WARNING To All Travellers - Motorcycle Held To Ransom By Shipping Company

Video Description

#motorcycle #travel #horrorstories This video is a censored version of a deleted video I uploaded to my original channel @ridiculousthings4x4 around 9 months ago. It was deleted because of stuff that happened in the background that is explained in the video, but basically... I had my motorcycle captured by a rogue shipping company and essentially held to ransom, and they intentionally timed out my visa, which pretty quickly put an end to my trip. (without a bike it can't really happen y'see). READ TO THE END TO FIND A FEW TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID SHIPPING SCAMS Anyway. Thanks to the most amazing YouTube community I've somehow managed to accumulate, semi-justice was eventually served, and I was able to continue my trip. To all those involved in these shipping shenanigans, I have to extend the biggest thankyou possible. This trip would have ended in Kenya without you all. KEEP IN MIND: while editing ALL of my previous bike videos, I knew the end resulted in this, meaning my effort levels were relatively low. From here on, I'd like to hope the effort and quality of the editing for these videos will increase exponentially. From Dubai to England has been utterly fantastic. So, to those planning on shipping a bike internationally using a CDP document, below are a few pointers for you that I've learned from my experiences: - Firstly, keep your carnet safe. It's the difference between you getting through customs, and not. And they have no trouble refusing you. Getting a replacement is troublesome and time consuming. It's also a very expensive document, so treat it well and always make sure it's filled out correctly on entry and exit. - Google reviews are your friend. Sort from worst to best, and only make note of reviews from accounts with several reviews. 1-2 reviews can be fake accounts, whether negative (from competitors) or positive (from themselves). Obviously there are exceptions for both, but overall google rating can be easily skewed, so at your own risk. - Bigger companies do not mean better service. There is very little comeback for victims during failed shipments, and the company size can be the result of many bad experiences. The documents you sign are worded in such a way to basically make nothing their fault. Opt for a smaller and more personalised experience, preferably via a specialist (motorcycles, campers etc). - CBM (cubic meters) and volumetric weight are very important for shipping. Basically you pay for whatever is the highest $ amount (weight or size). For a motorcycle shipped individually, typically CBM is the larger one, so packaging it SMALL is key. Most smaller bikes will fit on a pallette, but if you can find a company that reuses motorcycle shipping crates, it is probably the safest way. A typical motorcycle crate is slightly under 3CBM - Consider RORO (roll on roll off). Some companies will dissuade you from this and claim theft is a major concern, but this is because it's cheap and they want more money. Don't leave valuables if using this method unless insured and an inventory is taken. - Be cautious of shared container options offered by companies. This can be perfectly fine in most cases, especially if sharing with other people you know, as the cost is shared, however. If you have signed certain documents, it can make you liable for ensuring the customs clearance/costs for other peoples random rubbish alongside your vehicle are paid/dealt with by you, which leads nicely onto the next point... - Make sure your invoice from the shipping company itemises every aspect of the shipping process. There are MANY things that make up the invoice. Anything from shipment handling, decontamination, customs clearance, agent fees etc etc. Some shipping companies (cough) will try to sting you with an invoice covering their fees only, and then your vehicle will arrive at the other end and you'll have massive fees to pay, and no comeback since you signed the document. - Consider hiding a tracker/tag on your vehicle to keep track of it during shipping. Samsung/Apple tags are quite good these days (better than that tile garbage) since everyone has either an android or apple these days. Mine has been updated several times a day while tracking. - You don't have to leave your key with the motorcycle, no matter what you are told (they likely just want to ride it in order to load it rather than push it). One less thing to get lost. - When collecting your vehicle, if you are in a CDP requiring country, MAKE SURE YOUR VEHICLE IS STAMPED INTO THE COUNTRY CORRECTLY (cough). Because this can cause big problems when it comes to crossing the border into the next country. Ask me how I know... This video is part of my second channel. Find the main YouTube channel here: @ridiculousthings4x4