The Waiting Game
Trip Start
Apr 08, 2006
1
4
41
Trip End
Oct 07, 2006
Gold Coast,
Switzerland
Saturday, May 13, 2006
What's new? As you know, you spend your life waiting for one thing or another.When you are 10 years old, you can't wait until you get to 16. When you reach 16, you can't wait to get to 20.Then you get a job, you can't wait to get your first pay packet because you have been waiting to buy that camera that you always wanted.Then you get bills to pay and you are waiting for the cash to pay them and so on.
Now we are waiting for our motorbikes to arrive in Hamburg some 7 weeks behind ETA.We get all churned up and when we go to bed we are waiting to go to sleep.
I must admit that I know nothing about shipping goods overseas. The Shipping Agent I chose appeared to have a good reputation and the Shipping Line an impressive record with multiple awards for efficiency and a service second to none.In fact, it is one of the largest Shipping Co. on the planet. I call it a big fish because it swallowed up a lot of smaller fish and got bigger and bigger to the delight of the shareholders.
For the past 13 weeks our motorbikes have been riding up and down the crest of the waves and wobbling from side to side with occasional drop off to some unscheduled ports for a bit of a rest.
Does anyone know whether motorbikes can get seasick? I will let you know in the affirmative or negative depending wether the paint work is faded.....that is, if and when we when we get the bikes!
So, what should we do to ensure that such a stuff up does not happen again?
Read the SMALL PRINT man! Well,I tried to read an entire A4 page at the back of the bill of lading but the printing is so small that I could not read it even with a magnifying glass and my reading glasses on.
I went onto the Internet, found the Shipping Company web site and...hooray! Got the Terms and Conditions bit. Better still, I could read it. The only snag is that this document is a kilometer long and refers from time to time to the Hague's Convention Ruling.
For simplicity, I chose to ignore the Hague's Rules, discard the legal jargon and came up with the following simplified version:
"Our Shipping Co. is second to none and is happy to take your money for service rendered or not rendered.
If you consignment is to go North and end up going South, then East and West and Noth again,it is because we use subcontractors.
We use subcontractors because our computer software is unable to calculate how many containers a particular vessel can take on board.
ETD means Estimate Time of Departure.
It also means Estimate Time of Detour.
The ETD date is approximate only, the month is correct, the year is correct; the Vessel's name is not.
ETA means Estimate Time of Arrival.
It also means Estimate Time of Anguish.
The ETA date is approximate only, the month is approximate only, the year is correct; the Vessel's name is not.
Delays, losses or damages are not our responsibility.
To cover the above, you have to take out a maritime insurance policy.
The maritime policy does not cover for additional expenses due to delays in delivery.
For this, you have to take another insurance policy.
Should you agree with our Terms and Conditions, please sign on the bottom line"
Now, we all know that it is important to read the small print but that does not detract from the fact that a delay, such as the one we are experiencing now, is totally unacceptable.
I have written to the Shipping Co. and demanded compensations.To his credit, our Agent has also written a formal letter of complaint.
Stand by for more news,
Chin up, c'est la vie!
Eric
