Shipping added cost, despite verbal assurances

My wife and I went on a "Discover Thailand" tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), Sept. 9-Oct. 2, '03. Our tour was 16 days long, to which we added a pre-trip of three days in Cambodia, visiting Angkor Wat. The basic cost was $1,690 per person, including airfare via Minneapolis and Tokyo. The pre-trip option cost $690 each--expensive but worth it! Taxes added a further $62 to each fare.

I have no complaints about value for money. This was a good trip from that point of view and also from many other standpoints. OAT did a good job, even if we felt there was a lack of free time or occasions to seek meals on our own.

The last three days were spent in and around Chiang Mai. On arrival, we underwent the "required" visit to several factories and shops, one of which was a producer of all types of teak and rosewood furniture, the Chiangmai Sudaluck Co. ,Ltd. (phone [053] 338006-11, fax [66 53] 338911 or e-mail sudaluck@loxinfo.co.th).

On previous trips we had been able to ignore the offerings of such "factories," and we nearly made it through this time until we came upon some sets of four nested teak tables and decided to send a set to each of our two daughters.

The price tag on each set was marked as $700, and we were assured several times by the factory and had this confirmed by our guide, Anand Nakarat, that $1,400 for the two sets was the TOTAL price and included everything: the tables, the packing and the shipping and delivery to addresses in the U.S.

At some point in the transaction, the dollars were converted into baht of which a further exchange into dollars put $1,430 on our American Express card bill (price hike number one).

Price hike number two occurred when each of our daughters was billed, by WPC Consolidators, Inc. in California, a handling fee of $220. (Incidentally, this company's documents showed the value of the tables as $490 per set, with the remaining amount marked as carriage and freight all the way to the final destination.)

However, to obtain release of one set, which arrived eventually in Birmingham, Alabama, cost a further $50 for the "de-vanning fee"! The other set, sent to Philadelphia, had been handled by a firm which had gone out of business and the crate lay in storage, unannounced, for a month before our daughter traced and claimed it (just before U.S. Customs took it back). The fee here was $45 for storage (the firm asked for more but was refused as they had made no attempt to contact our daughter) plus $75 for a "fork-lift fee."

Thus the total cost for the two sets of four teak nesting tables was $2,040.

It seems to me that Chiangmai Sudaluck Company should have been aware that there would be another $640 in costs involved in our purchase and they should have informed us. We also feel that our guide should have been aware of the details of such transactions and should have advised and warned us.

Caveat emptor!

G. CHRISTOPHER HARTLEY

Ormond by the Sea, FL

ITN sent copies of the above letter to Chiangmai Sudaluck Company and to Overseas Adventure Travel and received the following replies.

Thank you for your letter with copies of letters from G. Christopher Hartley attached.

He placed with us two orders for his daughters. One shipped to Birmingham and another to Philadelphia. He acknowledged when placing the orders that he (or, in this case, his daughters as the consignee of each shipment) would have to be responsible for any charges that might occur at his end. Two copies of this document * are attached herewith for your references.

Due to some regulations in your country, there are some charges that Mr. Hartley mentioned about in his letter to you that he (and all who import things into your country) will have to be responsible for. These charges could not be collected in advance or included in our selling price as we do not have any idea how much they will be. Moreover, the charges in different countries are also different.

Mr. Hartley might have forgotten that he had acknowledged this when he was with us.

We have been in this business for over 15 years. Our factory and showroom have permanently been here since this time when the company was set up. This could well prove our reliability in the business. We sincerely hope you could fairly determine how we are.

Mrs. Y. ACHAPORN, Export Manager, Chiangmai Sudaluck Co., Ltd., 99/9 Chiangmai-Sankampaeng Road, Sankampaeng District, Chiangmai 50130, Thailand

* The text of the Export Documentation Declaration, two of which were signed by D.E. Hartley, reads, in part, as follows: "As a customer, I confirm my purchase ... and acknowledge the following: 1. I will have to be responsible for any charges that will occur at the port of discharge in my country. 2. There will be no additional transportation charge from the port of discharge to the warehouse at the port of destination as agreed when placing the order. 3. If I would like the goods to be delivered to my house, I will have to absorb the additional charge agreed between myself and the delivery agent at my end."

Thank you for writing to Overseas Adventure Travel regarding Mr. Hartley's concerns.

I understand that the overseas merchant in question, Chiangmai Sudaluck Co., has already responded to your inquiry, explaining their position and providing copies of paperwork signed by Mr. Hartley. However, please allow me to reiterate my understanding of the situation.

Occasionally, when overseas vendors quote shipping-related charges, they may be unaware of other import and Customs fees or warehouse charges. Similarly, because such charges are determined by U.S. companies and may vary by port or city, it is not possible for local charges to be prepaid.

Of course, Mr. Hartley's comments regarding the Chiangmai Sudaluck Co. and its shipper are Very important to us, so, as the traveler was advised in our correspondence of Jan. 21, 2004, we have forwarded copies of all his correspondence to our Director of Program Services in Bangkok.

We will continue to recommend and support local shops and workshops and introduce our travelers to the local artisans and industries that make our destinations special. However, as we continue to refine our programs overall, we will also continue to review how we present the vendors travelers (sic) visit during their tours.

Overseas Adventure Travel tries to steer its passengers toward reputable, responsible merchants who seem to have quality products at fair market value. We have already taken Mr. Hartley's complaint back to our regional office and trust that such problems will be mitigated in the future.

CHRISTEL A. SHEA, Quality Management, Overseas Adventure-Travel, One Broadway, Ste. 600, Cambridge, MA 02142

Editor's note: If the above situation sounded familiar, it's because another reader's similar experience--involving a Chiangmai Sudaluck Company purchase on a Grand Circle Travel tour--was printed in the November '02 issue, page 40.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Martin Publications, Inc.
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