JAMES CARGO SERVICES MOTORCYCLE SHIPPING
After doing a little research into shipping our bikes, we finally decided to use 'James Cargo'. They were conveniently just down the road from us, based just off Heathrow Airport. We made an appointment to meet with them and on arrival we were introduced to Darryl, who was to be our contact.
Well...what can I say....Darryl....'Top Man'....explained the process of shipping a bike clearly and professionally. Forms with instructions were sent by email and our many questions were answered, nothing was a problem. We loved Darryl's relaxed, easy going manner and how he and the 'James Cargo' team prepared us and our bikes for our 'Big Adventure.'
The packing of the bikes was superb. The bikes are placed on a pallet and the crate custom built to fit the bike. Your bike is cocooned in bubble wrap inside and your keys extremely well secured to an agreed part of the bike, in fact they're so well secured you will need a sharp knife to remove them. The beauty of the way the bikes are packed is that there is no need to remove screens or wheels. The bike goes as it is, just luggage and panniers taken off but still with the bike in the crate. Also no need to have to take helmets on the plane, these are separately packed in a box which fits in the crate as well. So....'hats off' and a massive 'Thank You' to Steve Patterson for his excellent crating skills.........we retrieved our bikes in Canada with not a scratch on them. Great job.
So...... what forms did we need for Canada for the bikes ? - Copy of our Passports, V5 and an Airway Bill, Copy of Canadian ETA. We also provided the address of a hotel we were initially staying at in Canada.
We flew our bikes into Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and although they were not on the same flight as us, they arrived the same day.
I highly recommend using 'James Cargo' if you're contemplating a long haul trip somewhere in the world. Why hire a bike when you can ride you're own.
'Don't delay, call today.......life is too short......do it.'
Tel: +44 (0)1753 687722 ext. 242
Fax: +44 (0)1753 687723
Email: Darryl@jamescargo.com
Web: www.jamescargo.com
So what does happen to your bike when you leave it with 'James Cargo'.....flick through the slides below.
and at the other side
Air Canada Cargo were equally as impressive with their service. Within half an hour of us checking into our hotel, Lorraine from ACC was on the telephone to us to let us know our bikes had arrived safely. We arranged to collect them the next day.....Sunday.....and they were all working !
On being introduced to Lorraine and the team at ACC we soon discovered how helpful they all were. Our Airway Bills were presented to us and Lorraine 'The Glue of the Crew' ( cracking quote from a member of staff ) very kindly drove us round to Customs. We cleared Customs in a very short time, (have to say the two ladies here were great, giving us a few tips on places to visit) and Lorraine came back to return us to the Cargo Centre.
After paying our Import Duties we then went into the warehouse. Here the guys from the ACC Crew helped us unpack the crates that our bikes were in. Mark who's also a bike mechanic gave us his card to call him if we had any problems whilst in the vicinity of Nova Scotia and Lorraine gave us a 'Discovery Pass' for Canada's Parks. Awesome service ACC ......a 'Big Thumbs Up' from us.
And finally......the big question.... 'How much did it cost ?
Two Harley Davidsons, one Heritage Softail and a Sportster including all the camping gear, motorcycle clothing and helmets ( plus other bits that would have been excess baggage on our personal flight ) from Heathrow, England to Halifax, Canada.
£2752.58
