Our Container

Can you believe it?? It is cleared through customs and is sitting at Glenn's transport over the weekend and will be delivered here Monday morning. I am tired. What a process it is. I will tell you about it.

7:45 a.m. Pres. Neild picked us up and we went to Zimra and had to pay $100 for documentation (papershuffling - according to Elder Bullock). Then off to Mediteranian (a shipping company) but they told us we had to go to the place where the container was by the railway and get a paper stamped and then come back.

9:45 a.m. We are at the shipping yard and cannot find the container anywhere. They sent us around to the back to check for it but it was not there either. However, it was suggested that we check with a different storage company - we called and sure enough they had it at BAK Storage. The railway had sent it to the wrong place. It had arrived there May 23rd.

10:30 Arrive at BAK Storage and WE FOUND IT!!!

Here comes our container

Getting closer

10:45 Off to Safmarine to get our paper stamped. They want $150 to stamp it but we managed to get 15% off and paid $120.

11:30 Go back to BAK Storage so we can open and check the container.

Elder Bullock & President Neild wondering if some might be missing

OOPS! We don't get it yet. They decide they want to inspect it. They start unloading the container onto the ground and open up a bag of shoes and dump it all out. Looks okay, I guess, as they then put them back in, tied up the bag and put it back on the pallet. Then they open a bundle of men's clothing. Pres. Neild managed to get them to just pull out a few things rather than dump it - it is bundled up very tight. We made the men happy by giving them each one thing (shirt of pants - although I noticed one guy got away with 3 things!!!).

First look with inspectors

Inspection of clothing bundle

Inspection of blanket

12:00 A guy from Glenn's transport showed up and it seems he managed to get them to NOT unload the whole container. Thank goodness for that. A box of school kits was torn open and we gave the lady inspector two of those for her two children. We want to keep these people happy!!!
So now everything is loaded back into the container and Glenn's Transport puts a lock on it. They will be back in about an hour with a transport truck to take it to their yard where they will keep it for free until Monday morning.

We think we are done BUT, no, not yet. They want $180 for the inspection that they ordered. According to our clearing guy, Taloni, that is a huge amount. They finally agreed to give us 10% off. What a bunch of crooks if you ask us!!!! Anyway, by 1:00 we have paid up and are on our way out of there. Hurray!!! Taloni, Pres. Neild's guy who does all the leg work to clear containers gets paid $200 - but I think he is probably worth it after what we went through today.

By the way, our power came back on this a.m. about 11:00 - according to Taylors. Hurray for that too!! Our freezer was needing it.

We are off to a meeting with a guy downtown (Leeds Trust). They are a NGO (non governement organization) that helps people. We might want to have them as a partner in the future.

Love to all, Elder & Sister Bullock