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Review of Cardinal Maritime Group

This was my first time importing goods so the enti...

This was my first time importing goods so the entire process was a little unfamiliar. I received an email around the time my shipment was due into the port, a very assumptive email from Cardinal Maritime, I copy and paste a section from the email here:

"Dear Client,

We are delighted to confirm your cargo will be arriving imminently. The team are working hard to have the container unpacked and your cargo available as quickly as possible.

We will need your release instruction and payment before we can release your goods. Please also take note as to whether an original bill of lading is needed or not to avoid unnecessary delays."





Assuming there had been some misunderstanding I called Cardinal, I was told to sign the document they sent and they would see what they could do over the charges. I felt a railroaded by the whole process.

I called a separate freight forwarder who explained the process and offered to look at the documentation. They managed to do the whole lot for a 3rd of the price which included shipping to my door. The other company will remain nameless as I want the purpose of this review to remain pure: Cardinal Maritime are aggressive and ruthless, whilst their practices may be legal, they are certainly immoral- (verified by others in the industry.) The only thing I can really liken this to is having my own goods held to ransom. I run a small business and advise anyone planning on importing goods to ensure that the manufacturer does not assign Cardinal Maritime as your freight forwarder. There are decent companies out there. The other reviews speak for themselves.

I try to keep a balanced view with anything like this but I've struggled to find any argument in their favour, my advice would be to avoid at all costs.

**Update, Cardinal Maritime have since replied to this review. I believe they've done more 'passing the book' than addressing the points raised. Unsatisfactory but not unexpected. I would welcome a phone call or a meeting to discuss this further with Rick as I live locally**