Shipping saga
Shipping saga
On July 10, 2001, 2001 I shipped four large crates from Canada
by Jori International Limited to Indonesia. Five weeks later on
Aug. 13, 2001, I had a call from a man named Heru Sumantri from
PT Freight Lini Express Indonesia (PT FLEI), who stated that my
personal freight would be arriving on Aug. 18, 2001, it would
cost Rp 3 million to clear customs and I would need to go to
Surabaya.
I arrived in Surabaya on Aug. 20, 2001. I met Heru who said
the cost would be Rp 5 million and it had to be paid up front.
So, I questioned the extra Rp 2 million? Heru explained that he
had told my lawyer that Rp 3 million would be for the firm and
another Rp 3 million would be for clearing customs, so now it
amounted to Rp 6 million.
I had no problem paying that amount but I needed to see the
original documentation. Heru refused. Afterwards, Heru told me to
deposit Rp 5 million into his personal account and he would deal
with customs. I felt there was something wrong about this and
that Heru was cheating me.
I flew back to Bali frustrated. I tried to find out who Heru
Sumantri's boss was. I spoke to my lawyer, Aryana Sari SH, and
she phoned the head office of PT FLEI. Finally, she spoke with
Mrs. Lynda Fryldia and explained my problem with Heru Sumantri.
Lynda Fryldia said that she would talk with Heru and try to solve
the problem.
On Sept. 10, 2001, I flew back to Surabaya as both Mrs. Lynda
and Heru said that I could have my freight. I arrived at Heru's
company PT FLEI and met with Heru again. He only complicated
things by canceling everything in customs so that I would have to
start all over again. While I was waiting for him in his office
frustrated, I met a man named Made Sudana from PT Lintas Sukma
Sejahtera. Made heard of the problem and he offered to help me
clear customs and get my belongings.
I learned from Made that my freight had been moved to another
warehouse by Heru and scheduled to be destroyed within a few
days. I did get my shipment with Made's help in the end but I
discovered many things had been taken from it and PT FLEI refused
to comment or take responsibility for their actions. It is clear
to me that the entire company are liars and corrupt in their
business dealings.
PAUL HAMEL
Denpasar, Bali