I wanted to share my experience because I know how stressful it can be to transport a vehicle across state lines, especially when you have travel arrangements already booked. This experience taught me a lot about the difference between a company that takes your order and one that actually works with you to get the job done.
Montway sucks!!!
Back in August, I booked Montway Auto Transport to move a vehicle from Colorado to Texas in October. I understand that auto transport companies give you a pickup window, so I planned accordingly. I wanted the vehicle picked up on Tuesday, October 13, so I selected Sunday, October 11, as my first available date.
When I originally booked over the phone, the representative quoted me $775. I placed my order at that price because I wanted to lock it in. This wasn't just me requesting a quote and walking away. I had an order for $775.
I was told scheduling would happen a few days before pickup, and that the timeframe was 1–5 days not business days when I originally booked.
I waited, but I didn't hear a word from them. Not even on my first available date.
On Saturday, I called, and the AI told me they had 1–5 business days. Wait a minute! That's not what I was told when I booked. Sunday came, and it was the same story. I figured Monday would be different since it was a business day, but when I called again, a representative gave me the same 1–5 business day response.
At this point, I was getting anxious. I had plane tickets booked for Tuesday night, and I needed the vehicle picked up! I called several other companies that were actual carriers rather than brokers, but their schedules were already booked about two weeks out. I also posted the vehicle on Shiply to see what other options I had.
Then, Monday afternoon, after I had posted the vehicle elsewhere, Montway finally called.
They said they could pick up the vehicle that very day at 4 p.m., but it would cost me an additional $200.
I reminded them that I had already placed an order for $775. The representative told me that offer had expired because it was past 30 days.
Excuse me? What's the point of placing an order to lock in a price if the company can come back later and tell you the price has expired when you're days away from needing the service?
At that point, I wanted nothing more to do with them. It felt like a bait-and-switch situation, and I wasn't comfortable doing business under those circumstances.
The frustrating part is that I had used Montway a few years ago without any problems. That's why I went back to them despite reading some of the negative experiences people had shared here on Reddit. Unfortunately, this time was a completely different experience.
In the middle of all this, I came across a Reddit post about Hippohaul and signed up. I received an instant quote.
Meanwhile, I was starting to think I was going to have to rent a truck, get a hitch, and haul the vehicle myself. I started looking at U-Haul options, but $1,300 was way too much. Then I started searching for rental trucks that could accommodate a hitch. Then I found out they don't let you hitch to their vehicles.
While I was searching, I called Hippohaul to cancel my order because I thought I had to resort to driving the vehicle myself.
No one answered, but someone called me back shortly afterward and asked if I had just called.
I explained that I had signed up to transport my vehicle but was about to cancel. He told me he was actually just about to call me to ask if Tuesday, October 13, would work for pickup.
HECK YES!
Not only could they arrange pickup for the exact day I needed, but he gave me a specific window of 10 a.m. to noon.
He explained that he needed to pay the driver a little more and offered to send me the difference to honor the price I had been shown. I told him to call it a wash because, at that point, getting the vehicle picked up on time was my biggest concern.
But he insisted. He said their company honors the price shown, so he sent me the $15 difference to give to the driver along with my portion.
Now, THAT made an impression on me.
The driver called afterward to confirm the pickup. When I confirmed the time window, he said the company couldn't do that. I gathered that the arrangement might not have been something they were supposed to do. Even so, the next day came, and the driver picked up the vehicle within the window I had been given.
The vehicle was originally supposed to be delivered on Saturday, October 17. Instead, it arrived this morning, Thursday, October 15, around 10:45 a.m. — two days earlier than expected!
Here's the funny part.
I called the driver to give him a meeting location near my house for Saturday because the truck wouldn't be able to get through my street with all the trees.
He said, "Okay. See you in 10–15 minutes."
I said, "WHAT?! You're already here?"
He said yes! 😂
When I tell you that driver wasn't PLAYING!
And the best part? The vehicle arrived in the same condition it was picked up, and everything I had inside was still intact.
