When you put your goods into the hands of a company, to have them shipped to a different location, you rely on them to get the shipment to its destination for the contracted price. The complaint for this class action brings suit against iContainers USA, Inc. and its parent company, iContainers Solutions SL, alleging that they advertise “all-inclusive” prices but then charge additional amounts, so that the final cost may be double the original quoted amount.
The class for this action is all persons or entities in the US (1) who contracted with iContainers using iContainer’s shipping platform (2) for a shipment with oversea carriage, where the final destination was the US (3) who was subsequently billed for a charge in addition to the originally-quoted amount for the shipment (4) between March 18, 2018 and the date iContainer stops its bait-and-switch practices.
The complaint quotes the leadership for iContainers as saying that the company is the “world’s first freight forwarder to ever provide all [its] services completely online, a one stop B2B and B2C platform for pickups, delivery, customs, international freight, insurance and door to door shipment options.” The iContainers website, the complaint claims, touts its “door to door” services and “all-inclusive” shipping rates.”
The complaint reproduces a webpage purporting to show what’s included in the “All-inclusive door-to-door shipping rates,” which shows icons and information for pickup, shipment, customers, delivery, ground transport, handling costs surcharges, customs clearance fees, and documentation. But the complaint alleges that the company uses “bait and surcharge” tactics.
For example, the plaintiff in this case, SX Holdings, LLC arranged with iContainers to have some construction materials shipped from Xiamen, China to Washington, DC, with departure from China scheduled for December 22, 2020 and arrival in Washington, DC for January 19, 2021. According to the complaint, iContainers quoted SX a price of $811.95, but once the company had the materials in its charge, the complaint claims, it required SX to pay additional amounts, above the quoted price and for things that SX believed were included in the original price.
Among the extra charges, the complaint says, were one to “take care of customs” ($701.01), another for “warehousing” ($160.54) with an associated PayPal fee ($4.82), an additional trucking fee ($234), and a “driver assist” fee for lifting help ($150).
The complaint alleges iContainers “held Plaintiff’s cargo hostage until Plaintiff paid” the added amounts. “Ultimately,” the complaint alleges, SX “ended up paying more than double the contracted price in order to get [iContaiiners] to deliver its shipment to its final destination[.]”
Also, the complaint claims, the goods arrived nearly a month late, on February 12, 2021, which the complaint alleges caused SX to lose business with the client the shipment was intended for. Even after the delivery, the complaint claims, iContainers billed SX for an additional $154.50, which SX refused to pay.
The complaint reproduces postings on the Better Business Bureau website and Yelp, making similar allegations of substantially increasing prices after loads were shipped.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Contract
Most Recent Case Event
iContainer “All-Inclusive” Shipping from Overseas Complaint
March 18, 2022
When you put your goods into the hands of a company, to have them shipped to a different location, you rely on them to get the shipment to its destination for the contracted price. The complaint for this class action brings suit against iContainers USA, Inc. and its parent company, iContainers Solutions SL, alleging that they advertise “all-inclusive” prices but then charge additional amounts, so that the final cost may be double the original quoted amount.
iContainer “All-Inclusive” Shipping from Overseas ComplaintCase Event History
iContainer “All-Inclusive” Shipping from Overseas Complaint
March 18, 2022
When you put your goods into the hands of a company, to have them shipped to a different location, you rely on them to get the shipment to its destination for the contracted price. The complaint for this class action brings suit against iContainers USA, Inc. and its parent company, iContainers Solutions SL, alleging that they advertise “all-inclusive” prices but then charge additional amounts, so that the final cost may be double the original quoted amount.
iContainer “All-Inclusive” Shipping from Overseas Complaint