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 Diamond Worldwide Relocation, 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(ies) 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 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(ies), within seventy-five (75) days from the date of
liquidation of the entry(ies);
(iv) For any and all other claims of any other type, within two (2)
years from the date of the loss or damage.
4. Non Liability for the Selection of 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 Customer's 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 (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 therefore, 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 attorneys’ 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" or "Deliver (C.O.D.)" shipments, bank drafts, cashiers
and/or certified checks, letter(s) of credit and other similar payment
documents and/or instructions regarding collection of monies but shall
not have 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 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 are 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 North Carolina
without giving consideration to principles of conflict of law. All disputes
arising hereunder shall be resolved at Asheville, North Carolina and
at no other place.
Customer and Company
(a) irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the United States District
Court for the Western District of North Carolina and the State courts
of North Carolina;
(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.




