ma larkin

Hello
Had PSS round for an estimate a few days ago and the rep said that some people get charged a fee for MAF inspection but others don't, approx $600-$800. He also said that fees for cleaning of unsatisfactory gear started at maybe $10 per item. It all sounded a bit vague.

The following day we had Pickfords round for a quote. They said there was no fee for MAF inspection but fees for cleaning were much higher, e.g. $170 for 1 bike.

We are now totally confused. Any advice?

Regards
Ma Larkin

P.S. The PSS quote came in at £5700 plus insurance. We have got 5 children so have got a few extra beds and toys/books etc. But we are only bringing the basics (plus piano.) We are in shock!! Awaiting Pickfords' quote.

RobClubley

Try John Mason - they were very reasonable for us and gave excellent service.

As for MAF fees - tell them you want to pay MAF directly as some companies have been known to charge inflated fees in advance.

MAF individually invoice you depending on the job so they don't know what the fees are in advance!!

We were invoiced $110 by MAF to inspect 11 or so boxes from our 40ft container. The NZ company here wanted us to pay $370 in advance for this!

simonmarkellis

My understanding is that you only get charged a MAF fee if when your container turns up, MAF see something on the list that they want to have a look at, then they charge you for their time in unloading your container to have a look at whatever you've got and for any cleaning they do. If they don't want to look at anything, then they don't charge you.

teambwr47

MAF fees are something thats a regular quoted 'issue' when dealing with NZ Van Lines (NZVL) who i think will be the PSS agents here in NZ.

I have to say that in our dealings with them and our move co-ordinator Tino Tusani they were no problem at all in respect of MAF. Our container was inspected at NZVL's depot near the airport and i was there when the MAF inpsected about 45 boxes from our shipment. When i later recieved the bill the NZVL estimate of the fees had been reduced on their bill substantially as a number of shipments were done at the same time.

It may have helped that i made a point of being there for the inspection and constantly kept in touch with what was happening and when. As i spoke to the MAF inspector face to face about the fees i guess NZVL could hardly have over charged.

Despite the fact that we now have a £17K insured value claim going in as a result of the shipment have lots of damage the NZVL staff themselves were very pleasant in our dealings with them......

Kiwiprincess

Waaaay too much reading for me, and for the life of me i can't work out if it refers to commercial importers only...but this might be helpful:

Fact Sheet from Biosecurity NZ's site
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files...-factsheet.pdf

FAQ's

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/faq/term/937

ma larkin

Thanks one and all.
We will have to do a bit more homework.


Thanks RobClubley, we will try a few of the smaller companies for price.
Does £5700 sound a lot or are we being unrealistic?

Regards
Ma Larkin

littleal

It sounds about right for a 40ft container. Are you bringing all your furniture or just personal belongings? We're hoping to get ours in a 20 ft - only 2 kids but most of our furniture. (Actually it might be a bit quieter if the kids did go by sea )

Alison

Brunettepen

I requested that I pay possible maf fees upon inspection and have just been informed that they want to inspect three boxes and look at my shoes.

I blame UK bird flu! lol the thought of me tottering around farms in my high heals (yes that is the majority of my shoes) is hilarious.. Kensington park maybe when I came back from shopping in high st ken.. oh the good old days..

So have to pay $86nzd plus gst for this honour..

still mine was a very small shipment but if sounds like you might want to wait to pay these fees when you know what they are and not as part of a shipping package.. which by the sounds of it is inflated in price….

what about maybe putting all likely inspected items in the same boxes.. ie all childrens shoes in a big shoe box.. these items can be identified by lookign closely at the customs documents.. also I would definately scrub all bikes and outside equipment very thoroughly before packing..

stressful before you leave I know but could save you hundreds.. visible dirt in this instants is the enemy.

x
Penny

ma larkin

Thanks littleeal and brunettepen,

Unfortunately a lot of out footwear is outdoor activity related. (Parents are proper farmers, cows and all that) and we will be living on the farm for a while after moving out of our house in the new year.

Good tip to put it all together though.

Pickfords quoted £4900 so an improvement on PSS and their UK storage charges are only £30 per week. PSS approx £78.

Thanks for advice

Ma Larkin

Maz

Rob, I'm sending off our paperwork to our company on this end today (container vessel docks on Monday, hopefully with our container still on it ), so great advice on paying MAF directly, thank you!