FTW finds itself the intermediary in dispute over charges

FTW often finds itself acting as the conduit for complaints between service providers and their customers, as was the case last week when a reader submitted a loud complaint about lines overcharging for the movement of uncleared groupage boxes to nominated depots – but his arguments fell on stony ground. Ricky Omar of Oriental Shipping expressed his anger, claiming the shipping line MSC was charging double the amount for the haulage that he was used to paying his own transporter. And, he added, the line had also said that they had an agreement with customs that they must control the movement of the boxes to the depot, and were therefore forcing him to accept carrier haulage rather than merchant haulage. Omar also stated that this didn’t apply to the larger groupage concerns, which were still allowed a choice. The figures Omar gave to FTW for box movement costs using his own haulier for transport to SACD were about R700 for a 6-metre (20-foot) box, and R1 400 for a 12 m; but MSC was charging R1 330 for a 6 m and R2 600 for a 12 m – almost double, he said. But Glenn Delve, marketing director of MSC, rejected these claims. First, he vetoed the “agreement with customs” statement. “It’s a customs regulation,” he told FTW, “that an uncleared groupage container has to be acquitted by various parties, and we are responsible for the movement to the nominated depot. If we handed it over to an unknown transporter, and it went missing, we’d still be liable. “As a result, we requested that we do it carrier haulage rather than merchant and this would apply to both the big and small groupage concerns. “Apart from that, if it was an uncleared groupage box we would take it to our depot, not SACD. If it was cleared, the nominated depot would apply.” Delve also rejected the pricing comparison. “Our charges are R795 for a 6 m and R1 152 for a 12 m, so I don’t know where he got his MSC quotes from.” But Omar had apparently talked to MSC MD Rosario Sarno about the issue while Delve was away on business. “Apparently, what was decided was that, if it’s a cleared groupage box, we’ve agreed to Omar using his own merchant haulage – subject to certain indemnities and guarantees,” Delve said. “He hasn’t yet signed the indemnity, but our offer still stands.” INSERT ‘It’s a customs regulation that an uncleared groupage container has to be acquitted by various parties.’