Plant Order Got Stuck In Customs!

Bmeasure said:
I hear ya! So far good news.....I emailed him a copy of the customs form, at his request, and shortly thereafter he said they would refund my money! I couldn't get him to respond to emails since last Thursday, but now all of a sudden he's really eager to help me out. He's sweating this because I put their balls in the vice today by leaving feedback about the transaction with several forums as well as Aquabid and Paypal. Also since I had won several auctions by him in Aquabid, I was able to leave feedback on each one. Needless to say, his rating is less than desirable! He mentioned that because I've left all this feedback it's crippling their business! Thank God for the power of one man's voice! This is the most submissive email he's sent since we started doing business 3 weeks ago.

Lesson for the day, when someone's done wrong, take the time to report it if you cannot resolve it with the seller. Keep all emails and contact info until completely satisfied with each order. Remember that the customs problem was only the icing on the cake with this transaction. It was a huge problem from the start! I'm not being a jerk and nailing this guy for a "simple customs mistake"....but instead he was uninterested in me as a customer until I started turning the vice!
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We made a mistake with this order and we will send you the refund as promised. We were not able to respond to your emails as fast as we used to because we were dealing with a few, large international orders.

We have not had customs problem until recently. We have already resolved things with our trans-shipper in America, and things are now back to normal.

All our orders to the USA are shipped with phytosanitary certifications. The reason you do not see them is because they are with our trans-shipper.
 
phanmc said:
Anytime you order plants from out of the country, they usually will not have the proper paperwork to get it past customs. The certification process is expensive so many dealers don't bother with it. As to why customs chose your shipment while others got through, customs doesn't inspect every single box that gets shipped so it pretty much comes down to luck.

I've ordered successfully from Singapore several times (not from the same dealer that you went through). To minimize the risk, I order in small amounts in case customs gets their hands on it. The cost of multiple shipping is a pain but for me it's justified.
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We do ship with all the necessary papers and documents. Expensive or not, we know we have to do it.
This particular order was an internal fault and we have resolved this issue.
 
Well at least you fessed up and will be refunding the money. That is the right thing to do, and you will have much more business in the future if you don't argue with people about it and then ignore them as you did with me for a while. I have stopped leaving any more remarks and feedback anywhere at this time, and I'm awaiting your refund via Paypal. Remember there is a time limit on this claim and I cannot be "too patient" in getting this resolved.

As for other buyers of oversees plants and fish, in the future I would cover yourself with one simple action.....ask for an email stating that they are sending all appropriate permits and documentation with the shipment. Then if it does come down to customs issues, at least you won't get slapped with a huge fine! You can simply say that you did everything possible and were insured legality of shipment, and then send them a copy of the email. It will also be a useful form to have when dealing with the payment agency such as Paypal or a Credit Card Co.
 
Also, how do you pay for these permits without charging the customer? Your plant prices were dirt cheap on Aquabid.com, so I just can't see all the appropriate forms and proceedure being paid for with these minimal prices.

My order was for 92 plants (shipped in 6 smaller boxes) which costed a total of $68.91 and $35 of that was for Express Air shipping! How does that work out to a profit with all the "red-tape" fees?
 
I wonder if they need to get permits for each shipment..
I was under the impression that importers/exporters has licenses and "open' permits.
and needed to get declarations for the shipments.
but I am still learning this..I am working with a local breeder who is getting the license to import exotic fish..mainly Discus.
so the book is stil out on this
 
Bmeasure said:
Also, how do you pay for these permits without charging the customer? Your plant prices were dirt cheap on Aquabid.com, so I just can't see all the appropriate forms and proceedure being paid for with these minimal prices.

My order was for 92 plants (shipped in 6 smaller boxes) which costed a total of $68.91 and $35 of that was for Express Air shipping! How does that work out to a profit with all the "red-tape" fees?
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We deal with thousands of plants each week, so we know the procedures.

We will get our team to review the information on the auctions and they will be re-written and reposted, with all the necessary information this time.

Again, this was an internal error and we will resolve all issues with our affected customers asap. We will process your refund this week, but do give us some time as we will process all claims together.
 
OK, but I send Vino to bust your kneecaps on Monday, 6/26/06, so don't wait too late and expect to negotiate with him. He's hard of hearing and benches 450 in his sleep! :)
 
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