Legal
Cancellation Policy
We believe you should understand exactly why our deposit is non-refundable before you book — not after. Here is what happens the moment your order is placed, and what options are available if your plans change.
Why This Policy Exists
What We Do the Moment You Book
Most customers assume a deposit is just a placeholder — a number held until the shipment happens. For a generic broker who drops your order into a nationwide dispatch pool and waits, that might be true. Our process is different, and it starts immediately.
Here is the sequence of work our team begins within hours of receiving your deposit. This is why the deposit is non-refundable once our services are rendered — because the work is already done.
Matson Vessel Space Reserved
Within 2 hours of booking
We check vessel capacity for your target sailing date and secure your space on the Matson schedule. Sailings from Long Beach and Oakland fill weeks ahead in peak season. Holding that space has a cost — and releasing it on short notice means that slot may go unfilled.
Route and Calendar Coordination
Same day as booking
We map your specific origin to the correct departure port (Long Beach or Oakland), calculate overland transit time, and work backward from your target delivery date. For door-to-port shipments, we confirm whether your pickup address has any access restrictions — gated communities, high-rise loading zones, rural corridor limitations — and factor those into the carrier assignment.
Carrier Assignment and Dispatch
1 to 3 weeks before pickup
We assign a licensed, insured carrier for your specific origin corridor — not from a generic nationwide board, but based on which carriers run that lane regularly. For rural or off-corridor pickups (rural Idaho, Montana, remote Nevada), we start working carrier availability 3 weeks out because those lanes are shallow and a late assignment means missing the sailing. Once a carrier is assigned, they have committed a truck and driver to your pickup window. That commitment cannot be unwound without cost.
Documentation and Port Coordination
Before pickup
We prepare your Dock Receipt, confirm port intake requirements for your vehicle type, and for FROM Hawaii shipments, verify that your title, registration, and safety inspection documents are in order before the drop-off deadline. Missing or incorrect documents at the port cause delays that affect other customers on the same sailing.
Active Monitoring and Problem Resolution
Throughout your shipment
Between booking and delivery, our coordinator monitors carrier pickup confirmation, vessel departure, Hawaii port arrival, agricultural inspection clearance, and inter-island transfer if applicable. When something goes sideways — a carrier no-show, a port hold, a sailing change — we resolve it in real time. That coverage begins the day you book, not the day your car is picked up.
The Point
By the time you call to cancel, the work has already been done. The deposit covers that coordination work — the vessel reservation, the carrier assignment, the route planning, the documentation preparation. It is not a fee for holding your credit card number. It is compensation for real work performed on your behalf.
The Policy
Cancellation Terms at a Glance
All deposits are non-refundable. In certain circumstances, a deposit credit toward a future shipment may be offered at our discretion. The table below explains what applies based on when you cancel.
| When You Cancel | Additional Fee | Deposit | Credit Eligible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before carrier is assigned and before Matson booking is made | None | Non-refundable | Case by case |
| Within 2 weeks of scheduled pickup — carrier not yet assigned | None | Non-refundable | Case by case |
| Within 24 hours of scheduled pickup | $250 dry-run fee | Non-refundable | No |
| After carrier has been assigned and dispatched | $150 service fee | Non-refundable | No |
| Booking with another company while under contract with us | Varies | Non-refundable | No |
What the fees represent
The $250 dry-run fee applies when a carrier is dispatched to your location and the pickup cannot be completed — the truck arrives but the vehicle is unavailable, the address is inaccessible, or the customer is unreachable. The carrier has committed a truck and driver to your window. The $150 service fee applies when we have assigned a carrier to your shipment and they have committed to your route. In both cases, we have incurred a real cost that cannot be recovered.
Deposit Credit
If Your Plans Change
Life changes. Military orders get amended. Closings fall through. Moves get pushed. We understand that cancellations are rarely planned. While we cannot issue refunds, we do consider deposit credits on a case-by-case basis for customers with genuine change-of-plans situations.
Credit Toward a Future Shipment
Deposit Credit Program
If your cancellation qualifies, Car Shipping Hawaii may apply your deposit as a credit toward a future shipment. Credits are evaluated individually and are not guaranteed — we review the circumstances of each request and make a decision based on the situation.
If approved, your credit is valid for 6 months to 1 year from the date of cancellation. It applies to any route we service and is treated as a payment toward your future shipment total — never added on top.
To request a credit review, contact us in writing within 30 days of your cancellation. Credits are not available for cancellations within 24 hours of scheduled pickup or after a carrier has been dispatched.
Military PCS Changes
If your orders change after you have booked, call us immediately. We have re-booked military customers on short notice many times and understand the pressure of changing PCS timelines. We do everything we can to accommodate amended orders, including working with your new report date and re-coordinating the sailing. A credit toward a re-booked shipment is nearly always the right path when orders change. Do not assume the deposit is lost — call first.
How to Cancel
Cancellation Process
Cancellations must be submitted both in writing and confirmed by phone. Both steps are required to protect you — a written record ensures there is no dispute about the cancellation date, and a phone confirmation ensures we can answer any questions and discuss credit eligibility before the process is complete.
Email Us in Writing
Send your cancellation request to info@carshippinghawaii.com. Include your name, booking reference, pickup address, and the reason for cancellation. The date of this email establishes your official cancellation date.
Confirm by Phone
Call us at (808) 378-7540 during business hours to confirm your cancellation. Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM HST. This call also gives you the opportunity to ask about credit eligibility before the cancellation is finalized.
Credit Review (Optional)
If you would like us to consider a deposit credit toward a future shipment, state this in your email. We will review your situation and respond within 3 business days with a decision. Credit requests must be submitted within 30 days of cancellation.
Confirmation Sent to You
Once your cancellation is processed, we send written confirmation to the email address on your booking. Keep this confirmation. If any additional fees apply (dry-run or service fee), they are documented in this confirmation.
Questions
Still Have Questions?
If you are considering cancelling and want to understand your options before doing so, contact us directly. In many cases there are alternatives to cancellation — rescheduling to a different sailing, adjusting pickup dates, or re-routing through a different port — that preserve your deposit and keep your shipment moving.
The full legal terms governing cancellations, including the complete contractual language, are available in our Terms and Conditions.
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Island-Owned & Operated
Matson Route Specialist
USDOT 3505506 · MC 1158539
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1110 Nuuanu Ave #305, Honolulu, HI 96817
Monday – Friday, 8 AM – 6 PM HST
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