I am having a serious problem with a shipping company called Specialized Trophy Logistics based outside Johannesburg, South Africa. This is the tail end of a four year saga to get my Africa trophy heads and skins shipped to me - I have yet to receive a single one.

In short, Mornay Delport at Specialized Trophy Logistics charged me for a sea freight shipment of my trophies on May 26, 2009. In fact, the cost was $1,900, with a 5% charge tacked on because I paid by credit card. But, he charged me $2,308.80 - $310 more than the quoted cost (first huge red flag). When I called to find out why, he said it was a bank error and he was working to fix it.

That was May 2009.

Despite dozens of e-mails since, the charge has still not been lifted from my card. I just got back from a three-month long Africa work trip and have called Mornay 9 times - the phone rings with no answer.

I have no idea where my shipment is, or whether it has even shipped at all from South Africa. I contacted PHASA who said since Mornay is not a member there is nothing they can do.

I contacted my outfitter who has had a falling out with the taxidermist and didn't ever work with this shipping agent directly himself, so had no real pull with the guy. I have contacted my credit card company, today, to see if they can retrieve the charge.

But, what I need desperately from the Accurate Reloading community is any advice on what I can do to get my shipment from Specialized Trophy Logistics. Is there anyone out there who has dealt with them and had similar experiences, or by chance any professionals in the shipping/taxidermy industry in South Africa who might be able to give me some help on next steps? I'm at my wits end with this, and frankly with the entire South African hunting, outfitting, taxidermy and shipping community. I lived there for two years, and I can tell you the whole industry, barring exceptions I'm sure, is on the road to disaster. This experience with the shipping company now is completely typical of what I've dealt with at every step of the way.

Many thanks for any help or insight anyone can offer.

Sea shipment is a very poor idea. When they do arrive, there is no telling what shape your stuff wil be in.

Do you have any idea who the shipping company is?

Jeff

Jeff, you are mistaken. There is nothing at all wrong with shipping by ocean freight. To the extent that people have problems, they are caused by incompetent taxidermists, freight forwarders or customs house brokers. Such problems are independent of the shipping method used. I speak from experience.

Snyderdf, I don't know the company you are using. I always use Safari Cargo Systems. They are professionals and get the job done.

I don't know if they will be able to help, but here is their contact info:

Safari Cargo Systems CC
P.O. Box 30093, Jet Park
Witfield, 1469
Gauteng Province
Republic of South Africa
Tel: 27 11 979 3770
Fax: 27 11 396 1061
Website: http://www.safaricargo.co.za

Good luck.

+1 ! I too, respectfully disagree with Jeff. Sea shipment is not a poor idea. I have had mine shipped that way three times and have saved a lot of money. It takes 21 days from the date of their shipment by Safari Cargo(ask for Gideon), to arrive in New York. I have used Fauna & Flora and Safari Cargo to do mine, and have experienced no problems whatsoever. Life Form Taxidermy, in conjunction with them, is preparing another sea shipment for me. We are just waiting on the USFWS to send me a replacement Cites permit that they claimed that they sent and I never received (incompetent government bureaucracy).

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Jeff, you are mistaken. There is nothing at all wrong with shipping by ocean freight. To the extent that people have problems, they are caused by incompetent taxidermists, freight forwarders or customs house brokers. Such problems are independent of the shipping method used. I speak from experience.

Snyderdf, I don't know the company you are using. I always use Safari Cargo Systems. They are professionals and get the job done.

I don't know if they will be able to help, but here is their contact info:

Safari Cargo Systems CC
P.O. Box 30093, Jet Park
Witfield, 1469
Gauteng Province
Republic of South Africa
Tel: 27 11 979 3770
Fax: 27 11 396 1061
Website: http://www.safaricargo.co.za

Good luck.

I agree totally, I've used Safari Cargo for sea transport on a very large shipment and could not have been happier with their performance. Everything was handled competently, in a timely fashion and at reasonable cost. I'll use them again, perhaps even in preference to air transport, for my next large shipment or any shipment that includes a large full-size display mount.

Snyder
If you have no joy send me the details of the shipment or anything else you have and the contact details of said company and I will try and give them a call on your behalf. At the very least we may find out if they are even still in business.
I am going up to Joberg in 3 weeks so if I have some luck I may be able to help fix things up.

You can e-mail me directly on mail@africanbushsafari.com
Cheers
Ian

It's too late now, but the first thing you should have done was to call up and cancel the credit card charge when it was not the agreed upon amount. Your position is much better when you still have your money and they only have some hides and horns. I doubt that you will be able to successfully reverse the charge with this much time elapsed but it's certainly worth a phone call to you CC company to find out. Best of luck, sounds like you're going to need a lot of it to get your trophies or your money.

I shipped from Zimbabwe, a nice Cape Buffalo skull and two hide halves via Fauna & Flora in late December of 2008. They arrived at my taxidermist's last week in superb condition via ocean transit. If they are salted properly they will be fine.

Rich

I have no idea who the shipping company is because I never heard back from him on that. Hence, I have no idea at all where my trophies are - and I seriously doubt they have even left Johannesburg. - Dave

I don't suppose anyone has used Professional Trophy Exports Pty Ltd? They seem to have good rates for airfreight to Melbourne.
- Paul

So this is my first post, never really had anything to add, until now.
I did a quick search on Specialized Trophy Logistics, Established Jan 2008 as a CC (Close Corporation in RSA used for trading by smaller normally one man companies), only 1 member MW Delport.
I think you need to get in touch with a lawyer this side.

Snyder,

Oh man, I know exactly what you are going through. It seems lately shooting the bruisers is the easy part. Getting them home is the real challenge.

I see you are a new member, welcome aboard! Please accept my WTF? on behalf of some of the members who will post entirely off subject. It happens. Alot. But it can be a good thing, if not entertaining.

You need help in contacting Mornay. Please post his last know address, phone, and email. There are members who may live or work near this POS. There might be others who will travel through, and would like nothing more than to help a fellow hunter.

Most of us have been, or will be in your shoes. It is completely baffling why some miscreant would not provide the service we hire them to do. In the process, they not only mess with our property, but take away a huge part of hunter's soul.

Wish you the best, and a speedy recovery of your animals.

Based on this I will have to modify my position. I had heard some horror stories from my taxidermist on sea cargo. I will look to do this next time as air freight is a bitch. I guess I can't be right all the time.

Jeff

Thanks - one and all - for all of the feedback, insight, and offers of help. In fact, in the last week, this shipping agent has suddenly resurfaced - thanks in part to some of the pressure you all have helped bring to bear - and has refunded the $328 overcharge and pledged to pay for air freight himself to get the shipment sent to me to make up for the 5 months of aggravation I've had in trying to deal with him. That remains to be seen, but there has been more movement on this in one week than there has been in over 5 months so I'll keep you all posted. If this falls through, I will be definitely be taking some of you up on your offers to call and help. Many thanks again to the forum.

Remember that PHASA has a taxidermy division of membership and does deal with disputes. It obviously helps if the relevant party is a member of PHASA.

quote:

Originally posted by Snyderdf:
Thanks - one and all - for all of the feedback, insight, and offers of help. In fact, in the last week, this shipping agent has suddenly resurfaced - thanks in part to some of the pressure you all have helped bring to bear - and has refunded the $328 overcharge and pledged to pay for air freight himself to get the shipment sent to me to make up for the 5 months of aggravation I've had in trying to deal with him. That remains to be seen, but there has been more movement on this in one week than there has been in over 5 months so I'll keep you all posted. If this falls through, I will be definitely be taking some of you up on your offers to call and help. Many thanks again to the forum.

GREAT NEWS, keep us informed.