My wife and I were moving from Alberta Canada back to New Zealand. We had been in Canada a little over a year and had accumulated some excess baggage. We decided to make life easy and send it all home via sea. This would save the hassle of selling some bigger items and dragging the remainder home on our holiday and airflights.
I gathered a couple of quotes and decided that we would go with Euro Transport International (ETI). Firstly because of price but also because they replied so quickly.
ETI asked us the volume that we would be taking and the dimensions of our boxes. We provided this and they provided a quotation based on these figures. Our excess baggage volume was based on 2m3 and would cost us US$$1260.00. They also offered and hourly rate to pack anything including materials if we needed it, the rate was US$90.00/hr
ETI asked for a $400 non refundable deposit to confirm the booking and we payed it. They wanted photocopies of our passport and our credit cards. We are all too aware of the potential of these falling into the wrong hands so chose to provide only our passport details and payed via direct credit.
All was well until moving day. I had rang and got a local contact number and a time that the removal company would be there. When I rang them they asked how I would be paying. I informed them that my contract was with Euro Transport International. I would not be paying ETI for the move and not them. They were ETI's subcontractor. Even more worrying was the fact that they were unaware that they were to pack anything. the whole thing looked so disorganised my wife and I packed the raiming items that night.
In the morning the removal company came and took our stuff. It took 20 minutes to remove everything from the basement. They taped three boxes shut because we had run out of packing tape.
I measured each of the boxes they came to a total of 2.1m3. We were called about 15 minutes later by the freight company asking where the stuff was going, the removal company didn't know the destination of the goods!!! Phone calls to ETI apparently solved the problem. I informed ETI of the volume and the fact that they did no packing via fax.
We then payed our account via direct payment a further $860.00.
Away on holiday we went aware that our contract said we would be sent a final account within 2 to 3 weeks. this would cover packing costs, any additional insurance and any adjusted volume. We knew there would be about $50.00 owing for volume and another $125 for insurance.
Two weeks passed... no invoice.
Three weeks passed... no invoice. I rang and was told soon.
Four weeks passed... no invoice. I rang and was told soon.
Five, rang, Six rang.
By now we were back in New Zealand
We got the invoice on the 11th September seven and a half weeks later and after half a dozen international phone calls. They were charging us for 3.6 m3 of volume and two hours of packing. I FELT SICK. I rang. They said pay up or we wouldn't be told where our stuff was, who their agent was or when it was coming. I rang manager JACQUES MONIER of the problem... very unhelpful.
In the meantime our stuff had arrived in New Zealand and the agent posted the arrival notice... AT LAST WE AT LEAST KNEW OUR STUFF WAS IN THE COUNTRY AND HAD SOMEONE TO TALK TO. I rang them, it seemed our stuff was in the wrong port (Auckland not Wellington) To get ot to the correct port I would have to drive 2 hours to our nearest customs agent to get a release. I did it and had it faxed. I requested a remeasure of our goods and some photo's.
In the meantime JAQUES MONIER also requested a remeasure. He provided a loading docked showing our stuff was measured origonally at 4.4m3 and told me we had been in fact undercharged!!
The remeasure arrived and dissapointing for me totalled 3.49m3. The photo's showed that they had stacked a large box .800 by .800 by.800 on top of a box 1.5m by 1.5m by 1.5m. This effectivly means that the shipping company measures about 0.6m3 of empty space to turn this L shaped package into a cube.
I feel ripped off. There were 23 boxes in total. Most of them nappy boxes and they would have easily stacked efficiently.
They have measured including the pallets they are on, I know that this is reality for a shipping company but an experienced shippingh company would have indicated this on their quote or included it in the rate. There was no indication this was the case.
Another week has passed and two e-mails, and three calls to Canada and I still do not have a invoice to pay so my stuff can be released. I am willing to pay for the 3.49m3 re-measure but they insist I pay the 3.6m3. Their excuse is there is no-one in authority that can authorise the change. In the mean time I and lefft with no possesions for me my wife and our two year old and paying wharf demurage charges.
I will pay the full account today... I have no other choice.
THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF. LIE TO YOU AND STONEWALL YOU. THEY ARE NOT PROFESSIONALS AND NEVER NEVER USE THEM.
Gregory
Wanganui
New Zealand
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