Badger Cargo?

[oahufish]

Anyone ever use Badger Cargo to fly their Trophies home? They've given me a quote almost $800 cheaper than the one I received from my Taxidermist with Rex Cargo.

 

[375Fox]

I have in 2019. I believe in 2018 too, in 2017 I dealt with same people but they were working for different company at time. All went good.

 

[RLL]

We used Badger in 2021-22. No problems and reasonable rates. Our broker stateside had a personal relationship as well. Here is a note below and the level of service we received from Pieter. Not exactly the cheapest outfit to chose from, but that’s not all we should be be looking or paying for.

”Good day Mr. RLL

I trust this mail finds you well.

Your consignment from Splitting Image Taxidermy has been well received and currently in safe storage at our facility in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Due to the time of year, we are in peak season for export from South Africa and space is always critical at this stage. Over years this has always been a season where airlines increase rates due to high demand.

This year however has added additional strain to the above system with the recent detection of an new COVID strain, forcing many airlines to cancel or downscale flights into and out of South Africa. This has resulted in available airlines upselling rates on all major destinations creating an increase of 30-40% on already inflated rates.

To give you an example, current available rates compared to the same period in 2019 are now 300% higher. Although ocean freight services may be a viable option from a cost perspective, the same delayed transit will apply.

We are therefore of opinion that your consignment remain in safe storage at our facility until early January 2022, from where we will re-access the situation and available rates. I am sure that you will appreciate that this scenario is just as frustrating for you, as it is for us, however you can be assured that we will always endeavour to have your best interest at heart, and only offer a shipping solution once we have investigated all possibilities to provide the best and most economical option.

We always prioritize the safety of your trophies.

Consignments are booked and handed to the airline, however in cases where cargo is delayed we have no control over the cargo, thus keeping the consignment at our facility means that it is secure and easily reachable.

I trust that the above provides some explanation, but would appreciate your response should you have any further concerns.

Kind Regards,”

 

[oahufish]

Appears that they provide very good service, so far they have been responsive to my emails and did provide me a very good quote compared to the competitor quote my Taxidermist obtained.
I've decided to change my entry point to Seattle, so hopefully they can provide a reasonable rate to Seatac.
After many calls the past few days, I've come to the conclusion that LAX should be avoided if at all possible! Several clearing brokers from CA have told me to expect my crate to sit in storage there 7-10 days before USFWS and Customs will get around to clearing it before they are able to take possession. They have recently had folks paying $2000-$2500 just in storage fee's alone...that's not broker or shipping fee's!
If going anywhere on the west coast, looks like its a much better deal to go through Seattle or Portland.