Family $20,000 out of pocket from stranded shipping container

Mosgiel resident Kim Webster is fed up with having to sleep on an air bed after a shipping container full of her family's possessions was held up at Port Lyttelton. Photo / Gregor Richardson

A Mosgiel family could be about $20,000 out of pocket after a 20ft shipping container with all their possessions was left stranded at Lyttelton Port.

Kim Webster and her Blenheim-born husband, Mervyn, moved to Mosgiel recently after 10 years in the United States. They moved to experience the Kiwi way with their 9-year-old daughter.

The shipping container, sent from Wyoming and brokered by relocation company Swift International Logistics Ltd, contains everything they own, including furniture, clothing and toys. It is still held in Christchurch after 18 days.

Mr and Mrs Webster paid New Jersey-based Swift International $12,700 to organise the relocation and pay the shipping company, but it failed to do so and shipping company Vanguard Logistics Services refused to release it.

"I kind of liken this to a death in the family," Mrs Webster, 51, said. "You go through the same stages, you know, the grief, the sadness and the anger.

"It's just so frustrating.

"[My husband's] belief in human nature has crashed down around him."

For a fortnight, they tried to get answers from Swift International and all the while the shipping company was charging a holding fee at Lyttelton of $65 a day.

"We've spent days ... calling [Swift International] ... every 20 minutes. I made 21 phone calls on the 8th of October. I had one five-minute conversation [with the company director and] she said she was 'trying'."

The couple had been unable to speak to anyone at Swift International for about 10 days.

Mrs Webster eventually paid the release and holding fees, another $3346, but there were still storage and on-road costs of $2560 to get the container from Christchurch to Mosgiel.

The family had to borrow money to make the payments.

To make matters worse, when the container was opened at Christchurch, spiders were found inside and it had to be fumigated, incurring more delays and storage charges.

Mrs Webster was hopeful the family's possessions would be on their way in the coming days but said Labour Weekend might delay it further, resulting in more charges.

The family had rented a house but were using a borrowed couch and a bed for their daughter. Mr and Mrs Webster were sleeping on an air bed.

Vanguard Logistics Services (NZ) spokesman Sam Ratnam said the customer had to pay to release the goods to ensure costs did not fall to the company.

"The bottom line is, the customer needs to contact [Swift International]."

Vanguard Logistics Services "would do everything in our power" to help the customer. If the broker paid, the customer would be credited, Mr Ratnam said.

Swift International did not answer calls from the Otago Daily Times yesterday and did not respond to an email.