Terms and Conditions
SEKO WORLDWIDE, LLC limits their liability. Please read the below terms & conditions carefully.
DOMESTIC AIRBILL - TERMS AND CONDITIONS Definitions: For purposes of this domestic airbill “SHIPPER” is the person or entity so identified on the front side of this airbill, any person or entity having an interest in the shipment or any person or entity who acts as an agent for the Shipper; “CONSIGNEE” is the person or entity identified on the front side of this airbill; “BILL TO PARTY” is the person or entity identified on the front side of this airbill;
“SEKO” shall mean SEKO Worldwide, LLC and all of its affiliates and subsidiaries; “SHIPMENT” is the total of the packages and their contents listed and described on the front of this airbill; “PACKAGE” and or “PACKAGES” is the packages listed on the front of this airbill; “PARTIES” includes the SHIPPER, the CONSIGNEE, the BILL TO PARTY and SEKO.
1. AGREEMENT TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS. In tendering the shipment, the Shipper agrees to these terms and conditions, which no agent or employee of the parties may alter, and that this airbill is nonnegotiable and has been prepared by the Shipper. The Shipper also agrees to these terms and conditions on behalf of any person or entity with an interest in the shipment. The Shipper warrants and represents to SEKO that the information inserted on the face of this airbill is complete and accurate. It is also agreed among the parties that the shipment is governed by SEKO’s tariff(s) which are hereby incorporated into this contract and Shipper agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of said tariff(s). A copy of said tariff is available for inspection at the offices of SEKO by request. To the extent these terms and conditions conflict with the tariff(s), this airbill shall control. Except to the extent of any written contract between shipper and SEKO, this airbill supercedes and negates any claimed, alleged or asserted oral agreement, promise, representation or understanding between the parties with respect to this shipment.
2. SHIPPER’S WARRANTY. Shipper warrants that each package in this shipment is properly and completely described on this airbill, is properly marked and addressed, is packaged properly and adequately to protect the contents in the normal course of transportation, and except as noted on the airbill, is in good order and condition.
3. CLAIMS. (a) At time of delivery the consignee must note on the delivery receipt any exceptions to the good order and condition of the shipment that would indicate a discrepancy (shortage in the shipment, damage to the package(s), or possible damage to the contents). The consignee may not inspect the contents of the package(s) until the consignee signs for the shipment on the delivery receipt. NOTE: Such notations as “subject to inspection” and “subject to count” are not exceptions. Failure to note exceptions at time of delivery on the delivery receipt is prima facie evidence of delivery in good order and condition; (b) SEKO must be notified in writing of any loss or damage to the shipment no later than 14 days after the date of delivery,except in the case of perishables, SEKO must be notified verbally within 48 hours of delivery. SEKO is entitled to inspect the shipment and any materials used to package or protect the shipment for transportation at the place of delivery. A timely notice of claim is a prerequisite to the institution of suit pursuant to paragraph 3(f). The failure to give timely notice of any loss or damage or the failure to permit or arrange inspection as required herein shall constitute a bar to any claim for loss or damage: it is incumbant upon the claimant and any other interested party to mitigate the damages to the extent that is reasonably possible; (c) ALL claims for loss or damage must be received in writing by SEKO no later than 180 days after the date of delivery. Such claims must include copies of the airbill, delivery receipt, invoice and any other documents supporting the claim; no claim will be considered until all transportation charges have been paid. Claims may not be deducted from transportation charges. (d) In the event SEKO pays a claim, SEKO shall be entitled to possession of the portion of the shipment for which claim was made as salvage. Thefailure to provide the salvage shall be a bar to recovery of any claim; (e) Claims for overcharges must be received in writing by SEKO no later than 6 months after the date of delivery; (f) Suit to recover for any loss, damage or overcharge must be instituted within one year from the date the claim has been denied in writing, in whole or in part, by SEKO. All suits to recover a claim must be submitted to the jurisdiction of a state or federal court located in Cook County, Illinois to which the parties irrevocably consent to personal jurisdiction and waive all objection thereto and the rights and obligations of the parties shall be determined according to the laws of the State of Illinois; (g) ALL COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING A CLAIM, INCLUDING DISPUTED DEBTS AND INSTRUMENTS TENDERED AS FULL SATISFACTION OF A DEBT ARE TO BE SENT IN WRITING TO SEKO WORLDWIDE, 1100 ARLINGTON HEIGHTS RD, SUITE 600, ITASCA, ILLINOIS 60143 ATTN: CLAIMS MANAGER.
4. Due to the inherent nature of the transportation business, SEKO does not guarantee pick up, transportation, or delivery by a stipulated time, nor shall SEKO be liable for the consequences of failure to do so.
5. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. (a) SEKO shall not be liable for loss, damage, delay or monetary losses of any type caused by: acts of God, public authorities acting with actual or apparent authority; strikes; labor disputes; weather; mechanical failures; aircraft failures; civil commotions; acts or omissions of customs or quarantine officials; acts of carriers related to security; the nature of the freight or any defects thereof; public enemies; hazards incident to a state of war; acts of terrorism; and by acts, defaults or omissions of the shipper, including but not limited to inadequate or improper packaging, marking, addressing or providing incomplete/inaccurate shipping instructions, documents or information; (b) SEKO’s liability, is limited to a maximum of $50.00 per shipment or $0.50 per pound, per piece, of cargo lost, damaged, misdelivered or otherwise adversely affected whichever is greater unless the shipper declares a higher value on this airbill and agrees to pay an excess valuation charge. This limitation is subject to provisions as published in SEKO’s governing tariff in effect at the time of this shipment. Declared values for carriage in excess of $0.50 per pound, per piece, shall be subject to an excess valuation charge. In no event shall SEKO be liable in any event for any special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages, damages due to delay nor for loss of profits or loss of market whether or not SEKO had knowledge that such damages or losses might occur; (c) Unless each piece of the shipment has a declared value stated on this airbill at time of shipment and is so identified on the delivery receipt as being lost, damaged, destroyed, or otherwise adversely affected at time of delivery, SEKO shall be liable subject to tariff provisions in effect at the time of the shipment for the average declared value of the shipment multiplied by the packaged weight of the piece(s) adversely affected. The average declared value of the shipment shall be determined by dividing the total declared value of the shipment by the total weight of the shipment. The declared value amount for each shipment must be inserted on the face of this airbill for this provision to apply; (d) SEKO agrees to accept this airbill as a shipper’s letter of instruction for other modes of transportation: ocean (domestic & international) and international air. SEKO limits their liability as follows: ocean) $500 per package [or standard freight unit] per the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act and/or the Harter Act; international air) $9.07 per pound or 17 special drawing rights as per the Warsaw convention and/or the Montreal Potocols #4. Please see our entire tariff(s), rules, terms & conditions at our web site at www.sekoworldwide.com.
6. PROHIBITED CARGO. The following articles will not be accepted for carriage: any shipment prohibited by law; original works of art, antiques; bonds; coins of any kind; currency; currency equivalents; furs; fur clothing; gems or stones (cut or uncut); industrial diamonds; gold or silver; coined concentrates; jewelry (other than costume jewelry); pearls; precious metals; securities (negotiable); time sensitive written material (e.g. bids, contract proposals, etc. when the declared value exceeds $0.50 per pound); one-of-a-kind articles or models; prototypes; valuable rugs (i.e. Oriental rugs, Persian rugs) and prints or lithographs and household goods and/orpersonal effects when the total declared value of the shipment exceeds $500.00 or when the declared value exceeds $0.50 per pound, per piece.SEKO shall not be liable for any loss, damage, delay, liabilities, penalties or fines resulting from the transportation of any of the foregoing articles, however described or misdescribed in this shipping document, and no employee or agent of SEKO has any authority to accept for transportation such articles or to waive the limitations herein contained. SEKO retains the right to refuse any such shipment prior to acceptance. In the event SEKO discovers after acceptance of a shipment that the shipment contains any of the herein mentioned articles, it reserves the right to refuse the shipment, or if already in transit, to refuse to deliver the shipment to the consignee. Shipper agrees to pay all expenses, freight charges, fines and penalties for said shipment. Shipper further agrees to indemnify and hold harmless SEKO from any and all loss, damage, delay, liabilities, penalties or fines of whatsoever nature arising out of or related in any way to said shipment.
7. Rates and charges for this shipment will be based on actual or dimensional weight, whichever is greater.
8. C.O.D. SHIPMENTS. (a) Collect on Delivery (C.O.D.) service is provided under the following conditions: 1) Shipper must identify the shipment as a C.O.D. shipment by entering the amount to be collected on the front of this shipping document, 2) Shipper must specify the type of payment to be received (e.g. cash, check, money order or cashier’s check) on the front of this shipping document and 3) SEKO and Shipper agree that SEKO does not guarantee nor verify that a check, money order, cashier’s check or other such financial instrument is valid or negotiable. All payments are collected at Shipper’s risk. (b) Unless inserted otherwise on the face of this shipping document, the C.O.D. amount of the shipment shall be deemed to be the declared value. A declared value amount in excess of $0.50 per pound, per piece, shall be subject to an excess valuation charge; (c) Unless prior arrangements are made, the acceptance of cash by SEKO and its agents for payment of freight charges and/or C.O.D. amounts is limited to a maximum of $2000.00 per shipment and/or delivery. Payment of freight charges and/or C.O.D. amounts in excess of $2000.00 must be remitted by cashier’s check, certified check, money order, or consignee’s check asauthorized by the shipper in writing.
9. ALTERNATIVE CARRIER AND ROUTES. SEKO shall have the right to a)substitute alternative carriers and other means of transportation and b) select the routing or deviate from that shown on the face hereof. SEKO has no duty to notify the Shipper of such substitutions, selections or deviations, nor shall substitutions, selections or deviations constitute a breach of this airbill or preclude the application and enforcement of all of the terms and conditions herein.
10. INSPECTION. This shipment is subject to inspection by SEKO. However, SEKO is not obligated to perform such inspection except as mandated by law. SEKO reserves the right to unilaterally reject a shipment it deems unfit for transport after inspection.
11. The Shipper, the Consignee and the Bill to Party shall be jointly and severally liable for all unpaid charges payable on account of this shipment pursuant to this contract and to pay or indemnify SEKO for claims, fines, penalties, damages, costs (storage, handling, reconsignment, return of freight to shipper, etc.) or other sums which may be incurred by SEKO by reason of any violation of this contract or any other default of the shipper or consignee or their agents. SEKO shall have a general lien on any and all property within their care, custody and control for charges and expenses advanced by SEKO. SEKO may refuse to surrender possession of the goods until such charges are paid. Should SEKO bring legal action for the enforcement of this contract or collection of any sums due and payable under this contract, SEKO shall be entitled to reasonable attorney fees and costs.
12. PENALTY FOR LATE PAYMENT OF INVOICE. All invoices not paid within 15 days of invoice date will be subject to a late fee charge of 2% per month. Should SEKO bring legal action for the collection of a delinquent account, SEKO shall be entitled to reasonable attorneysfees, costs and expenses incurred by SEKO in connection with the legal action, in addition to the amount of the delinquent account.
13. AUXILIARY SERVICES. Auxiliary services are those services which are performed prior or subsequent to transportation such as local cartage, loading, unlading, crating, uncrating, packing, unpacking and storage which are requested by the Shipper and arranged by SEKO or its agents as a customer service. The Shipper or Consignee may be billed directly by the provider of the services or by SEKO. SEKO shall not be liable for any loss, damage or delay resulting from the acts, errors or omissions of the providers of such services nor for the selection of a provider and Shipper shall indemnify and hold harmless SEKO from any loss, damage or delay caused by those providers. If SEKO or its agents actually provide auxiliary service, its liability for such services shall be governed by the terms and conditions of this airbill and in no event shall SEKO’s liability exceed that provided for in paragraphs 3 and 5 herein.
14. SECURITY. Shipments are subject to security controls by carriers and, where appropriate, by government agencies.
15. Insurance is available to Shipper upon request only. The amount and type of available coverage is based on the SEKO open cargo insurance policy in effect on the date of the shipment. In order to obtain coverage under that policy, the Shipper must properly complete the INSURANCE OPTION section on the face of this airbill and pay an additional charge. Failure to insert a full value insurance amount shall reduce any insurance payment proportionately. NOTE: there are exceptions and/or special insuring conditions to the insurance option and coverage will be limited by those