Charlotte Thomas
Cedar Creek,#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, June 12, 2008
The allegations indicated in this report are totally false, and our companies will be seeking legal counsel against this individual in his home country of Holland. We take this kind of slanderous statements very seriously. Worldwide Shipping Cedar Creek, TX office sent Mr. Andre a formal rate quotation on the 3rd April 2008 2:54 pm clearly stating an ocean freight from Savannah CFS via Port Savannah to Port Rotterdam SUBJECT TO DESTINATION CHARGES. AT NO TIME did Mr. Andre request destination charges from our company or from our European General Agent, WSA Bremen (a separately owned and operated company) or from any other forwarding agent that WSA Bremen could have recommended PRIOR TO THE CONTAINER'S ETD. It is solely the customer's responsibility to seek out these charges, as MY COMPANY is not responsible for destination charges. We were hired to load the container in Savannah and to ship it from Savannah to Rotterdam. This was very clear from the rate proposal and also from our invoice no. 2781 dated the 16th April the "ocean freight Savannah CFS via Port Savannah to Port Rotterdam subject to destination charges." HOWEVER, Mr. Andre has sent e-mails COMPLAINING about destination charges, and WSA Bremen provided Mr. Andre three different forwarding companies to contact to assist with customs clearance so that he could make up his mind as to who offered the most reasonable service to suit his needs. WSA Bremen's responsibility is to ensure that the receiver, also known as the consignee, is given the Arrival Notice prior to the vessel's ETA to the destination port. This agency charges a nominal doc transfer fee of between EUR 50-75 and hands the container off the nominated agent. UNFORTUNATELY, Mr. Andre was unable or unwilling to make a decison and to revert to WSA Bremen within the five calendar days required to clear Customs and to move the container from the Rotterdam terminal, EVEN THOUGH he was duly advised by WSA Bremen that this was necessary OTHERWISE demurrage charges would start accruing. INSTEAD, Mr. Andre spent his time sending our company e-mails complaining of destination charges, and Ripoff Report a fallacious report instead of addressing the immediate concern of nominating a forwarder and paying the destination charges. There will always be destination charges, such a fee to remove the container from the vessel, to move the container to a final destination, to unload the container and to clear Customs ASIDE FROM the normal duties and taxes imposed. It is the customer's responsibility to seek out these charges and to pay these charges. My company fulfilled ITS RESPONSIBILITY on THIS END, and it is the CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY to pay destination charges, etc. ON THE OTHER END. If there are any questions or comments, please contact the undersigned, Charlotte Thomas, President, Worldwide Shipping Agency via e-mail [email protected] or the corporate attorney, David Tangora via e-mail [email protected].