cfrclassic.comReviews of cfrclassic.com

We have used CFR for hundreds of shipments from USA to UK over the last 20 years. They are excellent at what they do, vehicles arrive perfectly here in timescales to be expected. Always nice people to deal with and always on top of everything

If you're looking to waste money, lose sight of your vehicle for months, run very serious risk of damage, and deal with a business that holds no accountability regardless of outcome, look no further: CFR Classic is your one-stop shop. Last summer, I had the unfortunate occurrence of hiring this company in earnest hopes that they would safely handle the shipping of a vintage car from Washington State to Northern Spain. They seemed upfront with their communication, they offered a reasonable quote, and they advertise themselves as a global leader for international car shipping with a supplementary emphasis on the word classic, so really, what could go wrong? As it turns out, everything. And please note that when I say everything, I mean every single thing without exception. The job was to pick up the car from a dealer in the Seattle-Tacoma area, transport it to the port of Tacoma, then ship it to a European hub in Belgium prior to its final leg to Spain. CFR initially aimed for an early-to-mid August shipment, but they missed that window due to lack of enough advance preparation time. At the time, this seemed understandable. Vehicle carriers only sail once a month though, so it meant waiting until September for the next try. When that time came, they missed their chance again due to a scheduling mixup with the truck company that was to deliver the car in Tacoma. Come October, a third ship was missed because a piece of paperwork was misplaced, with CFR shifting the blame to the original dealership as if their agents had no responsibility over the integrity of the documentation for a shipment that by that point was already running three months late. After this, they were warned that any further mishaps would result in me dropping their services, and yep, you guessed it, they somehow managed to miss a fourth carrier in November all the same. You would think that after four missed boats, a late vehicle pickup, and misfiled paperwork there wouldn't any more room for error. Leave it to CFR to break that record though, as they always seem up for a challenge. Once informed that another company would be taking the job over from them, all they needed to do was drop the car off at a local storage site and mail all the documentation to the new handler. Yet they didn't get either thing right once again. As a consequence, the car ended up briefly unaccounted for at an unknown location for up to two weeks, police was nearly involved in the process, and a fifth ship (!) was missed while the new company tried to both locate the vehicle and get its paperwork delivered to them on time. In total, it took nine months, unnecessary storage fees, at least three extra towing truck trips, and a new contract with a second shipping company to get my car home despite CFR's best efforts, and that's just the story without getting into detail. The car arrived with obvious corrosion damage due to exposure after spending the winter months sitting under the elements at the port of Tacoma, to which a CFR representative eloquently replied "yes, that's what happens when you miss a boat." It certainly happens when you miss five. Another attempt to get an explanation was met with an even more perplexing answer: "Murphy's Law". I wish I was making this up, but that's verbatim what I was told while on the phone with these people. Needless to say, the second company I hired got the job done first try and without issue. To this day, nearly a year later, I haven't received any refund or compensation from CFR after their egregiously negligent conduct and total lack of care. I'm being forced to seek legal help in order to get my money back for a job they never carried out, so the least I can do is warn others here to please consider a different option if you want to save yourself the nightmare I went through. This is not a serious company, and you risk losing your time, money and perhaps even vehicle if you entrust it to them. While it's possible they may be able to complete a shipment successfully under perfect and ideal conditions, based on my experience, even the slightest unforeseen circumstance will result in a catastrophic series of incompetent moves that no actual professionals would ever tolerate. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere now.

I am writing this review to warn others to exercise extreme caution before using CFR Classic for vehicle shipping. From the outset, the process was poorly managed and lacked transparency. After the vehicle was ready for collection, it sat in Carson City for over three weeks before pickup, despite inland transport having been prepaid in full. This delay was later attributed to the transport being tendered at a rate no trucking company would accept. Despite this, the prepaid transport cost ultimately charged was well above market rate, based on quotes I independently obtained from multiple transport companies. Throughout the process, I received repeatedly incorrect and contradictory information from CFR Classic’s Export Manager. Statements made to me were later proven to be inaccurate when independently verified with the ocean carrier, terminal, and U.S. Customs–related parties. These inaccuracies materially affected my ability to make informed decisions and properly plan timelines and costs. The problems continued during export. My container was selected for a U.S. Customs CET exam, the cost of which was charged on top of the prepaid shipping fee. After the exam itself was completed, the container then sat for an additional three weeks, accruing further storage and related charges. The CET exam invoices were not itemized and provided no clear explanation of how the charges were calculated, making them impossible to independently verify. Requests for clarification were met with vague explanations and no supporting documentation. In total, what should have been a routine shipment took five months from start to finish. The final invoice exceeded the original quoted amount by approximately USD $9,000, with many of the additional charges disclosed only after they had already been incurred. Most concerning was the handling of critical ownership documents. CFR Classic retained my vehicle title and bill of sale until the final invoice was paid, leaving me with no practical ability to dispute charges without risking my shipment and legal paperwork. At no point did CFR Classic act as an advocate for the customer. Communication was inconsistent, timelines were unreliable, costs were opaque, and accountability was repeatedly deflected to third parties. Shipping a classic or high-value vehicle already involves risk. A professional freight forwarder should reduce that risk—not compound it through misinformation, delays, undocumented charges, and leverage over essential documents. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend CFR Classic and strongly advise others to choose a company that provides accurate communication, clear pricing, transparent handling of prepaid funds, itemized invoicing, documented customs actions, and proper release of customer paperwork.

CFR Classics is completely untrustworthy and unsafe. Joseph in the U.S. quoted me one price, but once my car arrived in Germany, Sergej claimed to be with a “different company” and said he didn’t have to honor the U.S. quote. After CFR had already taken possession of my vehicle, they added charges and refused to release it until I paid. To make matters worse, my car was returned in dangerous condition: the back wheels had obviously been removed and put back on, but in a very unsafe way. The hubcaps were missing, one lug nut was gone, and two more were left loose. I didn’t discover this until after driving 600 kilometers home — a serious safety hazard. This company practices bait-and-switch pricing, hides behind shady excuses, and has zero regard for customer safety. Avoid CFR Classics at all costs.

If you care about your vehicle, your timeline, or basic communication, avoid CFR Classic. We trusted CFR to handle the international shipment of two motorcycles—one of which was on a tight timeline for a round-the-world journey. Instead, we endured a month-long delay because their team failed to request a second EIN number until after we asked why the bikes hadn’t moved in 20+ days. We had submitted all documentation promptly and were just an email away. Their excuse? “We only asked once.” That’s not logistics—that’s negligence. The bikes shipped 40 days after drop-off all from the looks of it left outside in the elements. Then came the condition of the bikes. Despite CFR’s responsibility to disconnect the batteries and remove gasoline—tasks we offered to do ourselves—we were told their ground crew would handle it. They didn’t. The result? Dead lithium batteries, fouled gasoline, and risk of damage to fuel injection systems. And to top it off, the bikes were left uncovered in salty air, resulting in corrosion on both. This wasn’t just poor service. It was a complete lack of care. Now we’re being invoiced for storage during the delay they caused. Absolutely not. We genuinely hoped to have positive things to say about CFR. Instead, we’re warning others: this vendor failed at every level—communication, accountability, and protection of our property.