Shipping companies

[RobYob]

Yes, moving house internationally was a terrible idea in the middle of a global economic clusterfuck.

But bugger me do some places turn to teflon once they've got you money and most of your worldly possessions.

Had our house packed in the UK end of November. Packers were good although first hint that shit was going sideways was the container to pack those boxes in didn't turn up and they all went to a temporary warehouse.

Receive email that container is booked onto such and such a ship and predicted container arrival in Melbourne will be 23/1/22. Oh Well, we think, temporary begged, borrowed, cheap stand-in stuff along with what's in our suitcases won't be too bad for two and a bit months, we'll cope.

Email shippers mid Jan "Is everything on schedule?"
"Oh, no actually, your container wasn't loaded on that ship. It will be on this other one, predicted arrival 10/2/22"
"Why didn't you tell us that as soon as you knew?"
"Please refer to our t's and c's that absolve us from the need to do anything useful at all"

Email shippers Monday "Is everything on schedule?"
"Oh, no actually, your container wasn't loaded on that other ship. It will be on anotherother one, predicted arrival 15/3/22"
"Whatthefuck?"
"Please refer to our t's and c's that absolve us from the need to do anything useful at all"
"That's double your predicted shipping time"
"Please refer to our t's and c's that absolve us from the need to do anything useful at all"
"Why is our container getting bumped? Did you actually book a place on a ship when we paid you in full in November?"
"Please refer to our t's and c's that absolve us from the need to do anything useful at all"
"Who compensates us for the extra expense and inconvenience?
"Lol"



So once we actually get our stuff and are no longer hostage to their fuckery I'm going to enjoy writing the most spectacularly detailed review on every single website I can possibly plaster their name onto.


*Oh and utilities are a total nightmare to get disconnected once you're OS too. Half of them claim to not have customer email. No email. In 2022. Huge utility company does not have email, TUC!

[DeskJockey]

That sounds like a right PitA. Fingers crossed you'll get sorted soon.

[RobYob]

Thanks, we're using the same company to move our two cats as well.

So far though the pet moving department people have been vastly nicer to deal with than the goods dept. Which is the way you would want it if you have to choose.

Although a few weeks ago they told us that our cat transport plane was overbooked and it'll cost us another £1k to keep them on the original schedule.
But if we delayed a week and there's no extra charge. We love our pets, but there are limits and the photos we've been sent show they're being looked after. So instead of flying this week it'll be next and it will be a vast relief once they're here and through quarantine.

[DeskJockey]

Small mercies, I guess. But what a palaver.

[KiwiDave]

I feel your pain.

I'm shipping my father's drum kit, an incredibly significant family heirloom. Bought in the 90's during the period of engineering excess it's now both borderline irreplaceable and massive, and heavy.

Was collected on schedule Nov 15th. Then sat waiting for groupage til Xmas. Booked on a boat for 31 Jan which it missed because half the port workers are dead or ill or they've had enough. Now ETD is Feb 22, with ETA April 1st. Similar distance too obviously as it's got to make it to Auckland.

Thankfully I don't have the inconvenience of needing to sleep in it or use it to live but still. Company this end have been absolutely fantastic to deal with if I'm honest but I also know there's almost no point testing them - had a shambles doing anything when I emigrated when we lost half our stuff.

I dunno what you paid but the service is not cheap either currently.

[ZedLeg]

International shipping in general is in chaos at the moment.

International container shipping costs have quadrupled for us over the last two years and we've not had a shipment arrive on time in over a year. Causes enough headaches to work around it, must be a nightmare if it's your life that's in the container.

[RobYob]

It is the chaos that really grates, if any of them would just be honest and say it's going to take four months rather than two I could plan. But drip feeding delays is just the worst.

Best of luck with heirloom kit KWD.

It was £8k for a 20ft container.

[KiwiDave]

It was £8k for a 20ft container.

Sounds about right - mine was circa 1700 GBP insured to be part of someone else's container. No update currently on whether it left the UK as scheduled (to sail straight into WW3) despite asking, which I suspect is because of our Omicron wave currently and people not being at work.

[RobYob]

Like ours it may well be stuck in Singapore although info from the Hapag-Lloyd site is that ours should finally depart there on Sunday.

Back tracking through the container history it looks like it took a month to be loaded in Felixstowe and then another month transfer in Singapore.

The positive news is our cats arrived safe and well on Monday (they landed week before last but had 10days animal quarantine in Aus) so the family is back together.

[Foz]

Global shipping’s fucked, and only getting worse..

[KiwiDave]

I have updates!

The container sailed and left the UK on Feb 20. Due to staff sicknesses (here and the UK) it took until the start of this week to get that confirmed. Today the lovely customer service person I've been dealing with the end gave me the ship details and I'm now happily tracking it currently off the coast of Sudan having got through the Med and the Suez Canal and slowly sailing down through the Red Sea. I was actually quite worried about that seeing as all the Russian ships descended on the Med and Black sea a few weeks ago for some reason...

It's going to Singapore at this stage, and then the next 'leg' should be added to the route. ETA of April 9th currently. Big relief!

I also had it confirmed from them that had I booked it now (just shy of four months later) costs would be roughly double.

[mik]

Both and

[RobYob]

Well our saga draws to a close. Truck pulled up around 8:30 in the morning and we were left with a mountain of boxes by 11:30.

About 50% unpacked by the evening when we decided to pack it in.

Everything appears to have come through ok apart from one cheap pedestal fan and a couple of IKEA bookcases.

Hopefully your kit is imminent KWD.

[KiwiDave]

That's great news man - glad it's all largely arrived safe and sound too!

My stuff is just South of Cairns about 10km off the coast currently en route to Botany. Was swapped from one ship to another in Singapore. I believe once it's stopped in Botany, next stop is Tauranga NZ, current ETA is 16th April, plus up to two weeks from hitting the port to arriving here. Fingers crossed by the end of the month!

I got to say though, 50% unpacked in one day is bloody good going, well done!

[KiwiDave]

Global shipping’s fucked, and only getting worse..

Just on this, I saw a US company that does nice blingy parts for Porsches I follow on IG have ceased delivery to Australia, NZ and most of Asia currently due to shipping costs. One car seat - just under $1700USD shipping.

[RobYob]

That's great news man - glad it's all largely arrived safe and sound too!

My stuff is just South of Cairns about 10km off the coast currently en route to Botany. Was swapped from one ship to another in Singapore. I believe once it's stopped in Botany, next stop is Tauranga NZ, current ETA is 16th April, plus up to two weeks from hitting the port to arriving here. Fingers crossed by the end of the month!

I got to say though, 50% unpacked in one day is bloody good going, well done!

Thanks, quite a relief, good to sleep on a proper bed again!

Yeah the swap in Singapore seems to be the way they get down this way. The ship ours was on seems to loop from S'pore anticlockwise around Aus continuously as a route.

50% by volume probably with both the Mrs and I at it . All the fiddly stuff is ongoing like books and tools etc. But the PC emerged and with a little cajolling booted up along with the impressive little BT mesh system we brought over that just up and went as if it hadn't ever moved at all

I think my rage has subsided on John Mason and Allied Pickfords considering the absolute shitstorm logistics must be atm.

Indeed hopefully a welcome resolution for you at end of the month.

[KiwiDave]

Just popping in to say - it all arrived late last week! Beyond relieved!

[dinny_g]

Sweet - Great News.

I wouldn't have been able to sleep until it arrived. Is it going to get played now ??

[KiwiDave]

Sweet - Great News.

I wouldn't have been able to sleep until it arrived. Is it going to get played now ??

Yep I played it Sunday briefly (Mother's Day and all that symbolism stuff) and will now start the no doubt lengthy process of cleaning it all up. Whether the journey added to it or not, or whether it was the few years it spent in a garage before being packed to come here, it's right on that line where all the chrome will fuck out if I don't clean it up. Minor restoration job but obviously, hugely rewarding as it goes.

[dinny_g]

That’s cool - great that it all arrived safe and sound.