Livingston Custom Brokers - worse than ever
- Thread starter ShipHappens
- Start date
Your only solution is to bill your customer an additional fee for using Livingston in anticipation of all the work involved and added frustration. When the customer says, like they always do, 'You are the only ones having a problem' then politely say, here is the PARS number, you manage it but my driver will arrive at the border at such and such time - I will charge you for detention after that. Two of our customers have dropped them and many more have had conversations about the delay and issues.
Remember, when you use Livingston, you cannot email them - you can only send an attachment in an email because the body is not seen. We used to put the arrival time/port in the body but they never saw it.
Remember, when you use Livingston, you cannot email them - you can only send an attachment in an email because the body is not seen. We used to put the arrival time/port in the body but they never saw it.
20
I have come to expect the usual pathetic excuses such as "we need at least 4 hours to process a PARS. Even longer if there is more than one line on the invoice" or "we are a little behind because we are so busy today" or "just keep an eye on the online tracker and call back after 45 minutes if the status hasn't changed" etc.
But being blatantly lied to drives me up the wall! One agent tells me that the "team" is working on our PARS and then 1.5 hours later, another agent tells me that no one has even opened the file yet.
During the second-last phone conversation, I was told that things were taking longer because we had perishable food items in the shipment. There was no food in the shipment at all and it was all one type of plastic product! Idiots...
After a grand total of 8 phone calls , our PARS had finally been processed and sent to customs.
But being blatantly lied to drives me up the wall! One agent tells me that the "team" is working on our PARS and then 1.5 hours later, another agent tells me that no one has even opened the file yet.
During the second-last phone conversation, I was told that things were taking longer because we had perishable food items in the shipment. There was no food in the shipment at all and it was all one type of plastic product! Idiots...
After a grand total of 8 phone calls , our PARS had finally been processed and sent to customs.
In another post a while ago, a member used the term "time is the new currency". A great expression and I have borrowed it more than once. Customers have got to learn that delays caused by one link in the supply chain can not be absorbed by another. Clearly state your terms, keep track of your time and bill accordingly. Extra charges are the only thing that will get anyones attention.
20
I'm askance of why some people are having trouble with Livingston. We just put two thru this morning, headed to the U.S. The first was done in 25 minutes and the second in 40 minutes. Our Canada bound entries are typically actioned in under an hour.
As a carrier you have to be proactive with the custom's broker your shipper has chosen to use. You need to reach out to that CB and find out what they expect from you and what you can expect from them. It's not enough anymore to just ask "who's the customs broker?". You need to engage that CB as part of your overall solution to servicing the customer.
As a load broker, you have to do more than just tell your carrier "you're customs broker is 'XYZ'.". You need to know what the CB expects and needs, not just hand out the general mailbox telephone and fax numbers.
Everything I have seen from Livingston over the past few years, at least since this thread started, is that they truly want to help you succeed even though their driver call center is somewhat of a regression to their overall strategy.
Keep in mind that if you are going to send your paperwork to Livingston, or any other CB for that matter, in the middle of the night, or on a weekend, you are not going to get stellar service. The CB people that are working nights and weekends are just like the rest of us ... they really do not want to be there, and they really are not going to work very hard. Typically they have a GAFF of less than zero.
@whatiship ... you're welcome
As a carrier you have to be proactive with the custom's broker your shipper has chosen to use. You need to reach out to that CB and find out what they expect from you and what you can expect from them. It's not enough anymore to just ask "who's the customs broker?". You need to engage that CB as part of your overall solution to servicing the customer.
As a load broker, you have to do more than just tell your carrier "you're customs broker is 'XYZ'.". You need to know what the CB expects and needs, not just hand out the general mailbox telephone and fax numbers.
Everything I have seen from Livingston over the past few years, at least since this thread started, is that they truly want to help you succeed even though their driver call center is somewhat of a regression to their overall strategy.
Keep in mind that if you are going to send your paperwork to Livingston, or any other CB for that matter, in the middle of the night, or on a weekend, you are not going to get stellar service. The CB people that are working nights and weekends are just like the rest of us ... they really do not want to be there, and they really are not going to work very hard. Typically they have a GAFF of less than zero.
@whatiship ... you're welcome
30
Micheal I agree with what you are saying but lately they have really dropped the ball on a number of loads that even our customer hand held them through the whole process. This is a large multinational company that had a meeting yesterday specifically to decide what to do with them, have not heard the outcome yet but hopefully decide to make a move.
20
Well, that type of meeting usually gets their attention ... LOL
It will be nice when the day comes that no one will need customs brokers anymore. Everyone will have their own government accounts, and will file their own entries.
It will be nice when the day comes that no one will need customs brokers anymore. Everyone will have their own government accounts, and will file their own entries.
30
I agree Michael, we need to work closer with the customs people. I start by ensuring the customs broker provided by my customer is indeed the correct broker. So often the information provided is outdated.. documents go to the wrong broker or get dumped to an email belonging to a clerk who left their employ 20 years ago. I also ensure the shipper/receiver/buyer is in good standing with the customs broker. More than a couple of times I've had a shipment detained because the customs broker had payment issues with their customer. I also find some shippers provide sketchy documents..a hand wrtten note on sticky stating "value of shipment is 3200" isn't really a commercial invoice.
20
Ah, sticky notes, the most official form of documentation ever!
Thought it was you, but was too lazy to go back through the threads and confirm.I'm askance of why some people are having trouble with Livingston. We just put two thru this morning, headed to the U.S. The first was done in 25 minutes and the second in 40 minutes. Our Canada bound entries are typically actioned in under an hour.
As a carrier you have to be proactive with the custom's broker your shipper has chosen to use. You need to reach out to that CB and find out what they expect from you and what you can expect from them. It's not enough anymore to just ask "who's the customs broker?". You need to engage that CB as part of your overall solution to servicing the customer.
As a load broker, you have to do more than just tell your carrier "you're customs broker is 'XYZ'.". You need to know what the CB expects and needs, not just hand out the general mailbox telephone and fax numbers.
Everything I have seen from Livingston over the past few years, at least since this thread started, is that they truly want to help you succeed even though their driver call center is somewhat of a regression to their overall strategy.
Keep in mind that if you are going to send your paperwork to Livingston, or any other CB for that matter, in the middle of the night, or on a weekend, you are not going to get stellar service. The CB people that are working nights and weekends are just like the rest of us ... they really do not want to be there, and they really are not going to work very hard. Typically they have a GAFF of less than zero.
@whatiship ... you're welcome
20
Congrats and consider yourself lucky! I wish I could say the same.
Considering our shipment was crossing into Canada on a Friday afternoon, I completely expected the "we are busy and running behind excuse". I seem to get that response from most customs brokers on Fridays.
However, I think 8 phone calls over a 5 hour period is a new record!
30
Paperwork sent in at 9 a.m. They called at 10pm saying they couldn't read paperwork. Numerous called throughout the day to the call center and was told everything was clear and legible. Cleared this morning at 7:30 a.m. How do you explain that!?!?! Any wait with Livingston doesn't surprise me anymore.
20
I would definitely be reporting this to their client! And charging their client for the time, too. That makes our 8 calls in 5 hours look like a walk in the park!
My fondest Livingston memory is the "sorry, this is not our client" discussion at minute zero (after confirming that paperwork was received, it is legible, they have everything they need, etc...). Fun times!
20
"Numerous called throughout the day to the call center ... "
That was your mistake. I don't know how to make this any clearer, in general, the driver call center does not give a rat's ass about you or your problems. They tell you what you want to hear when you are on the phone and promptly forget about you as soon as they hang up the phone. I'm sure you have heard their famous line "I'll contact the team right away" ... and you think that really happens ??? ... LOL
You need to know what team(s) you should be dealing with, and have contact numbers to those team(s).
For the most part, I believe people manning the driver call center are people Livingston can't get rid of without costing them a whole whack of money ... but again, that's just a personal opinion.
That was your mistake. I don't know how to make this any clearer, in general, the driver call center does not give a rat's ass about you or your problems. They tell you what you want to hear when you are on the phone and promptly forget about you as soon as they hang up the phone. I'm sure you have heard their famous line "I'll contact the team right away" ... and you think that really happens ??? ... LOL
You need to know what team(s) you should be dealing with, and have contact numbers to those team(s).
For the most part, I believe people manning the driver call center are people Livingston can't get rid of without costing them a whole whack of money ... but again, that's just a personal opinion.