# Anyone else have a sea container at port being held up due to "backlog"?



## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

Our household goods coming from UK via ship are coming through Houston port. We were advised it arrived in port on December 30 and cleared customs in a few days. We were also told our container would arrive in Denver via rail on January 7. On the 7th they said there were delays and would be another week. Yesterday we were told our container is still sitting in Houston due to a "backlog" by the carrier and are saying that everyone is delayed not only in Houston but on both coasts. I personally think this particular shipping company is just really short staffed as it took them 29 days to get our air shipment to us. We got our air shipment in a week and our sea shipment in 6 weeks when we moved to UK from usa. The estimate this shipper gave us was 6-8 weeks and it's already 8 and the container is still just sitting in Houston waiting for them to transport it via rail. They are telling us it's going to be at least another two weeks or more. I think the shipper is at fault but I could be wrong.

Anyone else waiting for a shipping container stuck in a backlog at a usa port?


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

The carrier gave you an estimate not a delivery date.

With a shipment coming in during the holidays you have to expect delays as nobody is fully staffed or simply closed.


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## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

No delays experienced by us on the East Coast (Baltimore). Nor any delays due to holiday season. We had a container arrive in DC on Jan 5, three months to the day since it was packed in Australia. This was the exact day that it was forecast to arrive by the consignor in Australia.


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## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

Update today is that the container left Houston via rail and will take 7 days to arrive in Denver. Why does a rail shipment take so long? I can see a couple of days but 7 seems pretty long IMO.


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## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

There are many more overheads than just the time on the tracks. Warehousing, road transport to/from both ends, and it won't get priority rail traffic, it will be shunted from time to time.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

lovestravel said:


> Update today is that the container left Houston via rail and will take 7 days to arrive in Denver. Why does a rail shipment take so long? I can see a couple of days but 7 seems pretty long IMO.


Whoever placed the order opted for snail mail aka cheapest route. Count your blessings that it has arrived and is on its way. 
A friend had her container soaked with seawater sitting in Florida for several weeks due to shortage of customs staff during the furlough. Nothing was salvageable, insurance did not pay as it was unforeseen.


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## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

7 days now and container still enroute via rail. Bah!


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## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

It's been over 9 weeks since our stuff left our home in the UK now. It's been 11 days since they said the rail shipment departed Houston. They said it arrived in Denver Friday but can't give us any idea when they will actually have the time to deliver to us. He said they were going to try to squeeze us in this week but he wasn't sure. I bet you anything it will be later. Right now we are looking at 10 weeks or longer door to door. Ridiculous. 

It only took 6 weeks on the way over. Our shipment was at the sea port within a day of packing. We got delivery within a day of arrival in the UK. This time our sea shipment didn't get to port in UK until 2 1/2 weeks later. The shipment sat in Houston for over two weeks before they got it on the rail. Now it's taking another two weeks from there. I would not recommend this company to anyone that I like.


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## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

FINALLY!! Getting our sea shipment today. It took a grand total of 10 weeks and a day to get it. I will be so glad to have furniture and stop eating off plastic plates. I hope everything arrives in prime condition. I will never use robinsons/graebel for moving ever ever again.


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## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

We got our things Saturday and tons of things were damaged. I stood cringing as I watched them throw around my things and dropping them constantly. They were supposed to unpack for us but we refused for fear of even more damage. We had them assemble the bed, couch and table and sent them on their way. I am so glad we have full insurance coverage. I can imagine they have lots of damage claims against them. We only had two very large furniture items damaged on the way to UK. On top of that they kept telling us this and that was going to cost extra such as moving stuff around on the truck to sort what would go inside and what was going to storage and putting together a five piece wardrobe. I just told them I would put it together and personally got on the truck to move the stuff around to sort it. Ridiculous.


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