Did you know that the number of vehicles that are registered in the US is 276 million? Additionally, the percentage of households that have vehicle access is 91%, and the amount of time an average person spends, per day in a car, is 101 minutes.
If you’re one of the many people in the US who has a car and you need car towing services in Virginia, you might feel stressed. How can you find the right Virginia auto transport and towing company near your city?
Fortunately, in this article, we’ll review what you should look for in Virginia auto transport and towing companies.
Finally, you can find the right auto transport and towing company for you and get your car wherever you need it. Read on to learn more.
Car Towing Services in Virginia
To get started, consider the services you need. For example, if you’re looking for additional services such as crossing borders, door-to-door service, or terminal-to-terminal service, you should search out auto towing companies that provide these services.
If you want the auto transport to be closed instead of open, this is also something you should look for.
The reason to do this is that it doesn’t make sense to start putting together a list of car transportation companies only to find that some of them don’t offer what you’re looking for. Cut down your work by starting with services first.
Good Ratings and Reviews for Virginia Towing Companies
To find the best car towing company, you should also look at ratings and reviews. Once you have a list together, go to business review websites such as the Better Business Bureau to see what experiences others have had and our industry is watched by Transport Reviews where you can see reviews on National Car Shipping here. Additionally, if you have any family or friends who have hired towing companies, ask them which companies they do and don’t recommend. When looking at reviews, look for critical and negative reviews. Then, compare these to the positive ones. This will help you gauge how satisfied their customers tend to be with their services. If any of the companies seem low-quality or unreliable, remove them from your list.
Good References
You should also ask each car towing company to provide you with references from past customers. Any trustworthy and reliable auto transport company will be able to provide these. If a company doesn’t, take it off your list. The more experience a company has, the more they’ll be able to better handle transporting cars. For this reason, you should ask them about their experience. This includes both how many cars they ship annually and how long they’ve been in business. You can usually find this information on their site.
The Right Payment Types
Whether you’re looking for a Virginia auto transport company, reliable household moving companies in Florida, or any other type of moving and towing services provider, something to watch out for is wire transfer payments. Legitimate auto transport companies will almost always request that you pay them with a credit card or check. Wire transfers tend to be a red flag when it comes to payment methods. They can be a sign that the company you’re dealing with isn’t trustworthy. Note, however, that if this is simply one of the methods they offer but they prefer you pay with your credit card, you should be okay. It’s the companies that insist you pay with a wire transfer that you should watch out for.
Good Grammar and Spelling on the Website
When a company is genuine and running a business that’s reliable, they’ll usually avoid making grammar and spelling mistakes on their website.
If you find many of these on a site, this is a sign that it was constructed fast by a disreputable or fake company.
A Motor Carrier Number
There’s a regulation that the U.S. Department of Transportation has for all the auto transport companies that are operating within the US. This regulation is that these companies have a motor carrier number, or MC. If a company doesn’t have it, it’s very likely it’s fraudulent. If the company you’re dealing with is a legitimate one, this number will either appear on its website or they’ll be able to provide it for you when you ask them for it. Fake companies will give you a fake number or hide the number.
To verify the number you receive, you have to go to the Electronic Records website belonging to the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Insurance Plans
Sometimes, personal auto insurance won’t cover your car adequately when it’s in transport. In this case, it’s important to find out whether the Virginia auto transport and towing companies you’re considering have insurance plans in place.
If the company doesn’t offer insurance, don’t do business with them. Otherwise, if something were to happen to your car while it was being transported, you could end up not receiving any reimbursement.
Additionally, when you ask this question and companies say yes, ask them for proof. This way, you can ensure you don’t end up being scammed.
You should also look at the details of the insurance closely. Just because they’re offering a good price, it might not provide all the coverage you need.
Review it so you make sure you’re covered for every aspect for which you want to be covered.
Note that companies are required to provide you with proof of insurance when you request it. Therefore, legitimate companies will be able to do this.
The Right Payment Arrangements
Some Virginia auto transport and towing companies will require you to pay upfront. Others, on the other hand, will make it possible for you to pay in installments. If you don’t want to pay the full amount upfront, it’s important you check to see if you can do the latter.
Note that sometimes, if you are paying in installments, the company might ask you to pay a fee.
The Right Cancellation Policy
Ask whether there’s a deadline that means that, if you cancelled your reservation after it, you’d have to end up paying a fee. This is an important question to ask if you need some flexibility on your end—so ask this to find out what your options are when it comes to canceling or rescheduling.
For example, if a company doesn’t allow cancellations unless you pay a fee, but they won’t charge you if you reschedule, this might be just the right amount of flexibility you need. In that case, you could keep that company on your list.
Note that if a company you’re communicating with offers a unique cancellation policy—or any other type of special service—you should make sure to get this service or policy’s terms in writing.
Auto Transport Quotes
To get a price quote, give the company a call or go to their website. Many of these websites will have an option, often at the top, that says something like “Request Quote” or “Get Quote.” It’s usually free to get one, so go ahead and do this.
Once you have the different quotes, you can compare them to get an idea of whom you want to hire. Note, of course, that if you get special services, this might cost a bit more.
When you’re in the process of getting quotes, you’ll need to provide specific information to the companies. So, make sure you have it on hand (especially if you’re calling).
You’ll need to provide your car’s make and model. You’ll also have to let them know about shipping dates and locations.
Don’t agree the second you get a quote. You’re doing your research now to compare quotes.
Note that it’s important to avoid the cheapest quote. Even though this can seem like a good deal, you could end up paying hidden fees later on. These could include a service fee or the insurance cost.
It’s also more likely that a cheap quote translates to cheap service.
Note that it’s normal for auto transport and towing quotes to be $100 cheaper or more expensive than each other. If you get a quote that’s far more than $100 cheaper, watch out.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Virginia?
- The cost to tow a car from Virginia to Texas is $1495
- The cost to tow a car from Virginia to California is $1595
- The cost to tow a car from Virginia to Florida is $1395
- The cost to tow a car from Virginia to Arizona is $1595
Looking for a Virginia Auto Transport and Towing Company?
Now that you’ve learned what to look for in a Virginia auto transport and towing company near you, you might have decided that you’re ready to find one. In this case, you should look no further than Long Distance Towing.
We’re experts when it comes to auto transport and towing. We can ship to and from Virginia, as we’re a car shipping company that ships cars throughout the entire country.
To find out how we can help you with your auto transport and towing needs, contact us today.