I was importing supplied for my company and was recommended to Amass by my supplier in China to handle the shipping and customs clearance in to Long Beach, CA. Up on contacting Amass I requested a full quote for their services, I was given a partial quote for the handling of the paper work and shipping details, this quote seemed reasonable enough so I continued with the process of filling out the paper work and continued to request a full quote for the total services.
Once the paper work was filed there were forms to complete for customs clearance, again I received a partial quote for this service. I had to continue as the ship was docking the next day. Again I asked for a full quotation for the service but by now I was already too far in the process to be able to find someone else, and at this stage everything seemed to be going ok except for not being able to get a full detailed quote from anyone.
Once the shipment had cleared customs I was emailed an invoice, this invoice was over 3 times what I had paid previously. I had shipped identical shipments, same weight, same product, same product cost, same docking location. After freaking out I questioned the invoice, instead of a helpful explanation I was met with arrogance and threats. I was told that if I didn't pay then the goods wouldn't be released, which is obvious and fine in normal circumstances, but I was given a three day window before additional charges were applied for storing the shipment at the clearance location.
They would only accept a wire transfer, wouldn't enter in to any discussion over the invoice and set a very short window before additional fees were going to become due. I left it to the last minute to pay but it was very begrudgingly as I had orders to fulfill and needed the shipped product.
There were charges for just about everything you could imagine, pallet fee, fork-lift fee, couriers, bridge entrance fees... These fees ranged from $2.50 to $75.00 and were just there to nickle and dime me and were never quoted.
In the end I ended up paying $1,300.00 shipping cost for a $1,150.00 product shipment, I had twice previously paid $480.00 for the exact same service and with much more friendly customer service and helpful staff. Bottom line is think twice before you seek the services of Amass International Group for your shipping needs, and if you do, make sure you have plenty of time to get a quote for the total cost of service. Stay clear!
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