The International Schools Review Forum

Here is a situation not covered in the recent article regarding overseas shipping:

When our shipment reached the United States from Costa Rica, the forwarding company based in Florida informed us that the total cost that we paid for shipment was too low for them to forward the shipment to the final destination in the USA within a timely manner (within the six weeks we had alloted to receive the shipment).

When the shipment first arrived in the USA and was clearing customs, we had inquired when we would receive the shipment and the Florida company informed us that there wasn't a problem with our time frame for receiving the shipment. Then the company changed their original position. They demanded an extra $400.00 to ship the goods from Florida to our destination state. If we didn't pay them them the extra amount, they would not guarantee when we would receive the shipment and also threatened to start charging us storage knowing full well that we needed the shipment to arrive before a certain date in order for us to leave the country for our next teaching post.

We called the moving company in Costa Rica and the owner said that there should be no problem with the shipment, but didn't try to help us any further (since we had paid him cash up front prior to leaving Costa Rica). We ended up paying the extra money since we had to leave overseas again and couldn't afford the time it would take to fight the battle in a court of law.

We are experienced in moving around the world, but it was the first time we encountered such an experience. The irony is that it was a US-based company that did this to us.

How about telling us the name of the company so we can avoid it?

Here is a situation not covered in the recent article regarding overseas shipping:

When our shipment reached the United States from Costa Rica, the forwarding company based in Florida informed us that the total cost that we paid for shipment was too low for them to forward the shipment to the final destination in the USA within a timely manner (within the six weeks we had alloted to receive the shipment).

When the shipment first arrived in the USA and was clearing customs, we had inquired when we would receive the shipment and the Florida company informed us that there wasn't a problem with our time frame for receiving the shipment. Then the company changed their original position. They demanded an extra $400.00 to ship the goods from Florida to our destination state. If we didn't pay them them the extra amount, they would not guarantee when we would receive the shipment and also threatened to start charging us storage knowing full well that we needed the shipment to arrive before a certain date in order for us to leave the country for our next teaching post.

We called the moving company in Costa Rica and the owner said that there should be no problem with the shipment, but didn't try to help us any further (since we had paid him cash up front prior to leaving Costa Rica). We ended up paying the extra money since we had to leave overseas again and couldn't afford the time it would take to fight the battle in a court of law.

We are experienced in moving around the world, but it was the first time we encountered such an experience. The irony is that it was a US-based company that did this to us.[/quote]

I have heard many such stories about international shipping; and being a US company does not make it / them less likely to cheat. We had a situation moving from Sth America to Africa. The US company quoted $x, but then when our stuff arrived demanded $y to release it. The African company who was doing the move for our school arranged to pay them somehow - so we got our stuff. needless to say, the African's payment was not honored so the original US crooks ended up with less than if they had stuck with their quote. This prac tise of quoting low to get your job, then raising the price once they have your stuff (aka "blackmail") is not unknown.