Overcharges

Every shipper wants to get the best international freight shipping quote. Sometimes, a shipper might speak directly the ocean freight carrier, receive a price and proceed to move their freight. The shipper also receives their invoice and pays the bill for shipping. However, sometimes when you are shipping directly with a carrier, the price you paid for shipping might be higher than the original price that you were quoted. This is referred to as an overcharge. Although it rarely happens in international shipping, sometimes this happens when you book your freight directly with the carrier.

There are usually two main reasons to explain overcharges. The first possibility is that at the shipper misrepresented the dimensions of the shipping container or the cargo. After all, a change in dimensions would change the price. However, if the dimensions did not change, then the reason for the overcharge might be a mistake made by the carrier. When determining a shipping quote upfront, the carrier may have forgotten several factors such as warehousing. And if you do have an overcharge, the carriers have a policy where you must hand in copies of the tariff, invoice and other documents. Each carrier requires that you report about an overcharge only within a certain window of time after the shipment.

The best way to avoid the hassle and the financial loss from an overcharge is to work with a trusted freight forwarder for your shipments. A freight forwarder salesperson will give you an accurate price with their technology and they will not change your price once you get your quote, unless your shipment details change.