They sent me the paperwork and payment form which I completed, scanned and sent back to them. I annotated on that form to also deduct an additional 3% for full coverage insurance as per the front page. The form states that by signing the form, I am authorising them to use the credit card for the services described. For some reason they never deducted the amount for the insurance at the same time as the consignment fee.

When I asked them to deduct the insurance fee but to reduce the fee by US$10 to cover the additional credit card fee I would incur for their administrative error, they refused to do that or admit their error.

After the consignment left the wharf, they sent me an insurance quote, despite it saying on the top of the form that it must be paid prior to departure otherwise it would be invalid. When I queried this they told me it would be alright. I then queried the insured value as it ws more than twice the value of the goods. They eventually revised the quote but still refused to take off $10 as compensation for their error.

The insurance was not paid as the insurer said it would be invalid anyway. The consignment arrived in country and I had to repeatedly request the paperwork that Customs and Quarantine officials required. Despite repeated requests, Internic refused to supply the fumigation paperwork and I had to pay and additional quarantine inspection fee because of this. Their website stated that they provide ALL paperwork - a flat out lie!

When I received the consignment, it was discovered that one of the items had been significantly damaged in transit due to incorrect loading. I immediately reported this to Internic who stated that as I did not have insurance, it was not their problem. This is despite international law that states that shipping companies have an obligation to maintain the condition of goods in their care whilst in transit.

I took the matter to the General Manager Mr Jaques Monier and received the reply "You have no insurance. Take an attorney if you want, we will disput in court.". I tried to phone him to sort the matter out and was told he was busy and would call me back - he never did.

I asked Mr Monier for the name of his arbitrator as the contract stated that all disputes must be refered to an agreed single arbitrator. He refused to supply this information.

I obtained quotes from some Quebec arbitrators but the cost far exceeded the claim for repairs. I submitted a complaint to the Quebec Better Business Bureau as Euro Transport is a member company. Mr Monier even lied to them about the events. I have since been unable to follow up on the complaint as the phone number listed on BBB's website is not connected and they are not responding to my emails.

I am CAN$497 out of pocket for damage that occured to a brand new item of furniture that was damaged whilst in the care of Internic Moving Services. They refused to honour their original quote. They refuse to accept responsibility or offer compensation for their administrative error. They fraudulantly tried to get me to overpay for invalid insurance after the consignment left the wharf. They refused to honour international shipping regulations regarding safeguarding the condition of goods. The general manager was very rude and I now have proof that he has also been spreading lies about me to other customers.

I am continuing to explore other avenues to get my money back as I believe that a shipping company should not be allowed to get away with this. At least by lodging a report here, I can make other people aware of their shoddy and rude trade practices.