Beware of Freight Forwarders ( I am there are few honest freight forwarders somewhere)
I was searching the internet for freight forwarder to ship my furniture and family personal belonging to overseas. I got lots of offers and American Oceanic Lines was one of them. The CEO and owner; Mr. Mark Marcus called me and promised that he will personally attend to my shipment.
I wired transfer the money to his bank account and a truck with 20 ft container showed up at my residence in Florida and picked up the furniture to Savannah where it will be loaded onboard a ship.
During the shipping period; I called him so many times and asked him for the tracking number because deep inside I was worried not to see my furniture again. Finally, three weeks later I got the tracking number and sure enough I saw that my container will arrive on 27 August 2005.
When I went to port to pick it up; they asked me for the bill of lading which I still did not get from him although it was requested several times. I contacted his agent in that city and they said I need to have Mark Marcus to send them an email authorizing them to release the container.
After a week of trying to contact him by phone and emails ; I managed to get him on the phone and he promised to send his agents an email saying that I paid the money in full. Sure enough, they received the email and authorization that I can get the shipment.
When I tried again to pick up my container at the port, they refused to release the container and said that the freight forwarder; Mr. Mark Marcus; did not pay for the Lines who transported the container ; the Lines were CMA .
Again, after another week of frustration, I got him on the phone and he promised to pay the lines. One week later nothing happened' I tried to call him for a whole week since he did not answer my calls or my emails; I got hold of him on the phone and he told me that the reason he did not pay the CMA Lines because they say they need from him $8000 and he was afraid to pay for my shipment and not get it still.
He asked me to pay the CMA agent the amount of $2000 to be able to receive the shipment and that he will transfer the money to my USA account within two days.
It has been over a month now and he has not paid the money; the sum of $2000 including the demurrage charges., he did not respond to my emails and did not answer my phone calls although I warned him through the many emails I sent him that I will take him to court and report him to every agency I know.
I thought I was alone until I scrolled thru this site. I felt lucky in a way since I read that some people did not even receive their furniture.
I don't understand how the system allows such crooks to still be in business. It seems it's a common practise to lots of such businesses to make their wealth using fraud, deception and taking advantage of the system.
Unlike, the air travel industry; travel agents in most countries that I know have to pay a bond to a government body inorder to minimize fraud.
I also blame the Lines who do not enforce measures to minimize fraud, liars and con artists such as Mark Marcus.
If you check www.americanoceaniclines.com website; it shows that he has several staff with their names and email addresses. When I tried to call the office or send emails I got no response; which tells you that he has fictitious staff and he is a one man show.
Finally; I blame myself for not doing my homework before selecting American Oceanic Lines; all what I did was checking if he was on the rip-off sites list; unfortunately he wasn't and that is why I am including him now so as he wont practise his deception with another innocent victim.
H
Casselberry, Florida
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Report list of other Moving CompaniesClick here to read other Rip Off Reports on National Moving Network and other various transport companies ripping off the consumer