Items missing from overseas shipment - HELP!

joAnn

We arranged for our household belongings to be shipped from Australia to London last year.
We have today heard from the shipping company that they have made a huge error in that they sub contracted the job to another company who did not put all our belongings into the correct container and therefore most items have been lost. Probably shipped to other countries. We are talking about huge items of furniture - sofas, beds, washing machines etc, but most importantly irreplaceable and sentimental personal items.

They are already talking about compensation, but I am more interested in getting my belongings back. My wedding dress, photos, childhood belongings are among some of the missing items.

Can anybody with inside knowledge give me advice about how I can go about retrieving these things?

The company responsible has said they are investigating, but I know they will not go about it with as much determination and passion as I will.
Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I am prepared to exhaust every possibility and do have the time to spend on this.
ANY advice or help appreciated!
Thanks

lincroft1710

joAnn wrote: »

We arranged for our household belongings to be shipped from Australia to London last year.

Do you mean your belongings were shipped in 2016?

Fosterdog

I'm sorry to say but if they are lost then they are lost and there will be no way for you to get them back.

They really could be anywhere in the world, they may be all together and an unexpected container will turn up or they might have split it with bits going to different places with next to no chance if getting anything back.

All you can do is let them complete their investigations and hope for the best but prefer for the worst.

[Deleted User]

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Do you mean your belongings were shipped in 2016?

Sounds like the arrangement to ship was made last year. Items were probably in storage pending their despatch.


Nothing to do with the Op's current plight..

lincroft1710

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Sounds like the arrangement to ship was made last year. Items were probably in storage pending their despatch.


Nothing to do with the Op's current plight..

My thoughts were that if they were shipped in 2016, it could be a near impossible task to find them.

shaun_from_Africa

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Sounds like the arrangement to ship was made last year. Items were probably in storage pending their despatch.

Nothing to do with the Op's current plight..

It could have something to do with it.
If the shipment was made last year and the OP is only now trying to find out where the missing items are, then due to the time that has passed, even if they were able to ascertain what happened to them, in all likelihood they will have been disposed of by now.

If however, they were in storage until quite recently and were shipped in the past month or two, it might not be too much of a job for the shipping company to obtain records of exactly what happened to the OP's goods and send a few e-mails to try to get them back.

[Deleted User]

lincroft1710 wrote: »

My thoughts were that if they were shipped in 2016, it could be a near impossible task to find them.

I agree, but it doesn't take THAT long to ship from Oz.

lincroft1710

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

I agree, but it doesn't take THAT long to ship from Oz.

See Shaun's post

joAnn

Thanks for comments. The shipment did take place last year and we arranged storage for a month or so in the U.K. before it was delivered to us.
Straight away I was aware many items were missing and alerted the forwarding agent's delivery driver, as per their paperwork. Nothing from them so assumed we had made a mistake and tried to carry out some of my own investigations and alerted the shipping company In Oz to no avail. Asked forwarding agent in U.K. For paperwork who took ages to get back to me and finally advised me they had only unloaded 56 out of 117 items that should have been in a private container. They failed, at the time, to advise us they knew most of it was missing but did apparently advise the handler in Oz, who didn't contact us or follow up and have been dreadful at responding for the last 6 months or more. Finally today after months of phone calls, emails and public shaming on their Facebook page, they admitted they had messed up and our missing belongings had gone into the wrong shared containers. They have admitted liability and trying to trace our stuff. I don't want compensation, I want my stuff!
Does anyone know how they dispose of goods? Or who they are sold to? What is the time frame?
Are there storage warehouses unclaimed goods are left for a period of time before being sold off?
Thanks
Jo

photome

Just my opinion but after all the time that has elapsed I would say there is very little chance of recovering your items

Do they know which container they put them in and if so where did that end up


Have they spoken of how much compensation they are going to pay

[Deleted User]

joAnn wrote: »

I don't want compensation, I want my stuff!
Does anyone know how they dispose of goods?

If they knew where your stuff was (or is) they would return it to you-not dispose of it. They won't have a "lost property" section of a warehouse somewhere that you'd be able to rifle through. If they do still have your goods, they obviously can't identify them as yours.

As Lincroft speculated earlier, I think the passage of time since the shipment means your chances of recovery are now nil. I expect that's why they are offering compensation.