Removal From Uk To Pattaya

[DEVATSAR]

Hi all.

Anybody had this problem, allow to very briefly explain...

I paid £1100 to have a "part container" shipped out here to Pattaya from England (Kent) 5 months ago, 12 boxes and some furniture I knew it would shipped when the company has full container. I asked "roughly" how long in there "experience" would it take to have a full container. I was told "it wont be months sir" That WAS 5 months ago. I know that it will take about 6-8 weeks from date of shipping and dont have a problem with that. I DO have a problem when I am told that "it wont be months sir". I also know that there is no written guarantee of time of delivery but i think 5 months is really taking the ****

Whats the views/advice, is this common practice in the UK ?.

Cheers

[AyG]

Not sure if it's relevant to your situation, but you only have six months after arriving in the country to be able to import household goods duty free. After that you'll be hit pretty hard by import taxes - particularly upon electrical goods.

[Eff1n2ret]

Seems rather a long time to me. I made a very similar shipment which took just about 8 weeks door-to-door. From memory the UK company notified me of the vessel and the date it sailed (from UK it went to Singapore).

But what are the freight company telling you?

[norrona]

are you sure it hasn't already arrived and the nice men in customs haven't helped themselves or as someone put it on here holding onto it so the 6 months expire and they can get some coin out of you?

[thaimate]

Our stuff took 6 weeks to arrive the company were fantastic ,and their name was seven seas worldwide, cant praise them enough from the time we phoned to arrange it to the moment they delivered our goods

[Orac]

Basically, no way should it take that long.

Most freight forwarders operating out of the UK should be able to provide you with weekly departures to Bangkok/Laem Chabang accepting freight 2-3 days before the vessel departs. The transit time port to port will vary depending on route and/or vessel changes if via Singapore or another stop off point but you should be looking at between 28 and 40 days or so eg Hyundai offer weekly sailings and take 29 days.

Most forwarders should also be able to tell you vessel details and departure/arrival dates when you book and will then provide you with some form of Bill of Lading when the vessel departs which you may need to claim the goods on arrival.

I would recheck with your forwarder and find out what they are playing at.

[DEVATSAR]

I have made numerous phone calls etc etc e-mails etc and was told they are are waiting for a complete container load BEFORE they ship to Thailand, As said they are will not give any time when the container will be full, I was offered a further service costing a further £600 to get my property out quicker !!! . I was told by a "manager" that the his company never said "it wont be months sir" Basically said I was lying, Talking to the "manahfer" was like talking to a robot . I have the name of the "customer service agent who works for the company who denies ever saying that.

Remember they have had my stuff for 5 months now still in there storage falicitiy in Kent. !!

I know it will take 6-8 to et here, I know i will be informed when the ship sails etc

Is there ANY way I can make official complaint to a anyone etc, Do you think the press might be intersed, IE Watch dog, etc

Outrageous and totally unacceptable "service". They tell me I cant complain as it is NOT a valid complaint ??

HELP !!!

Paul

[Orac]

I have made numerous phone calls etc etc e-mails etc and was told they are are waiting for a complete container load BEFORE they ship to Thailand, As said they are will not give any time when the container will be full, I was offered a further service costing a further £600 to get my property out quicker !!! . I was told by a "manager" that the his company never said "it wont be months sir" Basically said I was lying, Talking to the "manahfer" was like talking to a robot . I have the name of the "customer service agent who works for the company who denies ever saying that.

Remember they have had my stuff for 5 months now still in there storage falicitiy in Kent. !!

I know it will take 6-8 to et here, I know i will be informed when the ship sails etc

Is there ANY way I can make official complaint to a anyone etc, Do you think the press might be intersed, IE Watch dog, etc

Outrageous and totally unacceptable "service". They tell me I cant complain as it is NOT a valid complaint ??

HELP !!!

Paul

Sadly not much you can effectively do - the best method is make as much of a fuss as possible.

If they are a member of BIFA - British International Freight Association - you could try reporting them as you could claim they intentionally misled you which is against their code of conduct for members but, to be honest, I doubt it would have much effect. You can check their website to see if they are a member - www.bifa.org.

Another option might be to try another forwarder but the problem there might be that the ppl who have your stuff now might charge you for any costs they have incurred so far.

If you know the size of the shipment it might be worth getting another quote of a reputable BIFA member - if so I suggest you contact one close to where your stuff is at the moment.

[moe666]

Sounds like you have been screwed, at this point unless you go back to England it appears you are out of luck. With some luck it may show up some day. Hope it works out for you.

[meatboy]

what was the amount in cubic mtrs.that you are waiting for? i shipped 30boxes,3cubic mtrs in total cost in uk £240,from a small port in wales to kent,then on to thailand 5weeks in total.first you should have been given the name of the ship and what date it leaves with an estimate time of arival,you should have an address and tel.no.of the agency handling the goods this end.you should also have a bill of laden,did you make a list of every item you sent,there will be some charges this end never mind what the co.you used told you,what you paid seems very high,did this include doorstep delivery.alltogether from bkk to home 260kilom.plus the brown envelopes £325.

[TommyDee]

I recommned you demand a copy of the bill of lading, from when the container was loaded on the ship, and then check at Lam Chabang to see if it has arrived.

I shipped a 20 ft container here, from the UK, for less than you paid for half, (this is not a boast btw just worried at your cost) it arrived within 4 weeks. I believe 4-6 weeks is the norm based on sailing dates etc.

the biggest worry is that once it arrives at LC Bang, there is a storage charge due per day until it is released.

do you have an agent here? if not you shoud have. they will arrange the delivery and neogtiate the customs clearance costs. do not be fooled by the " tax free " deal for household goods, it isnt normally applied but the agent wil negotaite it for you to an acceptable cost.

ALSO did you do a full inventory, as in each item, age and value ( auction value UK is a fair value). this is vital to the customs clearance. If you need an agent here PM me, i have the number somewhere and have now used her twice with no problesms. neogtiating with the customs directly isnt somthing I would advise.

good luck

Tommy

[thaimate]

Tommy dee

said do not be fooled by the tax free on electrical goods ,well i beg to disagree as i said ,we used seven seas ,(look them up on google) they delivered the packing materials ,a few weeks later picked up our containers ,we then left for Thailand ,about six weeks later they phoned us from BKK to say our stuff had arrived (we gave an address in BKK for it to be delivered in the price) when i told the guy we were in Pattaya he said no problem if we wanted it delivered there it was a small extra charge , there were no taxes to pay on our electical gear as my wife was a returning Thai .

The next day our stuff was deliverd to our home in Pattaya. no extra charges whatsoever,what is the name of the "crap" company you are using ,so others can be warned.

sorry about your problems ,it must be a nightmare.

[Familyonthemove]

Was your shipment sent as 'Groupage'?

If you had your own container (or half of a container) then it should normally only take a couple of months, and customs can take a few more weeks.

But Groupage means that your shipment will only be sent once they have another customer to take up the rest of the container. I was promised that a groupage shipment would take around 2-4 months, and I was given several dates when it was probably going to ship, but in fact it was almost 12 months later that I received the shipment. Household goods normally only ship in the summer school breaks, so if you miss one summer it can take almost 12 months to hit the next ex-pat moving cycle.

[DEVATSAR]

To clarifyagain, my possessions are not on the ship, they are still inStorage at the moving company in Kent, they will NOT put on the ship until they have a full container. They have had it (boxes/furniture) now forover three months Total is approx 210 cu Whenthe ships sail it will on average, i am told will take 6-8 weeks to arrive in Thailand

The companyWILL not put on the ship UNTIL they have a full container.

They cannotsay when that will be. I have written them SEVERAL e-Mails making a formal complaintplease read below and it will hopefully be a lot clearer (I hope so anyway)

I have been told by E-Mail from the MD that I cannot complain because it is NOT a "valid Complaint" !!

What’s theview on this letter below that I am going to send, what do reckon the reply will be, SHOULD BE INTERESTING!! Any ideas greatly appreciated. Iam in contact with the press and other trade organization regarding this farce.

PLEASE HAVE A READ

DearSir,

Manypeople have E-Mailed regarding your web site content after reading it and thepage concerning Part Container or Groupage, it is very apparent the wording/copy is misleading.

Ifyou believe that regular is a 5-6 months wait then your copy is wrong.If you believe regular is twice a year (going on my wait and experience ) thenyou DO NOT have regular shipments at all.

Ifyou believe that 5-6 months wait for personal effects or part of yourhouse is reasonable then your copy is wrong. Do you honestly believe that amount of timeis reasonable? I really would like know your idea of reasonable if yougenuinely think that!

Quoted on YOUR WEB SITE

“Apart container or groupage service is usually most appropriate if you electto take either just personal effects or part of your household. This willusually offer a considerable financial saving but offset against this will takelonger for your possessions to arrive. Most of the popular migrant routesaround the world do have regular services for shared/groupagecontainers so you can still be sure that your possessionswill arrive in a reasonable time”.

Please don’t tell me thatThailand is NOT a popular migrant route?, if required I will tell you how manyex pats live in Thailand AND have had their possessions sent by ship to theports out here, you will be amazed ! Manyof my readers have had their possessions delivered to the UK movers and withinthree months sitting here in Thailand (That was part container/groupage) I will, if required ,send you a few sampleE-Mails of replies received for your records/information.

Dictionary Definition

Regular :

Recurring at fixed times; periodic: regularbus departures;, regular meals.

DICTIONARYDEFINTION

REASONABLE:

1. Capable of reasoning; rational: a reasonable person.

2. Governed by or being in accordance withreason or sound thinking: areasonable solution to the problem.

3. Being within the bounds of common sense: arrive home at a reasonable hour.

4. Not excessive or extreme; fair: reasonable prices.

Ilook forward in your early response.

.

Regards

Paul

[Mario2008]

Not sure if it's relevant to your situation, but you only have six months after arriving in the country to be able to import household goods duty free. After that you'll be hit pretty hard by import taxes - particularly upon electrical goods.

It is 1 year from date of entry and one has to have a one year extension of stay, based on employment.

[Familyonthemove]

Ah, yes ...... it was sent Groupage. I fell for the same lies about Groupage. They need to find another customer (or customers) who will exactly fill the rest of the container before they ship. Could take a year.

[TommyDee]

Tommy dee

said do not be fooled by the tax free on electrical goods ,well i beg to disagree as i said ,we used seven seas ,(look them up on google) they delivered the packing materials ,a few weeks later picked up our containers ,we then left for Thailand ,about six weeks later they phoned us from BKK to say our stuff had arrived (we gave an address in BKK for it to be delivered in the price) when i told the guy we were in Pattaya he said no problem if we wanted it delivered there it was a small extra charge , there were no taxes to pay on our electical gear as my wife was a returning Thai .

The next day our stuff was deliverd to our home in Pattaya. no extra charges whatsoever,what is the name of the "crap" company you are using ,so others can be warned.

sorry about your problems ,it must be a nightmare.

actually I didnt refer to "white goods" at all. I shipped a complete household plus recording equipment,

the cost of the container from Cambridge to LC Bang complete was 900 pounds.

the agent fee was nominal here, we also paid (on this side) for inland transport to near pattaya and about 10K import tax. (which i was happy to pay as the value was considerable)

FWIW.. the fridge freezer alone costs more here to buy than the whole transport costs ( large twin door with plumbed in ice maker, water dispenser). apart from having "my home" here, I also get to sleep in a bed that doesnt resemble a concrete block which is nice too. I know you can buy everything here, but decent dishwashers here cost a bomb. and i get to park my derriere in a seat my old man made, and even brought a few unfinished projects which had long sat part completed in the UK, and now do the same here Rebuilding the house here has been a lot easier HAVING my tools as opposed to nipping to the local TOA 10 times per project, and then having the "new" tools break half way thru the job as they are often crap made.

I have many amigos who came here with just a suitcase and are happy rebuilding their lives without any history and i admire them in some ways. me i am a bit of a hoarder and like to have "stuff" around me that is all about me/family/friends/the past.

[topt]

Was your shipment sent as 'Groupage'?

If you had your own container (or half of a container) then it should normally only take a couple of months, and customs can take a few more weeks.

But Groupage means that your shipment will only be sent once they have another customer to take up the rest of the container. I was promised that a groupage shipment would take around 2-4 months, and I was given several dates when it was probably going to ship, but in fact it was almost 12 months later that I received the shipment. Household goods normally only ship in the summer school breaks, so if you miss one summer it can take almost 12 months to hit the next ex-pat moving cycle.

I think FotM has hit the nail on the head. I am no expert but if this one company is making up a container by themselves it could take forever - depending on how big and popular they are. A 20' container is about 30cubic meters but a 40HQ (High Cube) is over 70 cubic meteres. You may be better off if you can get the company to send it as loose cargo via a shipping agent who may be able to find another agent with cargo going there or even part way and combine the shipments. They will probably want to charge you extra but may be worth it - that may be the £600 you mentioned. The other option is to find an agent yourself and find someway of gretting the goods back - otherwise you are locked into their timeframe without any redress I fear.

[meatboy]

total is 210cu.what is that?

[Sophon]

Not sure if it's relevant to your situation, but you only have six months after arriving in the country to be able to import household goods duty free. After that you'll be hit pretty hard by import taxes - particularly upon electrical goods.

It is 1 year from date of entry and one has to have a one year extension of stay, based on employment.

Are you sure about the one year timeframe Mario, everywhere I have read says 6 months?

From the Thai Customs Departments website:

It is important that the used/secondhand household effects must be imported not earlier than one month before or not later than six months after the arrival of the importers. Under exceptional circumstances, Customs may extend the time limits for the importers.

Sophon

[DEVATSAR]

Was your shipment sent as 'Groupage'?

If you had your own container (or half of a container) then it should normally only take a couple of months, and customs can take a few more weeks.

But Groupage means that your shipment will only be sent once they have another customer to take up the rest of the container. I was promised that a groupage shipment would take around 2-4 months, and I was given several dates when it was probably going to ship, but in fact it was almost 12 months later that I received the shipment. Household goods normally only ship in the summer school breaks, so if you miss one summer it can take almost 12 months to hit the next ex-pat moving cycle.

I think FotM has hit the nail on the head. I am no expert but if this one company is making up a container by themselves it could take forever - depending on how big and popular they are. A 20' container is about 30cubic meters but a 40HQ (High Cube) is over 70 cubic meteres. You may be better off if you can get the company to send it as loose cargo via a shipping agent who may be able to find another agent with cargo going there or even part way and combine the shipments. They will probably want to charge you extra but may be worth it - that may be the £600 you mentioned. The other option is to find an agent yourself and find someway of gretting the goods back - otherwise you are locked into their timeframe without any redress I fear.

[DEVATSAR]

Sorry, typo error

should read 184 cft

Regards

paul

[topt]

Sorry, typo error

should read 184 cft

Regards

paul

That is only about 5.2 cubic meters - very small if includes furniture and £1000 seems high?

[DEVATSAR]

Sorry, typo error

should read 184 cft

Regards

paul

That is only about 5.2 cubic meters - very small if includes furniture and £1000 seems high?

The other 3 quotes i got were LOT higher !!!!

uk for you

[meatboy]

i would look again at what you are shipping over,is it worth it,did you do any homework on prices in thailand,apart from kitchen utensils,like stainless pots/pans,cutlery which are very exspensive for good quality,but furniture if you look arround is quite good,we furnished a 5bed house,incl.a gym,bar built in kitchen and every other bits and pcs.for about £18,000.we didnt ship any electric goods.

[Chivas]

To clarifyagain, my possessions are not on the ship, they are still inStorage at the moving company in Kent, they will NOT put on the ship until they have a full container. They have had it (boxes/furniture) now forover three months Total is approx 210 cu Whenthe ships sail it will on average, i am told will take 6-8 weeks to arrive in Thailand

The companyWILL not put on the ship UNTIL they have a full container.

They cannotsay when that will be. I have written them SEVERAL e-Mails making a formal complaintplease read below and it will hopefully be a lot clearer (I hope so anyway)

I have been told by E-Mail from the MD that I cannot complain because it is NOT a "valid Complaint" !!

What’s theview on this letter below that I am going to send, what do reckon the reply will be, SHOULD BE INTERESTING!! Any ideas greatly appreciated. Iam in contact with the press and other trade organization regarding this farce.

PLEASE HAVE A READ

DearSir,

Manypeople have E-Mailed regarding your web site content after reading it and thepage concerning Part Container or Groupage, it is very apparent the wording/copy is misleading.

Ifyou believe that regular is a 5-6 months wait then your copy is wrong.If you believe regular is twice a year (going on my wait and experience ) thenyou DO NOT have regular shipments at all.

Ifyou believe that 5-6 months wait for personal effects or part of yourhouse is reasonable then your copy is wrong. Do you honestly believe that amount of timeis reasonable? I really would like know your idea of reasonable if yougenuinely think that!

Quoted on YOUR WEB SITE

“Apart container or groupage service is usually most appropriate if you electto take either just personal effects or part of your household. This willusually offer a considerable financial saving but offset against this will takelonger for your possessions to arrive. Most of the popular migrant routesaround the world do have regular services for shared/groupagecontainers so you can still be sure that your possessionswill arrive in a reasonable time”.

Please don’t tell me thatThailand is NOT a popular migrant route?, if required I will tell you how manyex pats live in Thailand AND have had their possessions sent by ship to theports out here, you will be amazed ! Manyof my readers have had their possessions delivered to the UK movers and withinthree months sitting here in Thailand (That was part container/groupage) I will, if required ,send you a few sampleE-Mails of replies received for your records/information.

Dictionary Definition

Regular :

Recurring at fixed times; periodic: regularbus departures;, regular meals.

DICTIONARYDEFINTION

REASONABLE:

1. Capable of reasoning; rational: a reasonable person.

2. Governed by or being in accordance withreason or sound thinking: areasonable solution to the problem.

3. Being within the bounds of common sense: arrive home at a reasonable hour.

4. Not excessive or extreme; fair: reasonable prices.

Ilook forward in your early response.

.

Regards

Paul

Well that should wind them up nicely-however agree time scales totally unacceptable and constantly giving them grief should work,eventually !!

[DEVATSAR]

Good news at last,

Just got an e-mail from the company !!!!

My possessions are coming out here on Friday and the arrival date is approx 3rd OCTOBER 2011. HHHOOORRRAAAYYY, have ship name and can track etc

Just shows you the power of the press/trade associations and constant complaining!

What a way to run an International shipping company though

I would REALLY like to thank all members for there advice/support etc

cheers

Paul

[meatboy]

Good news at last,

Just got an e-mail from the company !!!!

My possessions are coming out here on Friday and the arrival date is approx 3rd OCTOBER 2011. HHHOOORRRAAAYYY, have ship name and can track etc

Just shows you the power of the press/trade associations and constant complaining!

What a way to run an International shipping company though

I would REALLY like to thank all members for there advice/support etc

cheers

Paul

good news dont celebrate too soon they might find that case of brandy,

good luck