Warning! I've just been screwed by Jas Jenners & Austin International

[Forest]

Thinking of moving to Australia? Thinking of taking your bike with you? Be very careful.

I've just been screwed over by Jas Jenner and Austin International. Hopefully you'll learn from my mistake and avoid these clowns before they get a chance to screw you as well.

I live in the Melbourne CBD and decided that I'd bring one of my Ducatis over to Australia. Jas Jenners was recommended so I gave them a call. They are an agent for Austin International and here is the shipping quote they gave me (a total of $755 NZD door-to-depot plus Australian clearances):

Many thanks for your call and below subsequent email. We'd be glad to assist with the shipping of this, your first, Ducati 'back home' to Melbourne...! We can confirm our shipping price at NZ$605.00 inclusive from door-Haldanes to arrival Melbourne container CFS unpack depot. Australian arrival charges (THC, Delivery Order, Customs & AQIS clearances etc) would be additional along with any relevant local and import taxes. The insurance premium - via Vero Insurance Ltd - would be NZ$150.00 based on below advised value. This premium charge can be added to shipping cost and paid on arrival in Australia.

Sounds quite reasonable doesn't it? I certainly thought so.

So how much do you think they invoiced me for the freight and clearances?

$1,000?
$1,500?
$2,000?

If you chose any of these, you would be be wrong! The final invoice was for $2,018.25 AUD, which is $2,245.33 NZD at today's FX rates.

So there's no confusion, this figure does not include the Australian GST that was levied on import - it is purely the freight service and entry charges.

So how does $750 NZD plus customs clearances end up as $2,245.33 NZD?

According to my Australia customs broker, they've done it by padding both the freight/cartage rates and the freight service charges on their invoices.

What a fucking joke! These clowns will never get another cent of business from me - and I would strongly caution any other biker against using them for vehicle transport.


.

[Maha]

I know the feeling, get told a ''payable' figure from a company and then get landed with alot extra, end of the day, it has to be paid, but man does it suck arse!!!

[Scouse]

Tell it to Fair Go, oh your in aussie now, oh well their version is prolly called "fair go mate".

[Forest]

As I'm sure you can tell, I am severely pissed off.

I run a trading company that regularly ships equipment between Australia and New Zealand. Therefore I am well aware that I can ship an entire 20-foot container (33 cubic metres) from Auckland to Melbourne for the same bloody price that they have charged to ship a 230kg crate (1.95 cubic metres).

It really shits me that companies can treat their customers like this.

This is un-fucking-believable.

[SPman]

Let the Manager know that you are extremely unhappy and, being in the business (sort of), you will be putting the word out to warn potential customers off their firm!
You'll quickly know then, if they give a fuck!

[Forest]

Let the Manager know that you are extremely unhappy and, being in the business (sort of), you will be putting the word out to warn potential customers off their firm!
You'll quickly know then, if they give a fuck!

I entirely agree! I approached both companies with before I started this thread.

The General Manager for Jas Jenners replied:

Please review comments below from our associates Austins. Frankly, they make sense and I can say after many years working with them, Austins are DEFINITELY not known to charge extravagantly or unnecessarily

The sales manager at Austin International replied:

In looking at the charges we have billed out there is not much of a mark up at all.

...

And as Mike said of course another freight company would say it's a rip off when they didn't handle the shipment.

...

As I always say it's never cheap importing anything into another country.

Translation = Neither of these companies gives a shit.

[CookMySock]

hold on, if you have a quote, then the quote is the price? Isn't that the law?

[Forest]

hold on, if you have a quote, then the quote is the price? Isn't that the law?

Unfortunately no. Freight quotes are often variable in their nature (since customs clearances and port service charges differ depending on the destination). Hence the following escape clause in their quote:

We can confirm our shipping price at NZ$605.00 inclusive from door-Haldanes to arrival Melbourne container CFS unpack depot. Australian arrival charges (THC, Delivery Order, Customs & AQIS clearances etc) would be additional along with any relevant local and import taxes.

[007XX]

hold on, if you have a quote, then the quote is the price? Isn't that the law?

Nope...I'm pretty sure a quote is not binding as such. They will certainly have disclaimers up the wazoo to back their new price up too.

Is there an equivalent of the Consummer's Affairs in Oz? If so, I'd give them a call.

[CookMySock]

Unfortunately no. Freight quotes are often variable in their nature (since customs clearances and port service charges differ depending on the destination). Hence the following escape clause in their quote:

Thats fair enough, but I think it has to be in the ballpark.. just what I think.

I suppose they won't release the freight if you don't pay for it? What if you tell them to forget it and send it back?

DB

[Forest]

I suppose they won't release the freight if you don't pay for it? What if you tell them to forget it and send it back?

DB

The crate is sitting in my garage (it arrived yesterday morning).

Unfortunately I cannot avoid the charges. Before the freight landed in Australia I had to provide Austins with a letter of authority that explicitly authorised any applicable fees and charges.

[raftn]

Thats fair enough, but I think it has to be in the ballpark.. just what I think.

I suppose they won't release the freight if you don't pay for it? What if you tell them to forget it and send it back?

DB

I would say the poor bloke will never see the bike again...........probably get pushed overboard!

[Forest]

I would say the poor bloke will never see the bike again...........probably get pushed overboard!

Abandoned freight is generally seized and sent to an auction house for disposal.

After the freight and penalty fees have been deducted from the sale proceeds, they remit the balance to the shipper (or they send an invoice if the sale proceeds are too low to cover the fees and penalties).

[007XX]

Unfortunately I cannot avoid the charges. Before the freight landed in Australia I had to provide Austins with a letter of authority that explicitly authorised any applicable fees and charges.

Oh shit...then yeah you're stuffed! Really sorry for you.

But thanks for the heads up on these morons.

[Ocean1]

Very similar story to a friend of mine, shipped a KT250 to Perth about 6 months ago.

Quote was about $600, Landed cost was over $2k.

He's still smoking.