TERMS
AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
These terms and
conditions of service constitute a legally binding contract between the
"Company" and the "Customer". In the event the Company renders services and
issues a document containing Terms and Conditions governing such services,
the Terms and Conditions set forth in such other document(s) shall govern
those services.
1. Definitions.
(a) "Company"
shall mean Seajet Express Inc., its subsidiaries,
related companies, agents and/or representatives;
(b) "Customer"
shall mean the person for which the Company is rendering service, as well as
its agents and/or representatives, including, but not limited to, shippers,
importers, exporters, carriers, secured parties, warehousemen, buyers and/or
sellers, shipper’s agents, insurers and underwriters, break-bulk agents,
consignees, etc. It is the responsibility of the Customer to provide
notice and copy(s) of these terms and conditions of service to all such
agents or representatives;
(c)
"Documentation" shall mean all information received directly or indirectly
from Customer, whether in paper or electronic form;
(d) "Ocean
Transportation Intermediaries" ("OTI") shall include an "ocean freight
forwarder" and a "non-vessel operating carrier";
(e) "Third
parties" shall include, but not be limited to, the following: "carriers,
truckmen, cartmen, lightermen, forwarders, OTIs, customs brokers, agents,
warehousemen and others to which the goods are entrusted for transportation,
cartage, handling and/or delivery and/or storage or otherwise".
2. Company as agent.
The Company acts as the "agent" of the Customer for the purpose of
performing duties in connection with the entry and release of goods, post
entry services, the securing of export licenses, the filing of export
documentation on behalf of the Customer and other dealings with Government
Agencies: as to all other services, Company acts as an independent
contractor.
3. Limitation of
Actions.
(a) Unless
subject to a specific statute or international convention, all claims
against the Company for a potential or actual loss, must be made in writing
and received by the Company, within ninety (90) days of the event giving
rise to claim; the failure to give the Company timely notice shall be a
complete defense to any suit or action commenced by Customer.
(b) All suits
against Company must be filed and properly served on Company as follows:
(i) For claims arising
out of ocean transportation, within one (1) year from the date of the loss;
(ii) For claims arising
out of air transportation, within two (2) years from the date of the loss;
(iii) For claims arising
out of the preparation and/or submission of an import entry(s), within
seventy five (75) days from the date of liquidation of the entry(s);
(iv) For any and all
other claims of any other type, within two (2) years from the date of the
loss or damage.
4. No Liability For
The Selection or Services of Third Parties and/or Routes.
Unless services are performed by persons or firms engaged pursuant to
express written instructions from the Customer, Company shall use reasonable
care in its selection of third parties, or in selecting the means, route and
procedure to be followed in the handling, transportation, clearance and
delivery of the shipment; advice by the Company that a particular person or
firm has been selected to render services with respect to the goods, shall
not be construed to mean that the Company warrants or represents that such
person or firm will render such services nor does Company assume
responsibility or liability for any actions(s) and/or inaction(s) of such
third parties and/or its agents, and shall not be liable for any delay or
loss of any kind, which occurs while a shipment is in the custody or control
of a third party or the agent of a third party; all claims in connection
with the Act of a third party shall be brought solely against such party
and/or its agents; in connection with any such claim, the Company shall
reasonably cooperate with the Customer, which shall be liable for any
charges or costs incurred by the Company.
5. Quotations Not
Binding.
Quotations as to fees, rates of duty, freight charges, insurance premiums or
other charges given by the Company to the Customer are for informational
purposes only and are subject to change without notice; no quotation shall
be binding upon the Company unless the Company in writing agrees to
undertake the handling or transportation of the shipment at a specific rate
or amount set forth in the quotation and payment arrangements are agreed to
between the Company and the Customer.
6. Reliance On
Information Furnished.
(a) Customer
acknowledges that it is required to review all documents and declarations
prepared and/or filed with the Customs Service, other Government Agency
and/or third parties, and will immediately advise the Company of any errors,
discrepancies, incorrect statements, or omissions on any declaration filed
on Customers behalf;
(b) In
preparing and submitting customs entries, export declarations, applications,
documentation and/or export data to the United States and/or a third party,
the Company relies on the correctness of all documentation, whether in
written or electronic format, and all information furnished by Customer;
Customer shall use reasonable care to ensure the correctness of all such
information and shall indemnify and hold the Company harmless from any and
all claims asserted and/or liability or losses suffered by reason of the
Customer's failure to disclose information or any incorrect or false
statement by the Customer upon which the Company reasonably relied. The
Customer agrees that the Customer has an affirmative non-delegable duty to
disclose any and all information required to import, export or enter the
goods.
7. Declaring Higher
Value To Third Parties.
Third parties to whom the goods are entrusted may limit liability for loss
or damage; the Company will request excess valuation coverage only upon
specific written instructions from the Customer, which must agree to pay any
charges therefore; in the absence of written instructions or the refusal of
the third party to agree to a higher declared value, at Company’s
discretion, the goods may be tendered to the third party, subject to the
terms of the third party’s limitations of liability and/or terms and
conditions of service.
8. Insurance.
Unless requested to do so in writing and confirmed to Customer in writing,
Company is under no obligation to procure insurance on Customer’s behalf; in
all cases, Customer shall pay all premiums and costs in connection with
procuring requested insurance.
9. Disclaimers;
Limitation of Liability.
(a) Except as
specifically set forth herein, Company makes no express or implied
warranties in connection with its services;
(b) Subject to
(c) below, Customer agrees that in connection with any and all services
performed by the Company, the Company shall only be liable for its negligent
acts, which are the direct and proximate cause of any injury to Customer,
including loss or damage to Customer’s goods, and the Company shall in no
event be liable for the acts of third parties;
(c) In
connection with all services performed by the Company, Customer may obtain
additional liability coverage, up to the actual or declared value of the
shipment or transaction, by requesting such coverage and agreeing to make
payment therefor, which request must be confirmed in writing by the Company
prior to rendering services for the covered transaction(s).
(d) In the
absence of additional coverage under (b) above, the Company’s liability
shall be limited to the following:
(i) where the claim
arises from activities other than those relating to customs brokerage,
$50.00 per shipment or transaction, or
(ii) where the claim
arises from activities relating to "Customs business," $50.00 per entry or
the amount of brokerage fees paid to Company for the entry, whichever is
less;
(e) In no event
shall Company be liable or responsible for consequential, indirect,
incidental, statutory or punitive damages even if it has been put on notice
of the possibility of such damages.
10. Advancing
Money. All
charges must be paid by Customer in advance unless the Company agrees in
writing to extend credit to customer; the granting of credit to a Customer
in connection with a particular transaction shall not be considered a waiver
of this provision by the Company.
11.
Indemnification/Hold Harmless.
The Customer agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold the Company harmless from
any claims and/or liability arising from the importation or exportation of
customers merchandise and/or any conduct of the Customer, which violates any
Federal, State and/or other laws, and further agrees to indemnify and hold
the Company harmless against any and all liability, loss, damages, costs,
claims and/or expenses, including but not limited to reasonable attorney’s
fees, which the Company may hereafter incur, suffer or be required to pay by
reason of such claims; in the event that any claim, suit or proceeding is
brought against the Company, it shall give notice in writing to the Customer
by mail at its address on file with the Company.
12. C.O.D. or
Cash Collect Shipments.
Company shall use reasonable care regarding written instructions relating to
"Cash/Collect" on "Deliver (C.O.D.)" shipments, bank drafts, cashier’s
and/or certified checks, letter(s) of credit and other similar payment
documents and/or instructions regarding collection of monies but shall have
not liability if the bank or consignee refuses to pay for the shipment.
13. Costs of
Collection. In
any dispute involving monies owed to Company, the Company shall be entitled
to all costs of collection, including reasonable attorney’s fees and
interest at 15% per annum or the highest rate allowed by law, whichever is
less, unless a lower amount is agreed to by Company.
14. General
Lien and Right To Sell Customer’s Property.
(a) Company
shall have a general and continuing lien on any and all property of Customer
coming into Company’s actual or constructive possession or control for
monies owed to Company with regard to the shipment on which the lien is
claimed, a prior shipment(s) and/or both;
(b) Company
shall provide written notice to Customer of its intent to exercise such
lien, the exact amount of monies due and owing, as well as any on-going
storage or other charges; Customer shall notify all parties having an
interest in its shipment(s) of Company’s rights and/or the exercise of such
lien.
(c) Unless,
within thirty days of receiving notice of lien, Customer posts cash or
letter of credit at sight, or, if the amount due is in dispute, an
acceptable bond equal to 110% of the value of the total amount due, in favor
of Company, guaranteeing payment of the monies owed, plus all storage
charges accrued or to be accrued, Company shall have the right to sell such
shipment(s) at public or private sale or auction and any net proceeds
remaining thereafter shall be refunded to Customer.
15. No Duty
To Maintain Records For Customer.
Customer acknowledges that pursuant to Sections 508 and 509 of the Tariff
Act, as amended, (19 USC §1508 and 1509) it has the duty and is solely
liable for maintaining all records required under the Customs and/or other
Laws and Regulations of the United States; unless otherwise agreed to in
writing, the Company shall only keep such records that it is required to
maintain by Statute(s) and/or Regulation(s), but not act as a "record
keeper" or "recordkeeping agent" for Customer.
16. Obtaining
Binding Rulings, Filing Protests, etc.
Unless requested by
Customer in writing and agreed to by Company in writing, Company shall be
under no obligation to undertake any pre- or post Customs release action,
including, but not limited to, obtaining binding rulings, advising of
liquidations, filing of petition(s) and/or protests, etc.
17.
Preparation and Issuance of Bills of Lading.
Where Company prepares and/or issues a bill of lading, Company shall be
under no obligation to specify thereon the number of pieces, packages and/or
cartons, etc.; unless specifically requested to do so in writing by Customer
or its agent and Customer agrees to pay for same, Company shall rely upon
and use the cargo weight supplied by Customer.
18. No
Modification or Amendment Unless Written.
These terms and conditions of service may only be modified, altered or
amended in writing signed by both Customer and Company; any attempt to
unilaterally modify, alter or amend same shall be null and void.
19.
Compensation of Company.
The compensation of the Company for its services shall be included with and
is in addition to the rates and charges of all carriers and other agencies
selected by the Company to transport and deal with the goods and such
compensation shall be exclusive of any brokerage, commissions, dividends, or
other revenue received by the Company from carriers, insurers and others in
connection with the shipment. On ocean exports, upon request, the Company
shall provide a detailed breakout of the components of all charges assessed
and a true copy of each pertinent document relating to these charges. In any
referral for collection or action against the Customer for monies due the
Company, upon recovery by the Company, the Customer shall pay the expenses
of collection and/or litigation, including a reasonable attorney fee.
20.
Severability.
In the event any Paragraph(s) and/or portion(s) hereof is found to be
invalid and/or unenforceable, then in such event the remainder hereof shall
remain in full force and effect.
21. Governing
Law; Consent to Jurisdiction and Venue.
These terms and conditions of service and the relationship of the parties
shall be construed according to the laws of the State of
Massachusetts
without giving consideration to principals of conflict of law. Customer
and Company (a) irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the United States
District Court and the State courts of Massachusetts;
(b) agree that any action relating to the services performed by Company,
shall only be brought in said courts; (c) consent to the exercise of in
personam jurisdiction by said courts over it, and (d) further agree that
any action to enforce a judgment may be instituted in any jurisdiction.
Approved by the National
Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (Revised 01/00)
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