Silver rat look 240z

johnymd

Club Member
I thought I'd start a thread about my recent purchase although this could be a very short thread :(

I've been tracking the container and there was a little hiccup last Saturday when the ship docked at Thames gateway rather than Felixstowe. The local agent told me there would be a short delay as the containers all had to go to Felixstowe so I've been waiting all week for the a call to say I can pick it up. All the fee's have been paid so I'm ready to go. Got a call this morning to say there is a problem. When the opened up the container they found my car was not in it !!!. As far as the paperwork and the LA shippers are concerned, the car was loaded. When they dig a bit deeper they find someone didn't actually put it in the container and they are now have a look around the car parks in the port of LA to see if it's still there.

HaHo, I guess these things happen and it's all part of the risk you take when buying overseas. I've been pretty lucky so far and I now know how Romas feels with his last 3 zeds from the state going pear shaped.

Looks like the 3uz conversion will have to wait a little longer.
 

johnymd

Club Member
If they do find it then the problem will be exporting the same car/chassis number twice. Then it will need to clear customs at this end twice as the forms have already been submitted at this end as well. Not sure how this is going to turn out. I had been making jokes about it being missing during its journey. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

It had to happen to the last 240 I intended importing.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
John, what insurance do you have with these shipments?

I think you are very philosophical about it, what if it had been your track car?
 

johnymd

Club Member
Only gamble with money you are prepared to lose.

No insurance. Not sure what comeback there is if any. I guess I would get the shipping costs back as they didn't ship anything, although I would lose on the exchange rate transactions so wont get the full amount back. Also the UK port fee's I've paid should be refunded and that will be in sterling. Even if I did get some compensation for the car itself I would again lose on the exchange rate transactions so wouldn't get what I paid for it. The road transport to the port would certainly not be covered. If I had taken out the shipping insurance then I would be very lucky to get back even near half what I've paid out.

With regard to the value of my track car, there is no way I would risk importing a car of anywhere near that value. This is one of the reasons I import tatty cars.

As they say: It's only money and no one was hurt.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
With regard to the value of my track car, there is no way I would risk importing a car of anywhere near that value. This is one of the reasons I import tatty cars.

As they say: It's only money and no one was hurt.

You transport imported valuable cars differently - that's all !
 

IbanezDan51

Well-Known Forum User
This to me must have been stolen, its not going to show up in a car park. Who would have loaded it and ticked it off as on the ship?

They must have some responsibility surely?

I definitely would not have the same outlook as you have currently but as said getting angry will certainly not help the situation so well done in keeping calm.

Dan
 

Fairlineguy

Club Member
Sorry to hear you news.
From my little experience of shipping I suspect the responsibility would be with the freight forward company who loaded the container.
Probably unlikely to get a refund on the shipping cost as you pay to ship the container .
Which they did albeit empty.
Fingers crossed they locate the car and make good.
Mind you some one might be in for a suprise if it was accidentally loaded into the wrong container.
 

uk66fastback

Club Member
That is a shock to hear that ... this is why when I did mine I gave it ALL to one company (a guy I've known a few years and trust) and his company organised the whole thing from collection to the port this end.

I'm not buying them every few weeks though! As the way I did it is a piece-of-mind job although more expensive.

It's a weird set up out there. Someone told me that when you want a car picking up from somewhere remote and taking to a port, you don't contract ONE company it goes onto some massive list and whoever it closest on the day, wants to do it, fancies the work etc, does it ... so at any point you don't really know if the car has been picked up, where it is, who has it etc ... all sounds a bit strange and it'd be strange if it was happening in the UK 50 miles away, let alone the other side of the Atlantic.

I kept asking him where the car was, it was going from Amarillo to Houston, and he couldn't tell me. Then he emails to say it's at the port, could be a week or three before it's loaded etc. Then suddenly, it was in Felixstowe ...

I would always insure it. I can't afford to lose the money though! But it's all a gamble. I couldn't even begin to guess where the car was ... I hope you can resolve this without much (if any, but that sounds inevitable) financial loss.

Is this the one with the red wheels?
 

Fairlineguy

Club Member
Just a thought did they forward you a copy of the ships manifest ?
Remember I had a copy sent me .At the time It gave me some reassurance that it was on the boat.
 

johnymd

Club Member
Wyn - It had already began the decomposing stage so it may well be the brown oxide substance on the container floor and they just didn't recognise it.

I was sent pictures of the car just before it was loaded into the container, Bill of Laiden, and confirmation from CFR Rickens of the boat and container number and sailing details. It all confirms the allocated container was put on the boat but would not show that the car wasn't in the container.

I have just been contacted by the agent and the car is still sitting in the holding car park in the port of LA. The story goes: The loaders tried to put it in the container but it wouldn't fit so left it in the car park, sealed up the container and didn't bother telling anyone in the office!!!! Nice. So they have the car but no Bill of sale or tittle document so cant start the export process again until they have them. The UK agent who has them has arranged for them to be collected and taken back to the port in LA. Only then can they start the export process all over again.

It's looking like things may be OK in the end but I will still ring the shippers tonight for a proper explanation.
 

tel240z

Club Member
QUOTE

have just been contacted by the agent and the car is still sitting in the holding car park in the port of LA. The story goes: The loaders tried to put it in the container but it wouldn't fit so left it in the car park,

Hmm either a small container or a big Z or sent with some other stuff :confused:
 

johnymd

Club Member
Terry - They fit either 4 small cars or 3 bigger one in the container. You all share the cost of the container irrespective of the size of your car. I'm guessing they were trying to fit 4 in and mine didn't quite fit.

Dan - I'm hoping to not be charged for the second container.
 
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