A driver and steward working for Jose Sordo's company, JS Transport Services (MC-634348-C), were hired to transport my 2008 BMW 550i from Los Angeles to Miami. I had stored some items I would soon need in the trunk in a suitcase and non-descript boxes under some clothing and linens.
During transport items of value (approx. $3,000) were stolen from the trunk under suspicious circumstances. The items were carefully removed from the suitcase and boxes then the empty boxes and suitcase repacked exactly as I had packed them in Los Angeles. When the car finally arrived in Miami (after several delays due to the transport vehicle being detained for some unrelated reason by law enforcement) I paid the driver before realizing a theft had occurred.
The way in which the boxes were carefully repacked and the fact that there were no signs of break-in seem to implicate the driver and/or steward in the theft but there is no way to be sure of that. After about an hour, I discovered the theft and reported it to Daniel Sordo, my contact at the company. At that time, he told me they had had a string of similar thefts but that they were not responsible for my loss.
But, in fact, the safe transport and protection of my vehicle was their responsibility. Even if the driver and/or steward were not involved in the theft, they were responsible for ensuring the vehicle was locked, for ensuring that it was safe, and for reporting any incidents to police. But they did not fulfill those obligations. Further, the insurance numbers they provided to my broker, Domestic Auto Transport, prior to pick-up later proved to be invalid and the business mailing address listed with the DOT, inaccurate.
The moral of the story? Be careful. Do your own research (the companies may not tell you what you should know to protect yourself). Don't pack things of value in your car (even though you should be able to do so). And if you have a problem report it to police and sites like this one. Also, you can file a complaint at protectyourmove. Gov.
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