Hello everyone,
I'm in the midst of a veritable nightmare trying to get my shipment out of the port in Guayaquil.
While everything I've read and been told was that you have a one time, tax free shipment of all your household goods if you get it here within 6 months of being a resident, this has not been nearly as simple as it sounds. It was also recommended to me to buy all the new stuff (TV, washer, etc) that might be needed and add to the container. Never was anything mentioned about there being a limit on the number of anything, like how many shirts or vacuum cleaners, or hats, you can bring, nor on there being a dollar value limit on the entire contents of the container.
I hired SDC International movers and paid for "full service" which was supposed to include not only the packing and shipping from the US to Ecuador; but, also a complete inventory and all the necessary forms required by the destination country. That is not what happened. None of the paperwork was correct. All my boxes were ripped open, contents tossed about, sometimes on the ground, three different times at the port. Items were damaged. I had some carefully wrapped ornaments and memorabilia from events in my life. They showed no respect for someone's property at all!. In addition, my Mom had just died, so I added her stuff to the container thinking I would donate it down here, to Fundación Matilde, instead of just giving it to the Salvation Army there. They confiscated the box (ie stole it) saying since it was women's clothing, they wouldn't allow me to have it. The moving company insisted that to get the shipment through customs the total value of the shipment had to be less than $5000 - outrageous, that's less than the cost to ship it! The insanity of it all goes on and on!
The container has been in Guayaquil since the end of May and my stuff is still there. The shipping company isn't doing anything. Do any of you have any suggestions on how I might resolve this? Who can I see? Where can I go? I'm at a loss. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Frustrated in Quito