Dear Community,
We regret to inform you of a significant issue with the Cold Steel II Pre-Orders and would like to provide an update on the situation and our solutions moving forward.
Quick Summary:
- - The boxes for Cold Steel II Pre-Orders have been unfortunately declared as “abandoned,” leading to their loss. This incident is beyond our control.
- - We have initiated a new production run for the affected boxes, incorporating air transport to expedite the process.
- - Given the approaching holiday season, we anticipate the new production to be completed and in our possession by February 2024.
- - This situation does not impact any other production.
- - Affected pre-order customers can opt for a full refund by visiting www.support.pinbox.store, providing their order number, and opening a ticket.
- - Those happy for the new production to complete do not need to take any action. Their orders will be fulfilled as soon as we receive the new production.
For those interested in the specifics of this situation and our measures to prevent future occurrences, please continue reading.
Detailed Explanation:
My understanding of the current predicament stems from extensive personal research, discussions with independent professionals, and various insights provided by contacts within private and government entities. This has been a complex issue to unravel, and I want to share with you the sequence of events and our analysis.
The main question is of course where are the existing boxes, Tracking the shipment was relatively straightforward using the Bill of Lading (Shown Below), a document that acts like a tracking number. This showed that the container's journey from China ended at Felixstowe in Suffolk. However, the trail goes cold there; the container, to my knowledge, remains unclaimed at the docks.
Our usual process involves using a shipping agent based in China. Until this incident, the process seemed seamless. However, this situation has laid bare the complexities and layers involved in international shipping. The multitude of intermediaries between us and the actual shipping responsibilities has been a significant barrier. Had I been aware of this intricate setup, I would have reconsidered our shipping arrangements.
Gaining concrete information about the container and its customs status proved nearly impossible. The lack of direct access to information, compounded by the fact that I was neither the customs agent nor a named party on the Bill of Lading, turned this investigation into a series of dead ends. Despite several attempts to gather information through phone calls and emails, we were left without clear answers.
The only concrete information that I could get was that EVERGREEN MARINE (UK) LIMITED (The company that rented out the container itself) had received a “letter of abandonment” of the container (Whether this was the original or a copy is uncertain). Upon contacting their head office to ask whether they have the contents of the container that had now been abandoned by the customs agent responsible for the shipment they refused to offer any assistance unless I was a named party on the Bill of Lading and ignored any further emails.
From what we could piece together, it seems that the container was abandoned following a potentially substantial import/tax bill imposed by the UK government. An expert's opinion suggested that the "letter of abandonment" was a straightforward way for the customs agent to exit the situation. Our shipping agent, initially identified as the responsible party for customs, later denied any involvement, adding to the confusion and frustration.
This deadlock left us in a position where no progress could be made in retrieving the containers. We were unable to communicate with the relevant parties or ascertain the identity of the customs agent. Consequently, and regrettably, we were left with no option but to initiate a new production run.
Moving Forward – Proactive Measures:
- Future production boxes will be shipped via air directly, eliminating intermediaries and ensuring we can directly handle any customs issues.
- We're initiating talks to move box production to the UK, which will not only resolve these issues but also shorten delivery times for future pre-orders.
We deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused and are committed to improving our processes to better serve you. If you are affected by this and wish to cancel your order please contact us and we can arrange this with a full refund.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
