Customs Agency Services in QLD: Brisbane

Nicholas

30 Aug 2013

I engaged Direct Worldwide Logistics to transport sixty-five kilograms of personal effects from Hyde...rabad, India to Brisbane, Australia. I made it clear in emails to both the India-based and Brisbane-based contacts at the company that my priority was saving money. I stated that the delivery of my cargo was not urgent and that I was willing to use sea freight rather than air freight if this would save me money. The contacts in India and Brisbane gave me quotes for sea freight versus air freight. The quotes showed that sea freight was 9000 Indian rupees (about 160 AUD) cheaper. I therefore chose sea freight. I paid the equivalent of about 250 AUD at the Indian end. The Brisbane-based contact quoted me Australian charges of 427 AUD including GST, payable upon arrival of the goods at the Brisbane dock. He advised that this figure did not include any quarantine charges which may be imposed. At no point did he indicate that the quarantine charges would be a significant portion of the overall cost. When the cargo reached Australia I was presented with a bill for 1300 AUD. The quoted charges accounted for only a third of the total bill I had to pay. Quarantine charges alone reached 680 AUD for goods that consisted entirely of books, personal papers, clothes and a pressure cooker – all used personal effects and nothing containing animal or plant products. An accurate and helpful quote would have put the numbers in an overall context by warning that quarantine charges alone could be even greater than all the other charges combined. I realize that the company does not set the quarantine charges - the Australian Government does - and the company couldn't have known the exact quarantine charges in advance because the charges depend on what the cargo is and what decisions quarantine inspectors make. But an experienced customs broker would know how big the charges can be and should use their experience to inform the customer. The quote I was given omitted important information about the potential size of quarantine charges relative to the total bill. What is the point of a quote that accounts for only a third of the total bill? How does such a quote help the customer assess the value of the service and prepare for how much they will have to pay? When I called the company’s contact person in Brisbane to make this point he snapped that I was “going on and on”. He implied that quarantine charges for air freight would have been cheaper because the quarantine procedures for air freight are simpler and faster. He suggested it was my fault for choosing sea freight. At no point before sending the goods did anyone in the company, either in India or Brisbane, advise me that air freight would be cheaper overall. On several occasions, in emails to both the India and Brisbane contacts, I emphasized that my priority was saving money and that I was willing to take the slower option of sea freight if this would save me money. Nobody contradicted the idea that sea freight would be cheaper. The quotes they gave me showed that sea freight was cheaper. When I wrote in an email to the Brisbane contact that I would share my negative experience of the company’s service on customer review websites, his written reply included this veiled threat: “… just be careful what you post on websites against our or any company; matter of fact you may land yourself in hot water.” In the same email I requested the email address of an appropriate manager so that I could forward our correspondence to that person and formally complain about the unhelpful nature of the quote I was given and the hostile reaction to my concern. He promised me in writing that his director would call me. That never happened. I am not sure whether there is a culture of slipshod quotes and poor customer service in this company. Maybe it’s just a case of this one individual in Brisbane dropping the ball. Either way, if you are considering engaging this company, my advice is: Don’t.
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