inch wide of metal-deep scratches and scrapes, running side to side perpendicular to the long axis of the car, two on the roof above the driver and one on the center of the trunk lid. It looks like the car had been hit/scraped by cross bars on the transport truck. I contacted the company who denied that such damage had occurred. I sent the company photographs of the damage. Per company request, I obtained an estimate, which amounted to a little over $2700 to repaint the roof and buff out the trunk lid. This I sent to Farris. I spoke to the shop manager who guaranteed to me that the car was not so damaged when put on the truck. He even called Farris and certified so, and sent them copies of the photographs taken of the car just before departure.
   An aside: unloading the car from the transport was interesting in that the driver told me that there was no gas in the car, that I should put more in before the unloading. So I went and got 5 gallons of gas, put that in the car and drove it off the transport vehicle. Later, on telling this to the shop manager, he guaranteed to me that he had filled the tank with 5 gallons of gas just prior to departure. He suggested that the only way the vehicle could be out of gas is for the driver to have driven my car.
   Over the next month or two, I made a number of calls to Farris trying to get reimbursement for the damage to my car. They delayed me on every call, staying that they were having trouble contacting the driver or the insurance company. Finally, I contacted an attorney who wrote them a letter demanding payment. In return, the attorney received a letter from Farris, stating that I had signed the Bill of Lading, releasing them from liability. The attorney had to agree.
   In conclusion, I was naïve and demonstrated that by signing the Bill of Lading on receipt. My recommendation to the reader is to never do so until you get your car cleaned up and examined under optimum lighting (many defects do not show up without it). There is no problem paying the driver but your signature terminates the deal and you have no recourse. As to the lies I was told, caveat emptor, as always. But it is best to remember that the deck is stacked against you; if all goes well, wonderful. If not, take every step you can to prevent releasing the mover from liability. Some movers are reputable and will guarantee their work; others will not.

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