About ECHO TRANS WORLD – NEW YORK

 

Echo Trans World Inc

1430 Broadway, Suite# 1301

New York, NY 10018

Tel. 212 221 9394 FMC # 019522N

 

 

I have delivered my home content from New Jersey to Beijing Starting December 2006.

 

In contrast to some of posts on the Internet, I did not see that Echo Trans World *intentionally*

tries to scam people.  However, be aware that Echo Trans World is a broker – they will send one

company to pick your things, another company to actually handle the shipment.

 

The company that handles the delivery at the destination is not an agent of ETW (although they

claim that)  but an agent of an agent – and this makes a big difference.

 

I have experienced the following

 

Lack of professionalism:

1.    Not sending a person to evaluate the volume of shipment, thus significantly
over evaluated it. My shipment was first estimated by over 200 cubic feet – I got rid of
few things  to get below 200.  When I got the ship record I found out I shipped
less than 80(!)  cubic feet – and of course paid for the full 200.

2.    Not providing a bill of landing as they were supposed to, not tracking the whereabouts
of the shipment.  My shipment was delayed twice, in Singapore, and in China –
partly due to lack of documentation.

3.    Not tracking the shipment, sometimes not even knowing where the shipment actually is.

4.    Very bad customer service most of the time. Some (but not all) of the people clearly have
no idea what  to do if something goes wrong and are providing most ridiculous claims such as
Òif the shipment goes through Singapore, then Singapore is considered the Destination and you
need to pay their expensesÓ  (the contract was *door to door* origin NJ, destination Beijing).

 

 

                                           Dubious partners: Oxford vanlines in singapure and Rex movers in China – these guys will not
                                           hesitate hijacking your things until you pay them extra (much more than the legitimate taxes),
                                           and sometimes  these partners will even fake charges (such as fake custom charges).

                                           Not Taking Responsibility: This is possibly the worst part.  Sometimes things do go wrong –
                                           I would expect the company to first make sure that I get my things on time according to the contract
                                           without exception, and then, if needed settle all the differences they may have with their partners
                                           among themselves! – and not trying to avoid responsibility.

To make a long story short - My shipment arrived after 5 months(!) instead of the promised 6-7 weeks,
and I avoided excessive extra charges only after contacting authorities in the US.

 
                **** Even if some things were not their fault, it is still their responsibility! ****

 

Bottom line – AVOID ECHO TRANS WORLD !!!

You do NOT need a company that ÒtriesÓ their best – you need a company that does the job
and does it right – every time, not just occasionally.

 

                                     If you do consider shipping with them do yourself a big favor and check first with the Federal Maritime Commission

                                    (http://www.fmc.gov/) the current stand of  Echo Trans World. Did they manage to put their act together or are they still
                                    unprofessional. Also check with the better business bureau (BBB) of NY (http://www.newyork.bbb.org).

 

                            

 

 

                                                            Moshe Ben-Ezra

Microsoft Research Asia

Email: Mosheb(at)Microsoft.com

 

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