TERMS OFSERVICE
Forwarding is contracted on standard trading conditions across the whole industry. Ours are issued with every quote. This is what they say, in plain words.
Who you are contracting with
Arcline Freight Ltd, at 2A International Square, Douala, Littoral, Cameroon.
We act as a forwarding agent arranging carriage, and as a customs broker filing entries. Where we act as a carrier for a particular leg, the confirmation for that leg says so.
Quotes and rates
A quote is valid for the period stated on it and assumes the cargo is as you described it. Weight, dimensions or a commodity that differ from the brief change the price, and we will come back to you before anything is spent.
Charges a carrier or authority introduces after booking, such as a congestion surcharge or an inspection fee, are passed through at cost with the notice attached.
What we need from you
Accurate descriptions, weights and values, and disclosure of anything dangerous, restricted or temperature sensitive before booking.
A wrong declaration is the one thing we cannot absorb. It can hold a vessel, it can attract a penalty against you, and on dangerous goods it can be a criminal matter.
Liability
Our liability is limited by our trading conditions and by the international conventions that govern each mode. Those limits are set by weight, not by the value of your goods, and they are low. On ocean freight the convention limit works out well below the value of most containers.
This is not us being careful with words. It is how the whole industry contracts, and it is exactly why the next section exists.
Insurance
Cargo insurance is separate from our liability, and it is the only thing that covers the value of your goods. We will arrange it on request and we will tell you what it costs, which is usually a fraction of one per cent of the value.
If you decline it, we note that on the booking. Nobody should discover after a loss that they were never covered.
Payment
Invoices are due on the terms stated on the booking confirmation. We hold a general lien over goods in our possession for unpaid charges, which is standard in forwarding and which we would rather never use.
Governing law
These terms and our trading conditions are governed by the law of the jurisdiction named in the trading conditions issued with your quote.
The full trading conditions come with every quote. Ask for a copy at hello@arcline.com and we will send it before you book.