Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/08/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have decided to ship household items to India from US in the month of April 2022. SFL Worldwide picked up the boxes in April 2022. SFL worldwide did not wanted to insure the shipment because it was not packed by them. The boxes arrived at the port in Mumbai India on May 27, 2022. They cleared the customs more than a month later in July and delivered the boxes another month later in Aug, after clearing customs. The boxes were soaked in water, boxes opened items removed/missing/damaged. Several boxes were missing and were not delivered. When contacted, we were informed that some of the boxes were sent in a different shipment and they lost track of it. We don't know what happened to those missing boxes. However, their claims department decided to compensate us with $250.00. In summary, they have misplaced several boxes worth several thousands of dollars and since it was not insured, they arrived a compensation of $0.60/pound and arrived at $250.00 approximately as total compensation. This is a case of gross negligence and penalizing us for their inefficiencies. The boxes were not traceable and they do not know where they were delivered or how they went missing. Almost all glassware was delivered damaged or missing. Expensive dinnerware was removed from the boxes and sealed back. Expensive items were selectively removed and sealed back. Incurred a loss of over $3000.00. Paid over $8000 for shipping alone.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/20) */ Good afternoon, After connecting with the respective agents working on this shipment, I can respond with the below information. The customer opted for ocean freight shipping, with a standard transit time of 3 - 4 months. Having stated this, there are some factors that can potentially extend the shipping time frame; however, this shipment is within the standard transit time. Our sales agent spoke with the customer and provided estimated shipping frames for various services to determine which option best fit their needs. In regards to the boxes being opened and re-sealed, both origin and destination customs reserve the right to open and inspect any shipment regardless of whether it is an export or import shipment. This is the only place where boxes can be opened. As per the contract, which was signed by the customer, SFL Worldwide is not liable for shipments that have been packed by the owner (as we cannot offer any insurance coverage) and are only liable for the boxes/pieces that are missing as a whole (ex: whole box or whole furniture item goes missing we are liable. One or two items from a box is missing we are not liable.) For this reason, the claims agent working with the customer only offered the amount of .60/pound (movers' liability) and the shipping charge for the only box that went completely missing. We could not offer any insurance coverage for the customers' shipment as it was entirely packed by them; we can only extend insurance to shipments that have been packed by our preferred vendors. We advised the customer that they could purchase insurance via a third-party entity. The box that went missing was separated from the rest of the shipment as there was a space constriction at the time of loading and it was sent in the next container. Only one box was separated from the rest of the shipment. Attached to the online form you can find a copy of the packing list showing the shipment was packed by the owner and also a copy of the contract. We believe that we handled the situation with this shipment as best as we could and ultimately offered the best compensation possible. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/12/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The resolution is unfair. We agree that the customs reserve the right to open the boxes, but nobody has the right to remove contents. They are completely liable for missing items and boxes and their compensation is unacceptable. Several boxes are missing without a trace. That is unacceptable. We were never informed that they were having space constraints and were splitting the shipment into 2 containers. We are being penalized for their negligence and carelessness. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2023/01/06) */ As mentioned previously, this is the best resolution possible according to the signed contract. The customer did not opt for any additional insurance so as per the contract this falls under movers' liability which is only .60/ pound. As per our policy, this is the best we can offer. In regards to the missing boxes, our India team has already investigated the case however, since the shipment has passed through various sectors (customs, examination, CFS just to name a few) there is no way for us to pinpoint exactly where they went missing; all of these are part of the import/export process and are out of our control. We tried our best with this investigation and also with the resolution offered we took into consideration the inconvenience that the miscommunication caused and offered an amount beyond our liability. Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2023/01/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) SFL is fully responsible for mishandling and losing boxes. They are liable for their negligence irrespective of insurance status. Their investigation is poor and incomplete. While we understand the process of customs clearance, losing part of the shipment is beyond comprehension. What is being implied is that anybody can walk in to their warehouse and walk out with items and their liability is $0.60/pound. That is unacceptable by any standards and is not expected from SFL Worldwide. They are liable for 100% of loss we incurred or track the missing boxes and deliver them at the destination undamaged. Thanks and regards Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2023/01/20) */ Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I hope that the following will help clear up any lingering confusion on customers' behalf. As mentioned previously, SFL has no control over what happens in the various vectors that a shipment has to pass ******* in order to be released from the container to our possession. While it does not happen often, it is possible for boxes to go missing in these vectors. Only government workers and freight forwarders are allowed in these sectors and we have to wait until we get called into the facilities (as multiple containers can be there at a time) so not just any person has the clearance to walk through their doors. As for our own warehouse facility, only SFL employees are granted access (the only exception is if a customer comes to the warehouse with an appointment) so in this case as well not just any person can enter our facility. Consumer Response /* (4200, 15, 2023/01/23) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Safety and security of the items from pick up to delivery is responsibility of the shipper. In this case, even if insurance was purchased, there is no assurance on the safety and security of the items which they have never mentioned before picking up the items. This is unacceptable and lack of ownership by SFL Worldwide. SFL Worldwide is responsible to track down the missing items/boxes and deliver them as charged or fully reimbursed for the same. Thanks!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/12/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Describe the complaint in Detail:___I ( ******** ******) was in USA for 4 years ( July 2018) till April 2022). I moved back to India and as final move to india I decided to send 4 Boxes through SFL Worldwide. The SFL order No is XXXXXXXXX. I paid up 510 USD for these 4 Boxes transfer to india. FSL picked up boxes from my home through Fedex and then later informed that 2 Boxes never reached to them. There was no follow up at all from them with Fedex and I kept calling them while I was in USA to check status. After I reached India on 13th April they mentioned that we have lost two boxes. I had to keep calling them from india staying awake till 1 AM etc but they never answer calls, I have sent out numerous mails and they respond once a month. Now after gap of 3 months they mentioned that 2 Boxes will reach india and they will pay a claim of 200 USD for 2 Boxes ( 50 pounds weight each) and that to they are saying I have to sign the document in just two days time. That document says that if I don't respond in 2 days they will close the claim as well. Document mandates some things like I should not post anything on social media etc. And even to discuss about this I must have made 10 calls, 5 mails but no response. I think there has to be a very strict action against companies like SFL Wordwide. When you move from USA to india with all goods and even to get a simple update you have to keep calling till 1 AM , 2 AM , is extremely harrowing experience. I have to keep one USA number active for this and have to keep paying for that from india. I called up various folks in this company from Krunal, Punit, Mr **** etc but absolutely pathetic response from them. Now Am worried that they will not deliver the remaining two boxes as well. Need your help please to get help , to deliver two boxes and I don't think any expat has to go through such situation, and deal with the companies like SFL Worldwide. Once you leave USA you are so helpless to get any help and these guys have taken full amount of service and once you leave USA no one cares to take your call or even to respond to mails. I am attaching the invoice and all the mails which I have sent to them. If required I can pull out my phone call as well. Please let me know. But please help me and I hope I get two boxes back and I should be compensated for all the mental agony that I had to go through once I reached india. I am certainly going to post on Social Media and make sure others who move from USA to their respective countries, don't face the same situation. ________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________ Continue on other side Describe the settlement or resolution sought by consumer:____Please help to make sure that SFL World wide deliver my two remaining boxes to my home in india as per contract. I Need to be compensated foreverything that I have gone through for these boxes. Please take some action against a firm so that they don't treat any other customers like this in future

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/31/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/20) */ Thank you, BBB, for bringing this complaint to our attention. It's an International Ocean shipment shipped from Alpharetta, Georgia, USA to Pune, Maharashtra, India booked under the name of Mr. ******** ****** with SFL tracking number XXXXXXXXX. FedEx (our pickup service partner in USA) picked up 4 boxes from Georgia which were supposed to get delivered to SFL warehouse at Dallas, Texas, USA. FedEx waybill numbers for reference are XXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXX,XXXXXXXXXXXX. Out of 4 boxes picked up by FedEx, they only delivered 2 boxes at our Dallas, Texas warehouse with tracking numbers XXXXXXXXXXXX & XXXXXXXXXXXX and the remaining 2 boxes with tracking numbers XXXXXXXXXXXX & XXXXXXXXXXXX were never delivered by FedEx to us. We had opened an investigation in FedEx for the missing boxes and it was under open active investigation and later FedEx confirmed us that they are unable to locate the boxes and advised us to file a claim online. Please be informed that the Customer has not purchased any additional insurance coverage for his package and in such scenario, customer is only liable to get a coverage as per General Mover's liability will be $0.60 per Lbs. as per the contract signed and agreed by the customer while booking the shipment in USA. For the 2 boxes, (lost by FedEx) maximum weight comes to around 112 Lbs. (56 Lbs. for each box) as per box dimensions. As per the contract signed by the customer, if we calculate General Mover's liability, we are only liable to pay 67.2 USD to the customer for the 2 missing boxes. But for a good faith and in order to provide an additional relief to the customer, we have offered a total of 200 USD to the customer and this is the best possible we could do at this point of time for the loss. The remaining 2 boxes of the customer has already reached the destination port of clearance, India and it's undergoing customs clearance procedures at the port. The estimated date of delivery for the remaining 2 boxes at the customer's delivery location in India is 28 August 2022. We will be more than happy to assist the customer regarding the claim settlement of 200 USD for the 2 boxes (lost by FedEx) and for the door delivery of the remaining 2 boxes at the customer's delivery location in India which is tentatively scheduled on or before 28 August 2022. Please let us know if any additional details required from our end. Thank you. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/07/23) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) What SFL Wordwide s response states is that they are saying that Boxes were lost by Fedex and they are extremely gracious in paying me 200 USd. (1) The kind of follow up i have to do from India is ompletely ignored by them. Please refer to call log - I have to keep on USA number active even when i traveled to India and am paying a fee of 25 USD/ month to keep this number active. Refer to call log - I have made at least 26 Calls , look at odd hours i have to call them to get status update. You can look at How many times they called up for update. This kind of harassments or poor customer service is not expected just to get a simple status update. (2) I dont think SFL has done any proactive follow up with Fedex for status of Boxes. Only when i kept calling and asking for status they checked and said we will raise a claim for two boxes. Another example of poor customer service. (3) They very rarely responded to mail - After lot of follow up i used to get some updatde. Just imagine a situation of someone who has moved back to India and kind of pain i was put through. As a sample i have attached one mail where i was literally begging for some update. (4) Even for this 200 USD claim they forced me to sign the form in Two days saying that I waive off all charges and wont post anything on social media. And when i sent mails asking about it they never responded well in these two days time they had given. I am now scared that they will not deliver remaining two boxes as well and 200 USD for all this trouble is certainly not acceptable compensation. Need help for resolution and i think all future customers for SFL Should be warned about such behavior, Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/07/25) */ Thank you, BBB, to update us regarding this complaint. Please see the below answers to customer queries: (1) First of all we would like to sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the customer. We have updated our USA number as well as our India contact details on our website so that our customer could call is within the office working hours for any assistance. If we would have received any calls from this customer on our India Toll Free number, we could have definetely escalated this further from our end in a timely manner. Our team in USA, had already initiated a trace process and as per FedEx, once a trace is initiated, we need to wait for 2-3 weeks and sometimes delays may occur for extensive investigation and review. (2) We have escalations team to work on such issues and to deal with transport carriers on case the packages are not delivered to our warehouse. As we have mentioned earlier that our team in USA, had already initiated a trace process and as per FedEx, once a trace is initiated, we need to wait for 2-3 weeks and sometimes delays may occur for extensive investigation and review. (3) As per our team they have informed the customer that the boxes are not delivered to our warehouse and regarding the trace process as well. (4) We have already mentioned in our previous response to BBB that as per the contract signed by the customer our liability is to pay 67.20 USD to the customer but for a good faith and additional relief, we are ready to pay a total of 200 USD to the customer and we didn't force the customer to sign the Claim release form. The details mentioned in the Claim release form is as per the standard protocol and we only ask the customer that if the customer is ready for the settlement we will process the claim accordingly and if the customer is not ready with the release, he/she can provide their standpoint and we can process accordingly. Our team have already talked to this customer over the phone and have informed the status for his remaining 2 boxes and we have already informed the customer via email/phone that the shipment delivery will be completed at the customer's delivery location in India till 26 August 2022. Please let us know if any further details required from our end. Thank you. Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/07/30) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Business (SFL Worldwide) is completely ignoring all my concerns and challenges I have faced. Lack of responses, Multiple follow ups ( 30 calls to get some response) , Multiple mails etc. And now for remaining Two boxes they are now itself confirming that these boxes will be delivered by 28th August. This indicates that its taking 5 months for End to end delivery which is a month more than what was promised. Its really disturbing to see that none of the business ethics are followed by firm and am not sure what more i need to submit here. Am attaching Two mails - one which indicates that Boxes were Shipped around 20th May - So these boxes were lying in their warehouse since 30th March till 20 th May and now they are blaming the custom clearance process etc for this delay. And When questioned they are indicating all kind of fine prints in contract which basically relieves them from any responsibility of timely delivery. Wish this firm can think at least just for a minute from customer s perspective rather than just repeating fine prints from the contract.