I wanted to share my experience with APML so that anyone planning to transport a motorcycle or car knows what they're signing up for if something goes wrong.
Ironically, I chose APML because I'd heard good things about them. A couple of my friends had transported their cars through them without any damage, and based on those experiences I trusted them with my Royal Enfield Meteor 350.
Unfortunately, my experience couldn't have been more different.
The problems started on the day of delivery.
I was initially told the motorcycle would arrive around 1 PM. Then I received another update saying 2 PM. Then it became 3 PM. Every time I planned my day around the promised delivery time, it changed again. There was no meaningful flexibility or scheduling despite what had been promised while booking. Instead, I was expected to keep waiting indefinitely on a weekday while the ETA kept slipping.
By the time the truck finally arrived, the entire process felt rushed.
The delivery personnel wanted to unload the bike, complete the paperwork, and move on. There wasn't an environment where I could comfortably spend 20 to 30 minutes inspecting every square inch of the motorcycle from every angle under good lighting.
I did perform a visual inspection. I looked for obvious scratches, broken parts, leaks, or major damage and didn't notice anything at the time, so I signed the POD as "Bike received in good condition."
This is the part I regret the most.
Later, after I had the motorcycle with me and looked at it under different lighting and from different angles, I noticed four shallow dents on the matte-finished fuel tank. They weren't scratches or paint damage. They were dents that simply weren't obvious during the rushed roadside handover.
The moment I discovered them, I contacted APML and lodged a complaint. I wasn't trying to report something days or weeks later. I reported it as soon as I genuinely became aware of it.
Before handing over the motorcycle for transport, I had also taken photos of the bike, and the fuel tank had no dents.
Initially, APML's claims team registered my complaint. They discussed settlement options, suggested that I claim through my own insurance, stated that they would reimburse the current year's NCB along with any difference between the insurance settlement and the repair bill, and even offered ₹2, 000 as a full-and-final settlement.
Since an authorized Royal Enfield service advisor estimated the repair at approximately ₹13, 500, I declined the ₹2, 000 offer.
A few days later, APML completely changed its position.
They withdrew their earlier offers and rejected my claim solely because I had written "Bike received in good condition" on the POD.
That was extremely disappointing.
I understand why companies require customers to inspect vehicles before signing. I also accept that, in hindsight, I should have spent more time inspecting the bike.
However, I also believe it's entirely possible to miss shallow dents during a rushed delivery after waiting hours for a vehicle whose arrival time kept changing. The reality of the handover was very different from calmly inspecting a motorcycle in ideal conditions.
What disappointed me most wasn't that damage may have occurred during transport. Transport is a difficult business, and accidents can happen.
What disappointed me was the way the claim was handled afterward. Instead of feeling like the circumstances were properly considered, I felt that the entire claim was rejected on the basis of one sentence written on the POD, despite my pre-transport photographs, my prompt complaint after discovering the damage, and the repair estimate from Royal Enfield.
The biggest lesson I've learned is this:
Don't judge a transporter only by whether your vehicle reaches its destination. Judge them by how they handle things when something goes wrong. That's when you truly find out what kind of company you're dealing with.
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