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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 as applicable, A.W.L.I.
Group, Inc. (a New York corporation) dba Amber Worldwide
Logistics, A.W.L.I Group, Inc. (a Florida corporation)
dba Amber Worldwide
Logistics, Airtruk/Seatruk, Inc., Marine Overseas
Management and its/their 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 common carrier;" (e)
"Third parties"
shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
"carriers, truckmen, cartmen, lightermen,
forwarders, OTI’s, 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 those claims arising from
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 action(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 insure
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 any incorrect
or false statement upon
which the Company reasonably relied.
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 therefor;
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 (d) 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 (c) 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 Customer’s 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 no 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 "recordkeeper" 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 use
the 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 New York
without giving consideration to principles of conflict
of law. Customer and Company (a) irrevocably consent to
the jurisdiction of the United States District Court and
the State courts of New York
(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
: NATIONALCUSTOMSBROKERSAND FREIGHT FORWARDERS
ASSOCIATIONOFAMERICA, INC. (REVISED 10/99)
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