Mustang Owners Club Australia Forum

Technical & General Discussion Area => Importing Cars & Parts - General Freight => Topic started by: Shermatt on February 27, 2011, 09:24:45 am

Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on February 27, 2011, 09:24:45 am

Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly

There is always the down side of a business and you just can’t please everyone.

I have taken a few hours out of my day to inform everyone of the exceptional feedback we receive from our clients to the BS that you deal with along the way dealing with unrealistic or impatient people.

Throughout 2010 we have a had few people (that I can count on one hand) that were not happy with our service at which everyone only ever hears one side of a story and take it as gospel and then make posts using the information they have been told

This posting was emailed to me this morning from another forum member and I thought that I would respond coz Im kind of over it and I didn’t want to steal anyone’s thread with such a lengthy response

Quote from: 67Scotty link=topic=13782.msg141478#msg141478

Bit different from another member of this forum who is also a sponsor who has (allegedly) ripped off a couple of other members but still gets access.


Scott

I appreciate the fact that you have used the word "allegedly" as I have never spoken to you to give you my 2c and you have never contacted me

But, just so you know,(as Im not having a go at you) last year we did just under a 1000 cars to all over the world and I have a handful (all from Oz)of people that have issues . That’s a pretty good ratio as far as Im concerned.

out of that, one person wanted "ME" to build him a car...an Eleanor.....BUT, I was VERY busy and he was VERY impatient and ended up asking me to find someone to repair it and build it for him on a budget that not even you would get out bed for....actually....my 6 months of time spent sorting the car racing around getting photos from a place 1 hr away… was FREE and working with a budget of $20, it was not easy.

At no stage did I personally do ANY OF THE THINGS HE IS UPSET ABOUT

Now, just so you know, He bought this car from photographs that were sent to us from Virginia and the car was going to be shipped direct to Him "as is". WE DID NOT INSPECT THIS CAR as he didn’t want to waste money inspecting it.

Once it arrived he said could I get it done over here and I said I didn’t know ANYBODY that could repair it. He then went onto a tangent of an Eleanor and 2-3 days later I met a few guys that convinced me they were up to the job. I said to him"I" was going to build it (myself) but it would take me 6 months with my work load....he was too impatient and wanted the Mexicans to build it as they were cheaper.

I had NEVER USED them before and I NO LONGER DO.

The whole time, parts are already rolling up to my front door
If that car had been built by me, there wouldn’t be a story.
If I had charged him any money for the job, then I suppose you could also use the word "ripped off" aswell. The owner, never paid me a cent and I think the Mexicans only charged him $5,500 to do all the repairs/fit the kit and paint it. I cant even get a car painted for that over here.

Sure, there welding work wasn’t  up to what I call fantastic, but do you think Im going to spend another 6 months working for the buyer for FREE rectifying the problems while someone is sending you 10 emails a day asking whats going on/Ive bought this for you to fit/parts will be there tomorrow……….... HELL F@@KING NO

Im getting it bolted back together and you can finish it…Im
done!!

From the getgo I should of said NO. It was a PILE OF SHI7 when it rolled up and was a NIGHTMARE watching it come together with the Mexicans and how they built it. But with the funds the owner had (SFA) you cant really expect much. Yet, $1000 of dollars of parts rolling up daily.

If it were mine I would of stripped it down to its bare bones and blasted it and start from scratch (like I do to all of em)
I was so done with it in the end (working for FREE) that on the last few days when it had the final welding repairs done (EXTREMELY POORLY) I threw in the towel.

None of the people that judge me on that car would even get out of bed to do half of what I did little own do what the Mexicans did for $5000 and get the result YOU ALL TALK ABOUT.

If you want to judge me for trying to help, knock yourselves out. It was a bad call to use the Mexicans and not do the car myself but would you do it for FREE?????????????????

Quote from: davo65 link=topic=9983.msg141286#msg141286

Maybe it's time for the fine upstanding person who procured the car and so-called "restoration/restomod" for you to make a donation towards your new paint job, and in the process, restore some credibility. Apologies if he/she has already done the right thing by you.
davo65


Davo

That is not ever going to happen mate. If he would of listened to me in the first place and let me build it and there was a problem with it…. I would be the first one to step to the plate. You know it!! I have Paid for peoples shipping repairs/paint damage/lost parts, even when none of its our fault and the customer knows it. (its just going the extra distance)Those are all documented on the this forum and something we no longer do due to the nickel and dimer’s that you can keep reading below and see more

“Apologies if he/she has already done the right thing by you”

What is the “right thing” Dave?

I tell ya what, How about we look at it like this. You quit your job for 6months and I will send you a pile of shi7 and build one better with the budget I had but your not allowed to do any of the work yourself…or even better, why not quit your job and fly over to Tassie and finish it off for him coz that’s what hes waiting for, someone else to finish it for FREE….sort of sums it up for me.

The more he dribbles on the forums, the more emails I get saying things that I wish not to repeat on a forum as its not nice to hear.

__________________________________

I'm currently building 2 cars for clients in Australia and they are very patient people and one of those cars will be attending a few car shows over here that I will be bringing home a trophy for (hopefully) and I have already contacted a magazine to have it featured in a mustang mag. Im not ashamed of the work and quality “ I” do. I’m very proud to show it.

One of these cars was being built the same time as the Eleanor and as Im still building the car myself, and my personal guarantee to the owner is...way back then is

"that I will personally deliver the car (in Oz) and if there not happy with the end result, I will REFUND their money in FULL"

Can’t get any better than that.
__________________________________

Another one is a client that I had previously dealt with but after dealing with him for a few weeks, I REFUNDED his funds that he sent over as well as his refundable deposit and wiped my hands of the search for that client

He then found one up in woop woop and emailed for 3 weeks to go and inspect it and BUY IT...his exact words.(email)

I was not even in the slightest interested hence my "NOT" responding to his email for 3 weeks

He then called me on the phone on the 4th week and caught me on a good day at which I said I will go up there and look at the car, negotiate a price and BUY IT.

Car was advertised for $25,000, car had rust, I haggled the guy down to $22,500 due to the rust of which I paid the guy and VIDEOD the payment of which I do for ALL of our clients as well as the bill of sale. I do this one for customs at the other end in case they are queried about the purchase price but mainly for the client. Its piece of mind there "NOT GETTING RIPPED OFF"

I took photos of the under chassis and emailed them to him as well as made a call informing him of the rust as well as posted them on facebook. (FOR ALL TO SEE)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3621&id=100000476899783

Nothing to hide here

All of which (emails/photos/bank records) are recorded in his client folder

The car took 5 months waiting for a container going to WA. That’s definitely my fault. Allways is.

He has since decided to reshell the car rather than fix the areas as that is what works for him. Im sure it will be worth every cent of what he has spent once he has finished.

If he had given me the time to find him one that I found, and was patient, there would not be a story and he would be one of the 1000 without a problem
____________________________________

The other was a client that made a post on the forum in regards to the front brakes on his car had to have $2000 worth of work and all the ball joints were shagged and that he could poke his fingers through them. The car had no back up lamps and how could I miss that during the inspection etc etc.

http://mustang.org.au/forum/viewthread.php?tid=13154

He had found a restored 1965 "T" code convertible with a V8 in it on ebay that had ended a few days earlier. It was about an hour or two away and he wanted me to go and inspect the car and negotiate a price.

I contacted the seller and asked alot of questions and asked for additional photos of areas THAT I WANTED TO SEE, that were not posted on his ebay listing of areas that we all know are common faults on mustangs.

I do this as not to waste my time or the client’s money paying for an inspection on a car that I can all ready see or may be a problem

I asked the seller is there any areas of concern that he could make me aware of before I make the journey. He told me the brakes pull to left and were hard, of which I contacted the buyer and informed him of this. (so this was discussed even before inspection)

The car came up trumps in the photos and the decision to go and inspect and do the deal was made.

During the inspection (that I videoed for the buyer PRIOR HIM MAKING THE DECISION TO BUY IT 5 DAYS LATER) was mention to the brakes

one of the FIRST things that comes out of my mouth during the test drive was at 7minutes 16 seconds

"it pulls to the right" that was made by me but I actually meant LEFT (whatever….it pulls)

At 7 min 20 seconds, the seller recommends putting disc brakes on the car.

Video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2fBinjMh64

At 8 min 43 seconds Im actually driving the car and the first thing I did was get some speed up, let go of the wheel and apply the brakes and state

"it doesnt pull to the left as much as I thought"

That comment is for the guy Im doing the inspection for
This was what we emphasized on as it was a big topic between the seller and the buyer and one main concern that had to be addressed.

At 5 min 6 seconds, you can clearly see all the upper and lower control arms, ball joints and steering where ALL NEW
The car was not purchased that day but all the videos were loaded so the buyer could see them prior him making the decision to buy.

Of which the buyer had viewed this car on ebay for the week long duration, seen it on video and would of noticed that there were NO BACK UP LAMPS (of which are OPTIONAL for that year). Knowing the guy was into mustangs and already owned a few others, this is something that I’m not going bring up as its common knowledge (obviously not)

He gave the go ahead and over 3 days I negotiated the price that we wanted it for. (of which we got) and I think I even funded the sale while the buyer sorted his end out
Car was delivered and transport was booked. Import approval taken care of same day.

"MY" transporter ended up getting stuck in Miami with electrical problems with his truck lights and was delayed 6-8 days getting the car picked up on its original pick up date.

The Buyer wanted me to cancel him (as he felt I was not doing my job properly and he needed the car their ASAP) and order another truck at which I declined as I know my transporter gets my cars in delivered in the same condition as they leave and has a good knowledge of mustangs himself. He ties the cars down properly without doing any under chassis damage where as another may just chain them from the rear rails and tear em up...that was my call and I will stand by it.

DON’T TELL ME HOW TO GET YOUR CAR THERE SAFELY!!

Car was delayed in LA as every man and his dog was shipping cars to Oz due to the exchange rate. He wanted the car in Oz for his daughters formal or something like that and the importance turned into impatience. And that was my fault also

He then made a posting on the forum with out even contacting me with these concerns as he knew he was ALLREADY TOLD and SHOWN….and why???....I have no idea

He then sent me an email a few days after that posting at which I chose to ignore after I watched the video again and thought to myself…what a toss…do you really want me to post the youtube video that shows everything I covered that you are talking about?

The main concern of the inspection was “BRAKES” and discussed prior inspection and then noted in the video….
Unrealistic AND impatient

Can anyone see a pattern here. The word patience is used a lot in all of this

I cant please everyone however the realistic and patient ones are always the happiest

The amount of cars I have shi7 canned over 2010 were hundreds. You can see on youtube that Im actually telling the client that we WILL NOT BUY THIS CAR FOR THEM. I don’t care if they beg me. Yes, we loose the fee for buying one but I don’t give a rats. Its about the customer….not you and your business. Due to one of the stories above we now record all of our private calls to the buyers so these stories don’t get stretched into BS fantasy to please the individual and as you can see from the last story, it sort of proves a point. Video is Permanent and is the reason we now use it due to other 2 stories

I don’t work for impatient people and people that are unrealistic, I don’t even take them on as a client. I don’t have the time to waste. There 40 year old cars and if your going to paint a car and call it restored…well that just polishing a turd in my books if your expecting a showroom car.

Im sure the parties above can guess who they are or your all aware of whom Im talking about. Im not having a go at them personally…Im just explaining a situation that happened from my point of view. If you don’t like it, well that’s your point of view…I accept that

We have many people that email us letting us know about our service and how good of a job we have done for them. I place them in a folder and eventually we post them onto our testimonials on our site. I appreciate they take the time to write about their experience and go to the bother of taking a photo of them in front of their cars

Here is one from last week

http://mustang.org.au/forum/viewthread.php?tid=13771

For all our clients that have used us, I appreciate your patience in letting us find the car of your dreams and the fantastic feedback you have given us. Working for you was a pleasure

Matt

Most recent.
Once again thank you for everything that Shermatt done to get my car here.The inspection and the following contacts ( Schumacher and Freighnet ) were all first class , and were all to my satisfaction.I will have no problem recommending Shermatt to anybody who is looking for a first class service.
 
Regards
 
Darren
(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/MustangMayhem/Testimonial%20pics/IMG_0569.jpg)


Shermatt International worked tirelessly to search for and secure my dream car. I was highly impressed with both their professionalism and knowledge of their work and how quickly the car was bought and sent on its way. I saved a great deal of time and money by using Shermatt International and I will definitely use them again for my next purchase. I recommend anyone who is looking to buy their next pride and joy from the USA to look no further than Shermatt International.

Chris Foster, Western Australia.

1966 Ford Mustang Coupe A Code.
(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/MustangMayhem/Testimonial%20pics/1966Mustang.jpg)


My thoughts on Shermatt International Part 2....
Well as you can see by the picture car no:2 is here and to say I'm happy is a big understatement. When Matt first told me of the white/white 69 Boss that may be on the market my instructions to him were, "Please send me more info but it will more than likely be out of my price range". Anyway the pictures and reports were sent to me and the decision was taken to see what could be negotiated price wise. I had no idea where we would end up but one thing was for sure I couldn't afford the original asking price. Approx a week later I get a call from Sheri saying the car was mine if I wanted it at 20 YES $20K less than it was first offered for. Mate I was speechless and for once so was Matt (that's why Sheri the Boss made the call) All I can say is a big THANKS to Matt & Sheri for all your help and advice and again have no hesitation in recommending their services. ( And if the wife agrees we may soon be looking for car no:3 ).

Barry
1969 BOSS302

(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/MustangMayhem/Testimonial%20pics/cid_image003_jpg01CBBAFF.jpg)
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 10:33:04 am
all well and good for you to say that matt,
but you got paid your inspection fee,
you sent your mate up to inspect it,
who worked for you,
you told me car had a few things wrong but nothing serious,
you told me the people doing the work you had used them many times before and u have since used them many times after.
you and your worker kyle did all the mechanical on that.
interior that wasnt done,
brakes that were backwards, undrivable which u told me was driveable.
I still read all those emails to this day and wonder what happened,

i only speak for myself and not the poor others, rock65 and cage and others.
I admit my own fault for trusting a used car salemen with his several business names and sites.
http://www.floridastreetmachines.com/
simple I thought I could trust an Aussie I was naive and wrong.
im sure this will get removed as your a forum sponser.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rocket on February 27, 2011, 10:46:31 am

We have bought 4 cars from Matt and Sheri.

Each car was inspected by them and many, many photos provided to us showed the obvious flaws with the cars, which allowed us to decide whether to proceed with each purchase.

The cars arrived as described and we are more than happy with each car.

In his post above, Matt states that there are now certain people that he will not work with to purchase a car. I totally concur with that statement. After a while in business you develop a bit of a sixth sense with some potential customers, and if you are smart - you go with that sense in an attempt to avoid problems.

With these cars you really need to understand that they are over 40 years old and as such are certainly not going to be perfect. Unrealistic expectations are what leads to buyers remorse in some cases. Sometimes aas a seller you are on a hiding to nothing.

I think we are all sick and tired of reading the posts from a couple of members whinging about their purchase. Get over it and stop boring the rest of us!

Matt and Sheri work tirelessly in an attempt to please everybody. To them we say thank you.

Here are some pics  of the cars supplied to us -

(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg34/rocket67/001-2.jpg)

(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg34/rocket67/dadsphotos013.jpg)

(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg34/rocket67/Hail%20damaged%20Cars/005-8.jpg)

Matt and Sheri, We consider you both good friends and look forward to more dealings with you.

Rocket.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on February 27, 2011, 10:55:24 am
Quote from: rickchampion link=topic=13802.msg141604#msg141604
all well and good for you to say that matt,
but you got paid your inspection fee,
you sent your mate up to inspect it,
who worked for you,
you told me car had a few things wrong but nothing serious,
you told me the people doing the work you had used them many times before and u have since used them many times after.
you and your worker kyle did all the mechanical on that.
interior that wasnt done,
brakes that were backwards, undrivable which u told me was driveable.
I still read all those emails to this day and wonder what happened,

i only speak for myself and not the poor others, rock65 and cage and others.
I admit my own fault for trusting a dodgey used car salemen with his several business names and sites.
http://www.floridastreetmachines.com/
simple I thought I could trust an Aussie I was naive and wrong.
im sure this will get removed as your a forum sponser.


Just FYI

I was in Australia when your car was inspected and was delivered while I was in Australia. Have the plane tickets to prove that so theres no changing that story.

As for the cars on Florida street machines, there cars are for LOCAL people to inpect and buy. NONE OF THESE ARE AVAILABLE to over seas buyers unless I fly there and deliver it.

I have never heard from Cage about his car.

As for removing it Rick, well what you write is up to you.

I have written it without any names to share my POINT OF VIEW

None of it is twisted or made up like the little story about me inspecting it above which I find you seem to do alot of to try and gain votes to help your cause

If you cant agree with my opinion, then simply dont agree with an opinion

I hope you get your car on the road and you can finally enjoy it

matt
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: CPU on February 27, 2011, 11:02:47 am
Quote from: rickchampion link=topic=13802.msg141604#msg141604
all well
im sure this will get removed as your a forum sponser.


As long as everybody keeps it civil, nothing will be deleted or closed.  The fact the subject is about a forum sponsor has nothing to do with it.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Stangin on February 27, 2011, 11:11:42 am

Removed by admin

Off topic
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on February 27, 2011, 11:12:07 am
Over the last year I have been slowly chipping away at a little piece of art that Im about to start a nice build thread.

Its the 1968 S code convertible that sorted of got pryed out of my hands last year by a very convincing gentlemen

The car has been rotiserie restored and it is my little baby.

Here it is when we pulled it out of sunstate mustangs deep dark workshop

(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/MustangMayhem/1968%20Mustang%20S%20code%20conv%20ROTISERIE%20RESTORATION/DSC09184.jpg)

This is how the Fatkid builds a car and have had a ball doing it

Stay tuned

Matt
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on February 27, 2011, 11:18:52 am
Thanks for the nice words Rocket.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 1967stang on February 27, 2011, 11:32:52 am
I have met Matt and Sheri,sure Matt is a 'enthusiastic' guy who gets excited quite a bit, but I am no fool, if i say so myself, Matt is a good bloke, I followed the casper thread very closely with a very critical and suspicious eye, very early on I got the feeling that this was going to go pear shaped, but what soon became apparent when the car arrived was that the owner wanted a repeat of the hooken up thing..... get real mate, I even offered to come and give him a hand on the car....  
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 11:36:25 am
...
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Stangin on February 27, 2011, 11:45:04 am
Removed by admin

Off topic
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 11:47:06 am
once again your a new user too,
funny that.
a forum is to express opinions.
good and bad.
cant have one without the other simple.
everyone has to have their say when able.
all sides.
even outsiders not in the know such as yourself,
enough said
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Dad on February 27, 2011, 11:53:22 am
To Sheri and Matt.

From the first email, to the recent 1 hour mobile call at 4.30am your time, I have to say I am more than comfortable with the dealings we have had so far.

It was after that phone call that I sent my deposit. Happy I did - still.

I look forward to the next email with options for my consideration and to one day finding the car we are looking for.

Regards,
Andrew
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Rock65 on February 27, 2011, 12:09:48 pm
You can all have a look at the pics for yourself and tell me wether i should have paid someone $2500 to inspect  a car and tell me it was a good buy at $22,500.     http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/rock65gt350/Rust%20Bucket%20Pics/?start=all
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on February 27, 2011, 12:16:07 pm
I think anyone that replies to Rick will have fault found... New user, Forum Sponsor, whatever... Everyones in allegiance against him.

You can't go buying 40 - 50 year old cars, like shopping for VE's and FG's. If you want a car thats 99%, you need to look for a new car. If you want a car with a warranty, you need to buy a new car (not even a used car has a proper warranty). Some people just can't be pleased, in my work at dealerships with many franchises, that becomes apparent.

I am getting a car from Matt, which I had to beg to buy. It wasn't a big $$ car, so he wanted to sell it local, after all the crap with us buying cheap cars expecting unrealistic bargains. He has sent me videos, of all the visible faults. I know when it arrives it will have other stuff.... they always do. I hope it isn't major, but thats the risk you take on any used car purchase, whether it's 10 year old, or 45 years old, just the risk goes up with age. I'm confident I will get what I expect.... at least.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Stangin on February 27, 2011, 12:16:22 pm
Quote from: rickchampion link=topic=13802.msg141619#msg141619
once again your a new user too,
funny that.
a forum is to express opinions.
good and bad.
cant have one without the other simple.
everyone has to have their say when able.
all sides.
even outsiders not in the know such as yourself,
enough said


{Non constructive comments removed by admin.
Please keep your posts constructive and on topic.}
peterp

yes l feel bad, that l feel the need not to identify what other user names l go buy, but that's my business - not yours.

if your trying to imply that, I'm really Matt - then your sadly mistaken and barking up the wrong tree.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:17:28 pm
..
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on February 27, 2011, 12:20:34 pm
Rock, Whats the rest of the car like?
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Stangin on February 27, 2011, 12:21:41 pm
Non constructive comment removed by admin.

peterp
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on February 27, 2011, 12:22:04 pm
I think the moral of the story it to have realistic expectations, know what you're looking at, get a 2nd opinion from the RW guy in your home state if you need to, and be patient.

Remember these aren't used fleet cars at the Auctions, these are 45 year old muscle cars that have most likely been treated like crap as hack cars for 1/2 their life.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:23:58 pm
you talk of maturity yet you haide your real identity stangin ha.
sorry steph,
ive deleted all the posts now.
cant deal with some people
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: CPU on February 27, 2011, 12:33:36 pm
Gentleman, please.............. :toetap:
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Stangin on February 27, 2011, 12:33:48 pm
Non constructive comment removed by admin

peterp
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on February 27, 2011, 12:34:32 pm
No more pics of the outside and inside of Rocks car?
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:38:57 pm
hey stangin,
if you read right i didnt dredge it up,
I was defending myself in response to other post,
might wanna get your old eyes checked
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: peterp on February 27, 2011, 12:39:16 pm
C'mon guys and girls,  keep your comments on topic and constructive.

All posts not deemed to be so on this thread will be edited.

peterp
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:41:17 pm
hey peter,
how come these people setting up fake accounts that are to cowardly to show their real names get to keep going on
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: fordtj69 on February 27, 2011, 12:43:00 pm
hey you can't use the bat and ball line thats mine to upset people i have copyright :sarcasm:
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: peterp on February 27, 2011, 12:43:03 pm
Fair comment Rick.

Unfortunately we have to give them the benefit of the doubt untill proven otherwise.

peterp
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:44:07 pm
i think this post proves that
Not a new user - just trying to respect the forums rules and politely tell you to grow up.

Not all of us want to continually hear you whining about it all the time.

yes l feel bad, that l feel the need not to identify what other user names l go buy, but that's my business - not yours.

if your trying to imply that, I'm really Matt - then your sadly mistaken and barking up the wrong tree.

Just a fellow member who's sick of hearing your dribble.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 66Scotty on February 27, 2011, 12:46:40 pm
Hey Matt.

Good to see you are allowed to have a right of reply. Interesting stories. Unlike someone else who we dare not speak his name for fear of retribution.

I agree that both sides of an argument are allowed equal time to put their case forward. This is a democracy right??

Scotty
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: CPU on February 27, 2011, 12:47:40 pm
Starting to drift off topic.  May want to discuss forum operations via U2U or email.


Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on February 27, 2011, 12:48:06 pm
PeterP

Can you please check the IP address of the user that wishes to remain anonymous and confirm that its not me.

I think thats where that was going?

I think that if anyone wishes to make a comment they can, but to get into a slagging match with a specific person is pointless.

I did not write the post to turn it into a Shit slinging but to voice my opinion of wich all of you have now heard.


Rick, you have spoken your mind and I have spoken mine.

Let the rest have there say

Matt
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:49:30 pm
matt i didnt think it was you,
not your writing style,
i know who the coward is,
but ill keep quite.
i shall remain quite and voice my opinion in my own thread,
thanks heaps,
Rick
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: peterp on February 27, 2011, 12:50:16 pm
LOL, it's not you Shermatt.

But there are few mavericks on here that have registered recently.

They usually trip themselves up.

peterp
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 1967stang on February 27, 2011, 12:50:48 pm
Non constructive comment removed by admin.

1967stang Please refrain from posting replies on this thread because you haven't been a member long enough with your present user name to have any knowledge of what the issue is all about.

Your true user name might give you more credibility, if you have one.

peterp
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:51:52 pm
funny all the guys that helped im still friends with and talk to,
enough said
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 1967stang on February 27, 2011, 12:54:50 pm
Bad comments removed by admin.

I'm not going to sit here all day editing off topic comments.

peterp
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rickchampion on February 27, 2011, 12:56:08 pm
but they still ring me and chat and email,
fair enough buddy
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: soc123_au on February 27, 2011, 01:02:55 pm
This has been done to death. I also have been following this from the begining. My first intruduction to the casper thread was Stanglover ringing me with a please explain as to why it was costing what it was to do his Eleanor. I told him to sit tight & watch Casper unfold. Needless to say Stanglover is a happy boy now.

Its a sad & sorry story as we all know, but I understand Rick being cut & I also understand Matt feeling the same way. From my understanding Matt has gone out on a limb trying to hook up a brother & it has turned to shi7. Similar end result to the original hookin up a brother, but for different reasons. (my ar$e is still bleeding from that one)

My opinion is Matt hasnt "Ripped" anyone. To rip someone off involves financial gain. I know what it costs to build these cars & I reckon Matt has torn up 8 to 10k over this deal. Rick has probaly torn up a similar figure.  No one wins, everyone looses. Life goes on.

Rick, just get on with building your car mate. Once its finished to how you imagined all this will seem like a bad dream & you can get happy. In reality your car will owe you around the same coin as Stanglover spent. Its what it costs no matter how you crunch it. As I say to anyone wanting to build a "GOOD" Eleanor, if you dant have 100k minimum dont bother.

Matt, shi7 happens, no one can keep everyone happy all of the time. Got a horror story or 2 of my own. The worst one involves using sub contractor. Its hard to control things that arent done under your roof. As long as the happy far outweigh the sad then we must be doing something right. The sad are still entitled to feel the way they do, we just need to learn from why they are pi$$ed & avoid the same mistakes down the road.

As for Rocks story I dont know enough to comment, from what I can gather he is getting on with getting it on the road & power to him for that.

Cage's car I am obviously well versed in. Cage is a stand up guy & he is just carrying on with getting the car done. No whinging, no tears.  We had a good chat when the car arrived & the decision was made to just make it a beast of a car & let history be history. Also what the car owed landed wasnt that far off its market value anyway. Had the mexicans not got involved & a few k wasted there it would have been a very good buy. By the end of this year it will be tearing up the streets & the sad times will be gone.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Rock65 on February 27, 2011, 01:31:04 pm
Quote from: BLKPNY link=topic=13802.msg141633#msg141633
No more pics of the outside and inside of Rocks car?
  Here are a few more pics Steph. The issue is with the under carriage. But you know what they say"You cant polish a turd"       http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/rock65gt350/
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: mach70 on February 27, 2011, 01:37:14 pm
Quote from: Rock65 link=topic=13802.msg141706#msg141706
Quote from: BLKPNY link=topic=13802.msg141633#msg141633
No more pics of the outside and inside of Rocks car?
  Here are a few more pics Steph. The issue is with the under carriage. But you know what they say"You cant polish a turd"       http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/rock65gt350/



You can polish a turd...its just that all you end up with is a highly poished turd....oh and smelly hands.....:smile01:


Rock looks like you have the same sort of challenge I do....good Luck

Shawn
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on February 27, 2011, 02:31:11 pm
Assuming the rest of the car looks good, I'm not seeing anything underneath that is worthy of a Reshell. A few patches, yes, nothing that makes it a writeoff.
At $100 per patch..... thats a lot of patches!
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Muzzy 66 on February 27, 2011, 04:30:52 pm
Have to say well done to the admins,Wont here that often from here,and also the users well most, for keeping it as is.

Im a beleiver in you get what you pay for.
Also a beleiver what you read on sites like this often have 3 sides to the story,what you read from both parties,and what you hear from peoples mouths away from the forums.

Its off the forums from nuetral people where I find the best info.

Research is of most importance.

There are no winners here,Everyone and every business has people who like and dont like them/it.
Thats life,unfortunatley some of the guys have spent more than what they wanted,reverting back to getting what you pay for.
There are many $69 flights,many shows and many decent cars here in Australia to view as possible purchases before putting your dreams in someone elses hands.

Hope you all get to drive your dream and enjoy it.

Hoorroo

Luke
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: jmd1 on February 27, 2011, 05:22:30 pm
My 2cents.
I used Shermatt to check a vehicle for me just over 12 months ago. I explained to Matt what I was looking for in the vehicle and what I was not.
Within 24 hours of first contact Matt had sorted  and arranged an inspection.
Following this he sent me a truck load of photos of the good the bad and the not so bad.
Overall my experience was good, communication excellent, would use again.
I don't post on here often anymore, but this thread has been building up for a while now, so it is probably best that any grievances get aired and GTF over it.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Chopper on February 27, 2011, 08:07:39 pm
Quote from: Shermatt link=topic=13802.msg141612#msg141612
Over the last year I have been slowly chipping away at a little piece of art that I'm about to start a nice build thread.

Its the 1968 S code convertible that sorted of got pryed out of my hands last year by a very convincing gentlemen

The car has been rotiserie restored and it is my little baby.

Here it is when we pulled it out of sunstate mustangs deep dark workshop

(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu176/MustangMayhem/1968%20Mustang%20S%20code%20conv%20ROTISERIE%20RESTORATION/DSC09184.jpg)

This is how the Fatkid builds a car and have had a ball doing it

Stay tuned

Matt


I have known Matt and Sheri  for over a a year now and i find them very genuine people, i am the "convincing gentlemen" that Matt refers to in his post.
We negotiated a price that we were both happy with, we agreed that there may be some extra costs as you can see from the photo we were starting with a lot of unknown.
we also agreed to be PATIENT as Matt also has to make a living he is not running a charity.
the S code vert project has been running for more than a year now and we are in the home stretch, Matt has always kept me informed with updates and over 200 photos in a photobucket account.
i have read recently on this and other forums of success storys using Shermatt international and they all come back to the same thing, they were all patient and waited for the right car and the right deal.
I certainly would recommend anyone to Shermatt (Matt and sheri) on the proviso that they be patient and let him do what he does best
Chopper  
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on February 27, 2011, 08:31:31 pm
I'm jealous Chopper..... That Vert was almost mine.....
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Chopper on February 27, 2011, 08:46:40 pm
Quote from: BLKPNY link=topic=13802.msg141792#msg141792
I'm jealous Chopper..... That Vert was almost mine.....


Sorry BLKPNY but timing is everything, no hard feeling i hope.
my shout.
Chopper
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on February 27, 2011, 08:59:54 pm
Not at all! Matt thought better of it at the time.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Ausjacko on February 27, 2011, 09:09:47 pm
Does anyone remember who was the impetus behind that Hookin' up a Brother project?  If we are going to consider someone's intent/scruples  let's look broadly at what they have acheived.
Rick, in your shoes I would be pissed like you, it is your hard enrned at stake here.  
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Red 66 on February 27, 2011, 10:09:31 pm
Hey Matt just got back from the Canberra show,didn't take my car
across but took Rob's convertible over for the weekend and did some
fabulous cruising. Nothing but compliments about the car so you can
put both him and I down as very satisfied customers.

Thanks again Barry :thumb::thumb:
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: jusTANG on February 27, 2011, 10:20:19 pm
yes you did cruise and were more then happy to intise caring punters into the vert no matter what you say :smile01: and she was still smiling talking about her ride this evening over dinner

(http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww53/Ausjacko/IMG_9031.jpg)[/quote]

nice car Matt, good find:cool:
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on February 28, 2011, 11:50:54 pm
Quote from: Chopper link=topic=13802.msg141799#msg141799
Quote from: BLKPNY link=topic=13802.msg141792#msg141792
I'm jealous Chopper..... That Vert was almost mine.....


Sorry BLKPNY but timing is everything, no hard feeling i hope.
my shout.
Chopper


BLKPNY

I think I had 5 people wanting that car

Chopper is just a very convincing person. He worked the Fatkid daily untill I said yes.

Allthough it has dragged on, I have had alot of fun building it and were almost done

As for the unknows, yes, there have been a few and Im hit with one on Friday. Has to go back into paint...I wasnt happy with the overall finish so Im dropping it back this morning

Please dont hold it against me, that Chopper is a SHNEAKY PLICK :rol::rol::rol:

Matt
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BLKPNY on March 01, 2011, 07:21:06 am
I'm not surprised!
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Chopper on March 01, 2011, 07:39:24 am
Quote from: Shermatt link=topic=13802.msg141948#msg141948
Quote from: Chopper link=topic=13802.msg141799#msg141799
Quote from: BLKPNY link=topic=13802.msg141792#msg141792
I'm jealous Chopper..... That Vert was almost mine.....


Sorry BLKPNY but timing is everything, no hard feeling i hope.
my shout.
Chopper


BLKPNY

I think I had 5 people wanting that car

Chopper is just a very convincing person. He worked the Fatkid daily untill I said yes.

Allthough it has dragged on, I have had alot of fun building it and were almost done

As for the unknows, yes, there have been a few and Im hit with one on Friday. Has to go back into paint...I wasnt happy with the overall finish so Im dropping it back this morning

Please dont hold it against me, that Chopper is a SHNEAKY PLICK :rol::rol::rol:

Matt


Hey not so much the SHNEAKY:cool:
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: davo65 on March 02, 2011, 10:58:52 pm

Quote from: davo65 link=topic=9983.msg141286#msg141286

Maybe it's time for the fine upstanding person who procured the car and so-called "restoration/restomod" for you to make a donation towards your new paint job, and in the process, restore some credibility. Apologies if he/she has already done the right thing by you.
davo65



Matt, please allow me to apologise. There are two sides to every story, and I have now read both (I only just stumbled upon this thread tonight). As I suggested in my original post as partially quoted above, I missed the lead up to removal of the original "Casper" thread. So apart from the progressive photos that (as someone else suggested in this thread) showed that the Eleanor "project" was going to end in tears, I wasn't aware of the shoe string budget provided to you (or as you say, the "Mexicans") for the so-called restoration/resto-mod or the fact that you didn't actually sell him the car. When you responded by saying he should have spent the $7k in the first place, I started to realise I should have just kept my mouth shut. You do get what you pay for!

As someone who has restored a locally purchased basket case into a properly restored '65 A Code Fastback that I am proud to show and drive, I understand the importance of patience (the shell was with my panel beater/painter for 2 years) and great cost it takes to achieve it. I even did all the disassembly and reassembly work myself!

Anyway, I am just finishing my slice of "humble pie". Another lesson learnt.

Cheers,

Michael (davo65)

Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on March 05, 2011, 12:09:55 am
Michael

No need for an appolgie mate as I wasnt having a crack at anyone but I do appreciate the fact you took the time to write it

Hope you had fun with your project.

I love building them but as you well know now, a project is exactly what it is and normally on a greater scale than you can imagine. There 40 years old and once you strip them back to steel you can see exactly how much love they have had

Thanks for the reply

Matt
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: mjb0015 on March 08, 2011, 12:01:49 am
Hey everyone, its been a while since I have posted on this forum, after reading this thread, I feel I need to say this.
 I am getting a 65 A code GT through Matt, Top Bloke, couldn't find a nicer and more genuine person to deal with. Matt has been so professional in his dealings with me, his communication, information, positive attitude and making you feel reassured that he has everything in control, allows me to sleep well at night knowing that from his end things are being taken care of. And the amount of photo/video footage that he provides is exceptional.
So for anyone considering the daunting task of buying a car from the US, Matt would be the person I recommend, to help you find the right car.
Sh*t sounds like I'm working for him.
I am looking forward to seeing my GT.

mjb
 
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: rattusrex on March 17, 2011, 09:53:02 pm
Interesting thread, probably should be in forum chat rather than buried here. Like I keep on saying, "Be careful there are sharks out there". There are no "friends" when there's a buck involved especially when it comes to old cars. Eddie
P.S. It's nice to see the old faces come back from that other Mustang forum to speak up for their mate. Very Australian.
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on June 21, 2012, 02:53:43 pm
I thought I'd add to this my experience with Shermatt International and a bit of info for anyone considering importing to let you know what to expect.

The Good ...

Firstly, it was pleasant dealing with Matt and Sheri and I'm really happy with the end result.

This was my first time importing, I didn't want to take risks with unknowns and after reading a few of the comments above and in other posts I kept Shermatt as an option. I followed the 'Florida Finds' for some time and when I saw one I liked decided to give Matt a call.   During our discussion I could see he knew what he was talking about and his efforts saved me a great deal of hassle. Throughout the process, he was always helpful, quick to respond, kept in touch, made it all easy and most importantly - delivered to expectation, in fact it's pretty much how he put it later on, 'be patient, it's about getting you the right car'.   

When Matt's travelling he can take a few days to reply to emails but he said if anything was urgent to give him a call, as long as he was awake (time difference) he'd answer.

Here's a rundown of how it all went:

9th November 2011.

Matt posts an ad in Florida Finds for this fastback:

VID00002 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHU_koFcXRM#ws)

I called Matt, he sent more pics and after some research I saw an online magazine article on it as well as a few youtube clips so I sent Matt the money. 

During the process the owner gets offered 7k more at a car show and ups the price.  This was a real let-down, I wasn't prepared to pay what he was asking, Matt was on the seller's case for a few weeks and tried to bargain him back down - no go!

My concern at the time was I had such a large sum of money sitting overseas with someone I've never met and barely know.  It was a real worry, it was close to Xmas and my money's overseas without even a car in mind.

I started browsing (along with Matt) many car ads for either a mid-year Corvette or 66 Mustang, there was one close call with a 67 'vette - it looked great in the photos but luckily I found out through the Corvette forum it had been checked out, had a 15 foot paint job and everyone there said it was overpriced.  There was also a few nice dealer Mustangs which I suggested to Matt along the way.  Thankfully Matt steered me clear of them, they looked good but in his opinion were all overpriced.  We'd been sharing opinions on quite a few Mustangs and Corvettes and by that time I was starting to look forward to owning a midyear 'vette

9th January 2012.

Matt sends me these pics.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/stephenslr/Mustang651.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/stephenslr/Mustang654.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/stephenslr/Mustang653.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/stephenslr/Mustang655.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v14/stephenslr/65Mustang6.jpg)

BINGO!  A great looking car at a much better price than the red one.  The interior and drive-train were also more to my taste, the last pic shows the car with bonnet stripes so it had been some time between pics. I quickly replied, 'if it's anywhere near as good as it is in the photos - buy it!'

It's not a 'vette but for my money I couldn't get a midyear of this calibre so I'm quite happy.

The Bad ...

If I could call anything bad it's not to do with Shermatt but factors and costs associated with importing.  Regardless of who you go with, it ain't cheap but having said that, after you add up all the costs you can still end up saving money compared to buying local if you buy the right car and there's a good range to choose from in the US - even less now with this one currently in Aus. :lol:.

For anyone considering importing, here's a few things to keep in mind: -

Currency fluctuation:-  Unfortunately I sent Matt the money while the AUD took a brief nose-dive.  If I'd sent the money 2 weeks either way I'd have anywhere up to $1,500 extra in my hand today    :ouch:   

I had to send it over reasonably quick not to miss out on the red fastback .... and then the owner jacks up the price?    :ouch:

Matt explained the costs involved during our first phone call, his usual fee, transporting the car from location to docks, Schumacher's shipping fee, import approval, insurance, customs, GST etc. Admittedly at the time I didn't know another company (Freightnet) took over on 'this side of the pond'. 

Travelling expenses (if required) : - if you go with any inspector and the car is not local to them you have to pay for their expenses associated with travelling. Matt explained all this beforehand.  My company pays for all my expenses when I travel for work so I know how it goes.  If you end up having an inspector do a few interstate inspections, it'll get expensive and it's best to check with Matt beforehand to make sure you know what costs you can be up for. Thankfully I got the car on first inspection.

Customs: - Another big hit is the 10% Customs GST. Note: it isn't 10% on the cost (sale price) of the car. You pay 10% GST on the CIF value that is 10% x (Cost + Insurance + Freight).  If you insure it's usually 2-3% of what you want to insure it for, I was recommended to insure for the market value in Aus. The freight component is the port to port cost charged by the shipping company.

Shipping companies: -

With some gripes about shipping fees in another thread on the forum:

http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,10569.0.html (http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,10569.0.html) 

I decided to ring around to compare prices.  Schumacher charge $1,550 for shipping and charged me $250 to de-gas the air-con. Mainfreight they say it costs $100 to degas in L.A. and they add $25 to get it done at their facility so getting back to Schumacher I asked how they justify $250 for a de-gas, they told me they have their own set price and I knew of it beforehand. True, I knew of it ... after I was locked in and paid them for shipping and it's not like I can get someone else to do it while it's in their hands. They were however kind enough to throw in a free clean of the car (it was covered in dirt when it arrived) and to waive a second online transaction fee since they billed me later for the de-gas.  I also insured through Schumacher at 2.25% of market value, some shipping companies include insurance in their price for total loss or up to a certain value so it's definitely worth shopping around for the best deal.

Freightnet's price seemed high, they get charged per container and then charge each car owner a rate per cubic metre, after a bit of negotiating they gave me some relief on their cubic metre rate and the final price was $1,712.  Add to this $200 for AQIS steam cleaning, at the docks I could still see light dirt in the engine bay and grille so I don't know if they really cleaned it but I wasn't going to point that out to them and get hit up for another clean.

I had a good chat with Lee Amour at Mainfreight, they bought out Kiwi shipping and acquired a large depot in L.A., it's run by an Aussie and they ship to Sydney Brisbane and Melbourne every 2 weeks.  They charge around $3,000 all up for shipping so I could've saved a few hundred going with them and it may have arrived a little sooner but be wary ... I've haven't read feedback from anyone that's used them.  Matt's trusts Schumacher and I've read good reviews about Schumacher/Freightnet from forum members.  Mainfreight did mention the first 3 weeks storage in L.A. is free then they charge by the week for additional storage, Schumacher didn't charge for storage in L.A.   If you go with Mainfreight and the car is held up in L.A. it could be a case of, 'what you lose on the swings you make on the roundabouts' when compared to Schumacher. 

I've seen some US car dealer ads where they claim they can ship a car to Aus. and quote a cheap price but it's only the shipping price from US port to Aus. port, add to this any trucking fees to the port and what they also don't tell you (as you can see above) is you have to pay at least that much again at an Aus. port to unload, so keep that in mind.

The Ugly ...

What I could refer to as 'the ugly' is post-purchase  ...  the waiting.

9th January 2012. Matt sends me the pics above.

13th January 2012. Matt inspects and buys the car in Denver Colorado.

26th January 2012. I receive shipment instruction from Schumacher.

Schumacher waits for the import approval to clear before they ship it.

15th March 2012 I received the import approval from Matt which was also sent to Schumacher, upon which they book the car to a container.  I'm told the container has to fill before they book it to a ship.

One hiccough, the owner of the car had the wrong VIN on the cert. of title. I could've kept hush and let it sail with the wrong VIN but I didn't want to risk it so alerted Schumacher. Matt in his wisdom applies for another import approval with correct VIN, it arrived in the meantime and didn't affect the wait (afaik) as the car was already booked to sail.  Schumacher charged $200 to get the title corrected.

Lee (Mainfreight) said that price sounds right and Schumacher did the right thing to wait for approval, if you send a car over and the approval isn't ready when it lands, you'll get charged like a wounded bull for storage in Aus. till it's approved.

9th April 2012 Ship departs Long Beach California

13th May 2012 Ship arrives in Sydney

17th May 2012 Car is unloaded by Freightnet

18th May 2012 Quarantine inspects it and states: 'soil detected underneath of car' and it costs $200 for a steam clean. It gets inspected again that day (for a fee), approved and is ready for release after I pay Freightnet's final invoice.  It's Friday the warehouse closes 3pm and I have to wait till Monday.

21st May 2012  I turn up to the warehouse with documents, once cleared I call the tow truck. We tow the car to SMS Padstow for a blue slip inspection.

As I drive into the sunset...

Both the tow truck driver and Chris at SMS said the Mustang is the best one they've seen to come straight off the docks. Another guy was picking up his black 65 fastback at the docks at the same time, we got speaking and the US sale price on his was $500 more than mine, the rear quarters are bogged (at least), interior not as good, no mods apart from Foose wheels. Don't get me wrong it's a great looking car.  He bought his off ebay un-inspected and sure, I paid more on top for Matt's inspection, services, advice, etc. but I know which car I'd rather any day.  His car was stock as a rock and he got his blue slip straight up.  Not the case for me, there's some modifications so I've got a few hurdles to jump before this pony can be set free.

There's arguments about buying local vs. imported, personally I did like the choice and prices of cars in the US, all up this was a great learning experience for me and it was fun window shopping for US cars.   It seemed so easy at first I even entertained the thought of updating with a new classic car each year but finding the right car can take quite some time and the long wait to get it here, compliance, etc. makes that dream a little unrealistic.  Also the car Matt got me is stunning, everyone who's seen it is impressed and it sounds killer! I think I'll stick with this one for a while.  I'm still a little hooked on browsing so who knows, maybe every few years?  :lol:

Those keen to see more, Matt's inspection video, pics and details about my car here:

http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,18004.0.html (http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,18004.0.html)

Closing credits...

Would I recommend Shermatt International?

Certainly!

I wouldn't have got this car without them.

After such a long slog getting it here it's finally in my garage and a big thank you goes to Matt and Sheri for making it happen.

s
Title: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: HAPPY ONE on June 21, 2012, 04:35:26 pm
In keeping my 2 cents worth short and sweet –

I can only speak of our experience and also recommend their services “based on our own experience”.


We had a very simular experience as StephenSLR. l too engaged Matt & Sheri (approx 2 years ago) to track down a good daily driver convertible for me & my wife to enjoy. …(OK – more me then her…but she loves it almost as much as l do !!)

In all honesty, we have not looked back since.....and totally love what the end result has turned out to be.

sure - I have since poured a few $K (OK a lot of dosh) in to my car since getting it, but don’t regret it one little bit.

I'm sure I will spend many more dollars on it as we go ---- That’s the key …you have to expect to do this !!

The way I look at it,  is this:

A. I got more than I paid for in the beginning - even though the car had a few issues ( what 44 year old car doesn't) – maybe I was just very lucky that it had nothing too serious ??

B. Everything that I have done to my car since - just ads my little signature to what it has now become. So no regrets !!

I love getting it out on the weekends for a cruise and hate it when we can’t get it out !!

My wife & I are now looking forward to catching up with Matt & Sheri in person later this year when we travel to the USA. ....we consider them to be part of our Mustang family.

Finally – my recommendation is to keep all options open when purchasing a car regardless of where you purchase …USA/ OR HERE---- but most of all never be stupid enough to buy sight unseen --- always use someone you feel you can trust to give it an independant evaluation!!


:agree:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Thirsty428 on October 08, 2012, 09:10:42 pm
A big 2 thumbs up from me.

Matt and Sheri just organised a car out of the USA and the transaction was very smooth.
They gave me detailed shots of the car and every part of it, including any marks or scratches.
They negotiated the price and saves us quite a bit.

After the purchase, the continuing communication was nothing short of outstanding.
Matt and Sheri organised everything.
They really do make sure the customer is looked after.
I got photos of the car being picked up to be transported to California.

I then got emails from Schumacher with tracking details and photos of the car at their warehouse.
As soon as it left I got the bill of lading.
Within a day, Freightnet in Victoria contacted me.
I advised them I was going to be away from a certain date and asked if they could have the papework sorted before I leave.
It was all done right on time and they were very efficient.

Throughout this time, Matt and Sheri were always in contact.

The time from when I bought the car and it was ready for pick up in Melbourne was around 9 weeks.
Bloody quick in my opinion.

Mat and Sheri made the process very simple and were nothing short of a pleasure the deal with.
I highly recommend them.
They gave me every receipt of every expense for the trip to inspect the car.
It was well worth it for peace of mind knowing the car had a good checking over as we all know pictures can be decieving.

Thanks Matt and Sheri for organising our car.
Your friendly service and sharp organising skills made the whole process a pleasure.
I can't recommend Shermatt highly enough.
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: MachAttack on October 08, 2012, 09:22:30 pm
 Are you ready to let the cat out of the bag yet Thirsty??? So what did you buy? :toetapping:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Equip 2000 on October 08, 2012, 09:29:13 pm
Hey Thirsty, this new cat, that is in the bag.
Will we see it at the Round Up ???
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: IGALOP on October 08, 2012, 11:41:41 pm
C'mon Thirsty. What is it? :toetapping:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Thirsty428 on October 09, 2012, 11:50:30 am
Thanks for your interest guys.
I will sort out some pics on another thread when I get some time as, I dont want this thread to vere off topic.

cheers

Kind Regards,
John
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: pegasus on October 11, 2012, 03:19:34 pm
I'll let you's know, My car landed in Freo on the 7th with no paper work and the brokers are asking me for it, Which I don't have and Matt isn't answering my e-mails ???????
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on October 11, 2012, 03:26:12 pm
with no paper work and the brokers are asking me for it

You didn't receive it all via email?  All my papers were emailed to me prior and you have to print this out and bring it with you to the docks.

The paperwork won't come with the car, there is a bit of to and fro emailing and printing paperwork from the shipping company (Freightnet in my case) who won't be there on the docks either and you have to pay them off as well as AQIS and bring all that paperwork as well before it will be released.

Matt isn't answering my e-mails ???????

When Matt's travelling he can take a few days to reply to emails but he said if anything was urgent to give him a call, as long as he was awake (time difference) he'd answer.

Try him on the phone.

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: pegasus on October 11, 2012, 06:28:45 pm
The only thing I got E-mailed was the invoice for the shipping cost from Schumachers, The brokers are asking me for,

1.     Import approval for Department of Infrastructure
2.     Freight account from Schumacher Cargo Logistics
3.     Invoice for the payment made for the Air Conditioner degass
4.     Bill of sale/purchase invoice for the vehicle 
 
And I wont be collecting anything from the docks/customs as I live 1700km away from Freo.
Last time I called Matt about 4 weeks ago{ about somthing eles] he was busy and said he would call back, he must still be busy.....
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: MachAttack on October 11, 2012, 06:58:33 pm
Hi Pegasus, Schumacher will have sent you an invoice and proof of payment of their fees. With my car this was all emailed to me and I forwarded this on to Freightnet at this end. Did you have Schumacher perform the degassing? As for the approval and bill of sale I guess you can only get this from Matt but it's probably worth checking with Schumacher to see if they also have a copy of it. I believe Schumacher posted the original bill of sale and approval directly to Freightnet as I received this in the mail from them a couple of weeks after I had the car. I hope you can get it all sorted quickly.
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: pegasus on October 11, 2012, 07:59:40 pm
I'm sure we'll get there in the end, But I have the worst luck when it comes to cars,  I must of smashed a mirror over a gypsy's head whilst standing under a ladder and stepping on a black cat in the process, In a former life, in 20+ years, nothing every really go's right for me car wise...
It would be just my luck some wharfy in L.A. Has stashed 10kg of coke in the car, and the car will get impounded as evidence for the next 4 years, then I'LL get a bill for 100K for impound/storage fees to get it back.... after the CSI boys have stripped it to a shell looking for anything else and have since lost halve of the bits...
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on October 11, 2012, 08:31:50 pm

It would be just my luck some wharfy in L.A. Has stashed 10kg of coke in the car

Terry...under the back seat on the passengers side mate  :thumb:
Just kiddin wid ya

On another note...we took care of this weeks ago and got ANOTHER email yesterday CC'd to about 100 other people asking the SAME thing again.

I clicked reply ALL saying WTF. (not really but I wanted too) Sheri then replied ALL with all the details as the email I received they had sent freightnet the wrong import approval for 3 camaros saying "Here it is"....Im like...WTF?? again

Shoot me a quick email again and I will get all this off to you. (Sheri sent this to you about a week ago) As for the Degas...schumacher have the copy of this)

Gives a call if ya want...been up since 3.30 so I could use a good talking too from T-rex

Matt

Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on October 11, 2012, 08:37:48 pm
A big 2 thumbs up from me.

Matt and Sheri just organised a car out of the USA and the transaction was very smooth.
They gave me detailed shots of the car and every part of it, including any marks or scratches.
They negotiated the price and saves us quite a bit.

After the purchase, the continuing communication was nothing short of outstanding.
Matt and Sheri organised everything.
They really do make sure the customer is looked after.
I got photos of the car being picked up to be transported to California.

I then got emails from Schumacher with tracking details and photos of the car at their warehouse.
As soon as it left I got the bill of lading.
Within a day, Freightnet in Victoria contacted me.
I advised them I was going to be away from a certain date and asked if they could have the papework sorted before I leave.
It was all done right on time and they were very efficient.

Throughout this time, Matt and Sheri were always in contact.

The time from when I bought the car and it was ready for pick up in Melbourne was around 9 weeks.
Bloody quick in my opinion.

Mat and Sheri made the process very simple and were nothing short of a pleasure the deal with.
I highly recommend them.
They gave me every receipt of every expense for the trip to inspect the car.
It was well worth it for peace of mind knowing the car had a good checking over as we all know pictures can be decieving.

Thanks Matt and Sheri for organising our car.
Your friendly service and sharp organising skills made the whole process a pleasure.
I can't recommend Shermatt highly enough.

Thanks for the kind words mate.

Patience paid off big time on this one. I hope you and Bec are enjoying your new ##########. Say happy Birthday to Chloe from Sheri and myself

When are you going to let the cat out of your bags?  :lmao:
I want photos of what you said you were going to do YEAH?
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on October 11, 2012, 08:40:07 pm
I believe Schumacher posted the original bill of sale and approval directly to Freightnet as I received this in the mail from them a couple of weeks after I had the car.

Ah yes, I did actually receive the orig. cert. of title and some documents, I think it was from Frieghtnet.

Yeah the degas, etc. all has to be paid before it's released and I email forwarded all the invoice receipts from Schumacher to Frieghtnet.

Matt had emailed me the bill of sale and import approval and I just printed them, it was pretty simple.

If there's more than one car on the import approval you only need a copy because there's only one original approval and they can't give say 5 of you the original.

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on October 11, 2012, 08:45:11 pm
Just kiddin wid ya

Yep, that was in my car.

:lol:

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: pegasus on October 11, 2012, 08:51:15 pm
Not going to start a shit fight but,
'Shoot me a quick email again and I will get all this off to you. (Sheri sent this to you about a week ago)"
NO e-mail this end about a week ago. check ya e-mail sent ya one yesterday about the import approval paper work....
I'll give ya a call dude...
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Shermatt on October 11, 2012, 09:33:42 pm
T-rex....I just resent (CC'd to you) all of the paperwork there requesting. and I have an email from last week from everyone saying "thanks"...maybe I forgot to CC you in last weeks email...but...they all have it and they have it from yesterday from Sheri and I just sent it again at 530am (you included)...hopefully its all good now

Can you confirm that you have all the PDF's. Title, Bill of sale, Import App, the chocalate bar, newspaper, rubber gloves, thermal socks, chewing gum, stubbie holder and the bear claw?

 :grin:

PS. Your new radiator rolled up last week also

Matt
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: pegasus on October 12, 2012, 01:20:31 am
Bugger, what happened to the sundried honey glaze buffalo testicle snacks, they are a tad chewy. but Snack is proberly not the right word, they really are a mouthfull.....
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: pegasus on October 12, 2012, 01:22:02 am
ooops wrong buttton...
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Thirsty428 on October 12, 2012, 08:18:21 pm
Thanks for the kind words mate.

Patience paid off big time on this one. I hope you and Bec are enjoying your new ##########. Say happy Birthday to Chloe from Sheri and myself

When are you going to let the cat out of your bags?  :lmao:
I want photos of what you said you were going to do YEAH?

Hi Matt and Sheri,

I havent had a chance to do proper pics.
Been working on her throughout the week getting her ready.
Its great learning about a completely different car.
I will get some photos up this weekend and post them (and let the cat out).

John
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: jusTANG on October 12, 2012, 08:36:46 pm
Hi Matt and Sheri,

I havent had a chance to do proper pics.
Been working on her throughout the week getting her ready.
Its great learning about a completely different car.
I will get some photos up this weekend and post them (and let the cat out).

John

John John John......... :itsnotfair:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: red066 on October 12, 2012, 09:18:05 pm
come on out with it thirsty

Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: evan on October 12, 2012, 09:36:57 pm
Have you jumped ship Thirsty? (not that there's anything wrong with that).

C'mon, cough up!

Evan.
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Thirsty428 on October 12, 2012, 10:16:15 pm
OK..... I will get some proper pics up this weekend. :bolt:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: IGALOP on October 12, 2012, 10:22:49 pm
So I take it that, when the women in your life celebrate a birthday, you are given permission to buy them an expensive new toy! :grin:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: mwizz on October 13, 2012, 11:32:05 am
Mine cost me a new kitchen
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 66 Hertz on October 13, 2012, 11:48:19 am
Mine cost me a new kitchen

is she still chained up in there Mark......  :grin:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on October 13, 2012, 11:49:48 am
Mine cost me a new kitchen

Just keep reminding yourelf, with a bit of aluminium foil you can cook a meal in your engine bay but you can't drive around in your kitchen.

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 66 Hertz on October 13, 2012, 12:02:15 pm
Just keep reminding yourelf, with a bit of aluminium foil you can cook a meal in your engine bay but you can't drive around in your kitchen.

s

(http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww313/ozzyone_photos/FUN%20STUFF/10810341_45f4dd4d55_0.jpg)
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: mwizz on October 13, 2012, 04:35:11 pm
is she still chained up in there Mark......  :grin:

No Dale, she managed to get out of them
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Macka on October 13, 2012, 04:41:47 pm
THirsty, I keep getting asked what it is by others...

Why not start a thread to see what people guess it to be first before the release?


OK..... I will get some proper pics up this weekend. :bolt:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: evan on October 13, 2012, 05:06:38 pm
G O G G O.........
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: IGALOP on October 13, 2012, 06:26:22 pm
My guesses are Camaro, Chevelle or CORVETTE. :drool:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Thirsty428 on October 13, 2012, 07:53:47 pm
First thing tomorrow I will take some more pics
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 66 Hertz on October 13, 2012, 08:01:42 pm
oh tomorrow............thats ages!
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: pegasus on October 18, 2012, 03:21:31 am
Is it just me or dose it cost every one this much.... Just got the Invoice/bill for the Aussie brokers, and it comes to $4075.00....
Plus 2k for Shermatt, add $1270.00 for trucking fee, Floriida to L.A. plus $2560.00 for shipping [$600.00 of that is for total isurance].. comes to $9905.00 . Plus $100.00 for a flat bed truck to pick it up equals 10k, to import car I paid $14,500.00 for
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on October 18, 2012, 08:26:51 am
Is it just me or does it cost every one this much
The Aussie broker bill sounds high, what's the breakdown there? That's including Customs GST right?

The rest sounds similar, trucking from Florida to L.A. is a long haul, not sure if another port may have been a better option but the savings would be only in the trucking.

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: GLENN 70 on October 18, 2012, 08:38:16 am
Yep sounds about right . Now it depends on how it was shipped ,in a container or drive on drive off .The way i look at it would be this way ,14500 for car ,1300 trucking to la ,around 2000 gst ,frieght to aust in container 3100 ,insurance in your case 600 .total around 21500 plus cleaning and extras and in your case shermatt  2 000 . so 23600 .Now thats how i would and  have been expecting ,cheaper if drive on/off take off 1500 . Plus truck home 100 dollars .
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Thirsty428 on October 18, 2012, 09:32:22 am
Agree, sounds right to me.
The Aussie end would include GST Stephen.

I looked up a number of passed threads on costs in bringing cars in before I bought mine.
I remember a couple posts saying allow between 7-10K , depending on how far port to Long Beach US shipping was, what port it was going to in Aus and of the GST on your purchase price.
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Barney on October 25, 2012, 08:52:19 pm
I just paid all my fees. Here it is copied directly from the Brokers:

GST Amount $3100.20
AQIS Service Payment Amount $139.00
AQIS Processing Charge $14.00
Declaration Processing Charge $50.00
AQIS Container Charges $6.00
= Total Customs Disbursement Charges Exempt Rated $3,309.20
+
Destination Port Charges and unpacking (From Schumachers $1,043.65 agent - Universal Customs) +GST $104.37
Customs Clearance / Agency Fees $180.00 + GST $18.00
Quarantine declaration and clearance $75.00 + GST $7.50
AQIS facility fee $75.00 + GST $7.50
= $4820.22
On top of all these was the car cost, Shermatt fee, Shermatt inspection costs, internal US freight, Sea Container ocean Freight, import approval and insurance!

Ash
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on October 26, 2012, 10:31:09 am
I just paid all my fees. Here it is copied directly from the Brokers:

GST Amount $3100.20
AQIS Service Payment Amount $139.00
AQIS Processing Charge $14.00
Declaration Processing Charge $50.00
AQIS Container Charges $6.00
= Total Customs Disbursement Charges Exempt Rated $3,309.20
+
Destination Port Charges and unpacking (From Schumachers $1,043.65 agent - Universal Customs) +GST $104.37
Customs Clearance / Agency Fees $180.00 + GST $18.00
Quarantine declaration and clearance $75.00 + GST $7.50
AQIS facility fee $75.00 + GST $7.50
= $4820.22

Best to put all this in the following thread:

http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,10569.0.html (http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,10569.0.html)

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Z2TT on February 12, 2018, 02:57:12 pm
Hi Guys.

I used Shermatt to import a car, after some comparison Matt assured me he has a very good reputation with people in Australia and asked me to check out some Forum posts, this was one I remember, so I would post my feedback.

The Good - friendly on phone, inspected the car as agreed, replied to emails about different cars I was interested in and offered advice.  Caught up with seller and made time to inspect.  His ability to negotiate real well with the seller was the best thing about my experience.

The Bad -

Took ages , about 3 months to when the Freighter recieved the car to when it was sent out.  A call to Schumacher Transport later they told me that they were waiting for another car to complete the consignment.  Matt did not advise me on the reason for this delay and Schumacher were the ones who did, they mentioned if I had not enquired, my car could have been staying upto 4 or more months.

To avoid this long delay I had to now pay extra to upgrade to my own container.  Should Matt had let me know about this potential delay I could have avoided it to begin with. 

The Ugly - Delivered the car to Australia without cleaning it, so there was leaves, moths and palm tree fallout still present on there and it got flagged for cleaning.   This video below shows in what condition they sent the car to me :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTzPyVgIMWI&t (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTzPyVgIMWI&t)
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on February 12, 2018, 03:03:36 pm
Delivered the car to Australia without cleaning it, so there was leaves, moths and palm tree fallout still present on there and it got flagged for cleaning.

My car arrived to L.A. covered in dust, the freight truck from Denver to L.A. must've went through a dust storm. The car was spotless in the inspection video so it got dirty on the way.

The mob at the docks in L.A. cleaned my car and did a very good job. When it got to the Aus. docks it got flagged for cleaning and I discovered that many cars do, even the clean ones.

I'm not sure what the criteria is or what they found but apparently they cleaned it and to be honest the guys at the Aus. docks don't do a good job of cleaning it. There was still dirt underneath the car, it sounds like a rort by the Aus. docks to me.

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Dwayne on February 12, 2018, 03:08:19 pm
I can highly recommend the airport customs guys for cleaning :thumb:

I declared i may have mud some on my boots ... and so they cleaned all of my sports gear and had it looking and smelling like new  :pepper: :pepper: :pepper: :pepper:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BAC on February 12, 2018, 04:19:02 pm
I'm not sure what the criteria is

Someboby's mate needs some extra cash!  :grin:  Cleaning/re-inspection is just one of those 'gotchas' that is applied without rhyme or reason, just if they feel like it on the day.  $170 odd to point a pressure washer at a car for 5 mins is good money in anyone's language.  Plus they don't even try to do a good job of it - the cars that I've had 'cleaned' have still had dried mud on the undercarriage, soil in the tyre treads and bugs in the radiator.  Who are they kidding pretending they are stopping biological hazards entering the country?  :ouch:
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: GLENN 70 on February 12, 2018, 05:22:49 pm
Shermatt is fine ,Schumacher is the problem . They just don't sent enough cars to Australia ,so you have to wait for other cars to be sent ,months sometimes .  As for been dirty when it gets here ,bad luck because once it hits to shipper or the docks it can be outside .  Months late you get the car here ,clean or dirty no big deal as Long as it's In Good shape like it left the states .
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Z2TT on February 13, 2018, 06:49:20 pm
You guys are right about customs, Quarantine is the biggest hoax ever.  The same thing happened to me.  They charged $500 and didn't even focus on the areas (mud stuck on wheel wells), and the Fumigation company here in Perth said they also mentioned they do not focus on the area it was flagged for and simply just give it a "general clean"
So yeah probably just aimed a pressure washer at it and let it drip dry.

Unfortunately Shermatt didn't do a good enough job at cleaning it was quite obvious, that palm tree fallout was the same that was seen around the car on the inspection video before the car was bought, mud cant get on the wheel wells by simply going on a truck from coast to coast then to an Industrial area in California. 

Yes Schumacher doesn't send too much cars to Australia by the looks of it clearly but if I were let know of these possible delays it would have saved a lot of headaches.  Bit of more care was definitely needed in this case.    Not my responsibility to chase things up I'm paying people to ensure things are taken care of
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: GLENN 70 on February 13, 2018, 07:16:56 pm
Shippers don't clean cars they ship them . If it was clean when it went to the shipper that doesn't mean it will get boxed clean . Sure they might give it a quick hose off but that's about it .  90% of cars need a clean when they arrive ,and we pay .
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Dwayne on February 13, 2018, 07:51:37 pm
We bring lots and lots of shipping containers full of brand new wheels direct from the manufacturer.

We randomly get charged the same cleaning fee you did.

The presence of a few leaves in your car had nothing to do with you getting randomly charged for 'cleaning'.

Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: BAC on February 13, 2018, 09:53:13 pm
We bring lots and lots of shipping containers full of brand new wheels direct from the manufacturer.

We randomly get charged the same cleaning fee you did.

How the %$# can Customs judge brand new wheels as 'dirty'?
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Dwayne on February 13, 2018, 10:21:13 pm
Dirt & crap on the floor from packing.

Our export orders sometimes get hit with fumigation costs too.
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: GLENN 70 on February 13, 2018, 10:22:29 pm
All it takes is a bit of mud or dirt in the tread .
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on February 14, 2018, 08:13:48 am
Our export orders sometimes get hit with fumigation costs too.

A friend was telling me that everything his company imports gets fumigated. I'm not sure if it was literally everything but they imported new goods to sell.

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: 66FBK on February 17, 2018, 12:24:38 pm
Heard and interesting story from a bloke in Brisbane that imports 10 or so cars a year from the states. Having a 66 Mustang flagged to be cleaned at customs they Gernied the engine bay and filled the engine with water as the air cleaner was missing. Then after a buying trip to the states he would personally steam wash the cars and sometimes cut the carpet out in the to bare floors in the US to avoid to custom cleans. One car he purchased was a 67 Mustang that he drove around before shipping. When he got the car back and tidied it up for sale, he removed the seats to install new carpet, he found a 44 cal hand gun wedged under the drivers seat. It took a look of explaining to the local police station when he tried to hand it in. He said it would of been easier to toss it in the bin.
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: StephenSLR on February 17, 2018, 12:33:24 pm
he found a 44 cal hand gun wedged under the drivers seat.

Wow, the mind boggles. Was that gun meant to be intercepted before it got to you and they searched the wrong Mustang or one of the PO's put it there and took that secret to the grave, etc.

s
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Ausfox on February 17, 2018, 12:34:36 pm
Approximately 8 or 10 years ago, Government bosses told AQUIS that they had to be self funded.

Hence they now make everything be cleaned, sometimes twice, which results in multiple Inspections and therefore more revenue!.

Have had three inspections on a car that had flock under the back seat, despite telling the PP schoolgirl AQUIS person that it was the old OEM seat padding that kept falling out ever time the seat base was pulled!.
Title: Re: Shermatt International- The good, The bad and the ugly
Post by: Ausfox on February 17, 2018, 01:03:08 pm
[He removed the seats to install new carpet, he found a 44 cal hand gun wedged under the drivers seat. It took a look of explaining to the local police station when he tried to hand it in. He said it would of been easier to toss it in the bin.
[/quote]

What you call , "A high capacity sump".