Complaint Review: Rainier Overseas Movers Inc

Recently we moved our household goods from Arizona to Australia in two containers using Rainier Overseas Movers Inc., with insurance of the whole shipment through Inter Trans Insurance Irvine, CA. The containers left Arizona and were due to be shipped out of Long Beach CA one month later. To our astonishment we were told that the containers were being unloaded for inspection by the US Customs in Long Beach: an EXPORT inspection.  Worse, we had to pay US Customs a fee of $3,559!  Rainier paid the fee on our behalf and we had to pay that amount to them.  This resulted in missing the planned shipping date and a delay of one month.

Shock #2:  On delivery we found severe non-repairablre damage to to our most expensive piece of furniture as well as many othe items badly damaged.  After photgraphing the damage and lodging a claim, Inte Trans Insurance refused to cover the most expensive piece of furniture, claiming that the loss was caused by US Customs improperly reloading the containers.  After we maintained that Inter Trans was cherry-picking among the possible culprits, the US movers, US Customs, and Australian movers, we agreed to a negotiated payout.

The US Customs has no need to inspect household goods that are leaving the US.  There is something suspicious about the company contracted with US Customs that picks up containers for inspection: Price Transfer (pricetransfer.com).  Rainier did inform us about the need to pay for Customs inspection in Australia, which we did pay in addition to the US Customs fee.

The US Customs and Homeland Security website describes random inspections of household goods IMPORTED to the US at the owner's expense.  An EXPORT inspection at the owner's expense appears to be illegal.  If not illegal, then Rainier should caution their customers about this possibility.  Even if this was simply a mistake made by Price Transfer in picking up the wrong containers, we still need the fee to be reimbursed.