# Port Hueneme Contacts



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

To the OP, it would also be helpful to post contacts for customs at all ports. 

Mine is sitting somewhere in Port Brunswick waiting for clearance for a PC re-delivery. Dropped off in Munich June 28th, discharged at the port on July 24th...9 days and no customs clearance. The ED office has not been helpful in contacting customs....5 weeks and counting...nobody can tell me where my car is at.


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

kcdude said:


> To the OP, it would also be helpful to post contacts for customs at all ports.
> 
> Mine is sitting somewhere in Port Brunswick waiting for clearance for a PC re-delivery. Dropped off in Munich June 28th, discharged at the port on July 24th...9 days and no customs clearance. The ED office has not been helpful in contacting customs....5 weeks and counting...nobody can tell me where my car is at.


The customs phone number looks to be (912) 262-6692 @ Brunswick, GA.


----------



## bimmer_fam (Apr 16, 2007)

advocado said:


> You know, I give up. I admit my circumstance is unique. There is a lot of speculation about what went on and unless someone really has the time, inclination or ability to get to the bottom line, we'll never know. I suspect that it could well be a combination of things. I don't know if I did have custody since I have no idea what documents the Welt agent took back from me when I told her her I was just signing for it. I believe, however, one document was the insurance stuff. Also, unlike my past ED's, I received no license plate whatsoever when I took re-delivery. The paper trail would demonstrate that Harms received it directly from the Welt and not from me and that while I had momentary constructive custody, I never had actual possession. I do not know the nuances of German law or US Customs. Undoubtedly my relationship with my dealer was a factor (perhaps their guy at Hueneme is the bowling buddy of a customs guy and he "suggested" he look at the paper trail). The possibilities are as numerous as the possible build combinations of any Bimmer. I really did not give it that much thought until this thread was already well on its way, hence I did not go into details early on about my unique circumstance until my credibility was drawn into question. My surprise that so many ED's were hung up for weeks is what prompted me to participate in this thread. I had hoped to find an answer, but, in truth, I (and the rest of us) have only found more questions.


There was a similar case with someone on this board recently, who ordered ED car, but had to cancel his trip due to volcanic ash. His car moved quickly through customs/USDA/VDC, while other ED cars that were actually driven in EU took nearly a month longer to get to the respective dealers...


----------



## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

JSpira said:


> Well, not to be contrary, but there indeed have been some documented delays in customs (up to several weeks) - and it sounds like there are some delays (based on what you and others have posted) in moving cars to the VDC in Calif. as well.
> 
> Officially, E.D. cars have Priority 0 - this is the highest priority and ahead of new (customer ordered) cars which travel with Priority 1.
> 
> I know - from personal experience - that this is strictly observed in NJ. I can't even begin to speculate about how this plays out in other VDCs because the concept of "expeditors" is something foreign to me.


 Up until very recently it seems everyone has just accepted the word from BMW that your car is 'in transit' or 'in customs'. Well as it turns out that was a convenient scapgoat for BMW. Yes, the car may still be sitting in the customs lot, as mine is, but it has been cleared by customs and can be picked up anytime. Review the Rhea Leader tracking thread and you will see several examples of Priority 1 non ED cars getting through VDC and being delivered to customers much more quickly than ED cars. Again, my car was cleared on the 21st and VDC still has not picked it up, so it was "in customs" for 2 days. Top priority, obviously not.


----------



## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

TGray5 said:


> Up until very recently it seems everyone has just accepted the word from BMW that your car is 'in transit' or 'in customs'. Well as it turns out that was a convenient scapgoat for BMW. Yes, the car may still be sitting in the customs lot, as mine is, but it has been cleared by customs and can be picked up anytime. Review the Rhea Leader tracking thread and you will see several examples of Priority 1 non ED cars getting through VDC and being delivered to customers much more quickly than ED cars. Again, my car was cleared on the 21st and VDC still has not picked it up, so it was "in customs" for 2 days. Top priority, obviously not.


Unfortunately, the executives at BMW NA in charge of E.D. are out of the office this week (off-site meetings, not holiday) so I may not get an immediate answer about this but I am asking.


----------



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

mrdirosa said:


> The customs phone number looks to be (912) 262-6692 @ Brunswick, GA.


Well if someone tells you not to call the port folks or they'll get mad (no names/companies mentioned here)...well then just call them anyway. I talked with a very pleasant customs agent and in 2 minutes they were able to look up the bill of lading, tell me there was no hold on the car and tell me that the broker had not submitted an entry in the system/paid the duty....told me as soon as they receive it electronically then it is released. I talked with EH Harms the broker and they indicated that their contact at the BMW ED office had not submitted the invoice to them and that person was now on vacation...also they had no idea who else to contact. So a little conference call to the BMW ED office and a few "yes we dids" and "no you didn'ts" later....BAMMO....invoice is on its way to EH Harms, they enter it today and the car should get released very soon if not tonight. Are you kidding me.....really?!

Lessons learned: 1) 3 weeks in customs because they get a bunch of cars....BS, 2) call yourself, the tracking system (EH Harms, ED office)in no way helps you understand the real holdup.

BTW--if anyone else was on the Boheme in Brunswick then you can thank me later...your paperwork was not sent either.


----------



## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

kcdude said:


> Well if someone tells you not to call the port folks or they'll get mad (no names/companies mentioned here)...well then just call them anyway. I talked with a very pleasant customs agent and in 2 minutes they were able to look up the bill of lading, tell me there was no hold on the car and tell me that the broker had not submitted an entry in the system/paid the duty....told me as soon as they receive it electronically then it is released. I talked with EH Harms the broker and they indicated that their contact at the BMW ED office had not submitted the invoice to them and that person was now on vacation...also they had no idea who else to contact. So a little conference call to the BMW ED office and a few "yes we dids" and "no you didn'ts" later....BAMMO....invoice is on its way to EH Harms, they enter it today and the car should get released very soon if not tonight. Are you kidding me.....really?!
> 
> Lessons learned: 1) 3 weeks in customs because they get a bunch of cars....BS, 2) call yourself, the tracking system (EH Harms, ED office)in no way helps you understand the real holdup.
> 
> BTW--if anyone else was on the Boheme in Brunswick then you can thank me later...your paperwork was not sent either.


Great work! So it seems like all of our cars are stuck on the dock because someone at BMW is on vacation. Wonderful.  JSpira, do you still stand by your Priority 0 opinion? I'd say Zero Priority is about right.


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

kcdude said:


> Well if someone tells you not to call the port folks or they'll get mad (no names/companies mentioned here)...well then just call them anyway. I talked with a very pleasant customs agent and in 2 minutes they were able to look up the bill of lading, tell me there was no hold on the car and tell me that the broker had not submitted an entry in the system/paid the duty....told me as soon as they receive it electronically then it is released. I talked with EH Harms the broker and they indicated that their contact at the BMW ED office had not submitted the invoice to them and that person was now on vacation...also they had no idea who else to contact. So a little conference call to the BMW ED office and a few "yes we dids" and "no you didn'ts" later....BAMMO....invoice is on its way to EH Harms, they enter it today and the car should get released very soon if not tonight. Are you kidding me.....really?!
> 
> Lessons learned: 1) 3 weeks in customs because they get a bunch of cars....BS, 2) call yourself, the tracking system (EH Harms, ED office)in no way helps you understand the real holdup.
> 
> BTW--if anyone else was on the Boheme in Brunswick then you can thank me later...your paperwork was not sent either.


AWESOME! I plan to call customs later this week (Selene Leader docks tomorrow) to make sure everything is going through. Better to be proactive than reactive!

BTW - Port of Brunswick contacts have been added to the first post.

-Michael


----------



## fishskis (Dec 18, 2004)

JSpira said:


> Unfortunately, the executives at BMW NA in charge of E.D. are out of the office this week (off-site meetings, not holiday) so I may not get an immediate answer about this but I am asking.


Great. I look forward to hearing how the E.D. people respond.

If these accounts are accurate, and they certainly seem credible and documented, this is not at all ok. Has BMW just routinely blamed Customs for their own delays? If so, then perhaps they should bear financial responsibility for unnecessary delays in redelivery. I am not making a legal argument here, but there is an inherent understanding that BMW and their agents will use best efforts to redeliver our cars in an expeditious manner; if they are blaming Customs for delays on cars which are in fact simply waiting for pickup, this is unacceptable.

It is hard enough waiting for redelivery, especially for us west coasters, but if BMW is responsible for extended delays and inaccurate and possibly dishonest information, that is troubling. I have always had only excellent dealings with BMW and the E.D. Department, so I am hopeful that there is a reasonable explanation for the seeming increase in redelivery times.

Or maybe these stories are just anecdotal, and cars are redelivered in the same time frame that they always have been? Hopefully we'll get some answers.


----------



## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

fishskis said:


> Great. I look forward to hearing how the E.D. people respond.
> 
> If these accounts are accurate, and they certainly seem credible and documented, this is not at all ok. Has BMW just routinely blamed Customs for their own delays? If so, then perhaps they should bear financial responsibility for unnecessary delays in redelivery. I am not making a legal argument here, but there is an inherent understanding that BMW and their agents will use best efforts to redeliver our cars in an expeditious manner; if they are blaming Customs for delays on cars which are in fact simply waiting for pickup, this is unacceptable.
> 
> ...


 I agree that it is looking more and more like the delays are on BMW, and they owe a lot of people 1 month's worth of payments. There was a person on e90post that said he was told by a customs agent that all cars must be cleared in 2 days, and this is consistent with what we've been finding out lately. My car and many others who were ED were cleared in two days according to customs agents we spoke with. I am currently sitting at 9 weeks from dropoff and hopefully my car will arrive by ten weeks. There are others in this thread, though, who will be at 12-15 weeks from dropoff to redelivery. Some people will be looking at 5 payments by the time they get their car. :thumbdwn:


----------



## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> I agree that it is looking more and more like the delays are on BMW, and they owe a lot of people 1 month's worth of payments. There was a person on e90post that said he was told by a customs agent that all cars must be cleared in 2 days, and this is consistent with what we've been finding out lately.


Having grown up with hearing about customs from people at my father's company (most of his photographic gear was imported from the Far East, where he manufactured it), I can attest to the fact that customs does what it wants, when it wants to.

I don't believe that there is a two-day requirement. It might be a goal but I would wager that Customs routinely misses that goal.

I've tracked my E.D. Customs clearances over the past 10 years and they've ranged widely, from 24 hours to 10 days. These time frames are Customs only, not BMW btw.


----------



## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

JSpira said:


> I don't believe that there is a two-day requirement.


Is it possible the 2 day requirement is for new cars via manufacturers?


----------



## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

chrischeung said:


> Is it possible the 2 day requirement is for new cars via manufacturers?


 New cars are typically cleared while they are en route so I doubt it.


----------



## enigma (Jan 4, 2006)

Anecdotal or otherwise, there are enough recounts of BMW holding up redelivery that I am beginning to suspect that BMW has more to do with the delay than Customs. BMW's gotta step up their game or start losing ED customers from the west coast.


----------



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

kcdude said:


> Well if someone tells you not to call the port folks or they'll get mad (no names/companies mentioned here)...well then just call them anyway. I talked with a very pleasant customs agent and in 2 minutes they were able to look up the bill of lading, tell me there was no hold on the car and tell me that the broker had not submitted an entry in the system/paid the duty....told me as soon as they receive it electronically then it is released. I talked with EH Harms the broker and they indicated that their contact at the BMW ED office had not submitted the invoice to them and that person was now on vacation...also they had no idea who else to contact. So a little conference call to the BMW ED office and a few "yes we dids" and "no you didn'ts" later....BAMMO....invoice is on its way to EH Harms, they enter it today and the car should get released very soon if not tonight. Are you kidding me.....really?!
> 
> Lessons learned: 1) 3 weeks in customs because they get a bunch of cars....BS, 2) call yourself, the tracking system (EH Harms, ED office)in no way helps you understand the real holdup.
> 
> BTW--if anyone else was on the Boheme in Brunswick then you can thank me later...your paperwork was not sent either.


Just so we can differentiate between anecdotal information and the facts...

After yesterday's events, I called EH Harms this morning to confirm they had submitted the necessary paperwork to customs which they had late yesterday but the car was still in the process of clearing. I called back at 1pm and EH Harms had real-time access to customs information where they could see that it just cleared. So that is 2 business hours yesterday and approxiamtely 5 today to clear. Semantics aside, I think it is safe to say that it cleared customs in one-business day once BMW and EH Harms submitted the required documents. Now it is purely up to BMW to coordinate.

Cheers and GL all.


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

kcdude said:


> Just so we can differentiate between anecdotal information and the facts...
> 
> After yesterday's events, I was able to call EH Harms this morning to confirm they had submitted the necessary paperwork to customs and the car was still in the process of clearing. I called back at 1pm and EH Harms had real-time access to customs information where they could see that it just cleared. So that is 2 business hours yesterday and approxiamtely 5 today to clear. Semantics aside, I think it is safe to say that it cleared customs in one-business day. Now it is purely up to BMW to coordinate.
> 
> Cheers and GL all.


My ship docks later today, so I just emailed EH Harms to make sure they have EVERYTHING they need to move the vehicle along... better to start working on anything missing now.


----------



## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

kcdude said:


> Just so we can differentiate between anecdotal information and the facts...
> 
> After yesterday's events, I called EH Harms this morning to confirm they had submitted the necessary paperwork to customs which they had late yesterday but the car was still in the process of clearing. I called back at 1pm and EH Harms had real-time access to customs information where they could see that it just cleared. So that is 2 business hours yesterday and approxiamtely 5 today to clear. Semantics aside, I think it is safe to say that it cleared customs in one-business day once BMW and EH Harms submitted the required documents. Now it is purely up to BMW to coordinate.
> 
> Cheers and GL all.


 Wow - I think it's becoming very safe to say that BMW is screwing all of us with these delays and blatantly lying by blaming it on customs. Hopefully Audi has a really amazing car when it comes time for me to repurchase, as I will be very hesitant to give BMW any more of my money after this.


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

the J-Man said:


> Wow - I think it's becoming very safe to say that BMW is screwing all of us with these delays and blatantly lying by blaming it on customs. Hopefully Audi has a really amazing car when it comes time for me to repurchase, as I will be very hesitant to give BMW any more of my money after this.


I've driven Audis & VWs - they're not BMWs! :thumbdwn:

Just like anything, things will move along with a little pushing (I hope).

-Michael


----------



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

the J-Man said:


> Wow - I think it's becoming very safe to say that BMW is screwing all of us with these delays and blatantly lying by blaming it on customs. Hopefully Audi has a really amazing car when it comes time for me to repurchase, as I will be very hesitant to give BMW any more of my money after this.


Going to the dark side....never...I do consider these minor issues and just part of the rookie experience. My next will be a BMW and I will understand the process....I just jumped in to this with a little blind faith that people knew what they were doing...not the case as I heard several times "I'm new at this, let me ask because I definitely don't want to give YOU the wrong information". I'm hoping I am not on some ED black list after all said and done.


----------



## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

the J-Man said:


> Hopefully Audi has a really amazing car when it comes time for me to repurchase, as I will be very hesitant to give BMW any more of my money after this.


Don't forget to leave a deposit for the 19% MWSt. when placing your Audi order.


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

kcdude said:


> Well they told me the same thing and I called Customs anyway. I talked with the nicest folks that had absolutely no issue helping me out...it was all in the presentation and I was very polite.
> 
> I actually remember seeing or being asked where we drove....I'm guessing there are some bad bugs in the dirt that don't belong in the States.....So why didn't you wash your car before dropping off...you know the Wiki tells you to :rofl:


Customs seemed perfectly nice, and I thanked them for taking the time to deal with me.

Yes, I completely understand the need to get all the bad dirt off before the car gets in the US. After driving the Ring, I went on some dirt roads in search of good photo spots and got it pretty dirty . I actually did wash the car before dropping off too - including the undercarriage, but I guess it wasn't enough .


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

EH Harms called back and wanted to know if I knew anyone that could pick up the car and take it to the wash - I told them to have BMW do it...what a disaster!

Once it's cleaned, customs will clear it on the spot though.


----------



## bimmer_fam (Apr 16, 2007)

mrdirosa said:


> EH Harms called back and wanted to know if I knew anyone that could pick up the car and take it to the wash - I told them to have BMW do it...what a disaster!
> 
> Once it's cleaned, customs will clear it on the spot though.


Let's see... on one hand - send a guy with a bucket of water to wash a few wheels, on the other - call customer with such a dumb proposition... :dunno:

My car was filthy when it came on the truck from sitting at the port for a month, not sure if this is a new thing about cleaning the wheels...


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

bimmer_fam said:


> Let's see... on one hand - send a guy with a bucket of water to wash a few wheels, on the other - call customer with such a dumb proposition... :dunno:
> 
> My car was filthy when it came on the truck from sitting at the port for a month, not sure if this is a new thing about cleaning the wheels...


I'm now considering flying to the port, cleaning the car myself and just driving it home...$200 for a one-way ticket on Sunday night.


----------



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

mrdirosa said:


> EH Harms called back and wanted to know if I knew anyone that could pick up the car and take it to the wash - I told them to have BMW do it...what a disaster!
> 
> Once it's cleaned, customs will clear it on the spot though.


You have got to be kidding me...I'm just throwing you some flack about the dirt but this is a real issue...never heard of such a thing.

I feel for you...I'd be on the phone to BMW NA and having a little one on one with the exectives that run this program. Also, note to self....add new section to Wiki "how to get your car washed when Customs won't let anyone touch it". Seriously though...If they'd let you wash it and BMW ED dept can expedite the VPC release (assumes no damage) then it might be worth flying out there.


----------



## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

mrdirosa said:


> EH Harms called back and wanted to know if I knew anyone that could pick up the car and take it to the wash - I told them to have BMW do it...what a disaster!


Did you try calling BMW to arrange this?


----------



## bimmer_fam (Apr 16, 2007)

mrdirosa said:


> I'm now considering flying to the port, cleaning the car myself and just driving it home...$200 for a one-way ticket on Sunday night.


It might not be a bad idea...:angel: A bunch of EDers rallying outside of port gates...what a picture


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

bimmer_fam said:


> It might not be a bad idea...:angel: A bunch of EDers rallying outside of port gates...what a picture


Just got copied on the email string to BMW from EH Harms, I wrote back and requested BMW to go pick it up, wash, get customs to clear it on the spot, then drive it to the VDC from the wash.

:bawling::bawling:


----------



## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

mrdirosa said:


> I'm now considering flying to the port, cleaning the car myself and just driving it home...$200 for a one-way ticket on Sunday night.


 Will they even let you do that? Your situation seems really odd and unique. I wonder if you are purposely being picked on for getting involved in the process so much? What would they have done about getting your car washed if you had not been calling around asking questions? I can't imagine your car is the only dirty car to come through customs, and to my knowledge, nobody has ever been contacted and told that their car is too dirty. Given your conversations with them, I think some vindictive person at EH Harms is saying "Fine, if this guy thinks he knows how to do my job, then he can figure out how to get his car washed too."


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

the J-Man said:


> Will they even let you do that? Your situation seems really odd and unique. I wonder if you are purposely being picked on for getting involved in the process so much? What would they have done about getting your car washed if you had not been calling around asking questions? I can't imagine your car is the only dirty car to come through customs, and to my knowledge, nobody has ever been contacted and told that their car is too dirty.


Don't know...we'll see what BMW says about taking care of this.


----------



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

the J-Man said:


> I wonder if you are purposely being picked on for getting involved in the process so much? What would they have done about getting your car washed if you had not been calling around asking questions?


Not possible...if that were the case mine would definitely be stuck there a month.


----------



## mrdirosa (Jun 15, 2006)

mrdirosa said:


> Don't know...we'll see what BMW says about taking care of this.


Contact @ BMW NA wrote back and said she has contacted the VDC people to assist. Standing-by for confirmation that they can take care of it...


----------



## the J-Man (Jul 31, 2009)

kcdude said:


> Not possible...if that were the case mine would definitely be stuck there a month.


 Is your car in your garage yet?  Perhaps it will still have an unfortunate "accident" sometime between now and arrival at the PC. :angel:


----------



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

the J-Man said:


> Is your car in your garage yet?  Perhaps it will still have an unfortunate "accident" sometime between now and arrival at the PC. :angel:


That's it....I'm getting on a plane


----------



## BMWNA (Jan 15, 2002)

BMW of North America is acutely aware of customs clearance issues affecting some BMW European Delivery program cars arriving in the country. We understand the desire of our customers to receive their cars as quickly as possible and ask for their patience while we resolve the issues. We have been working diligently with all parties to correct the delays and expect to have a long-term solution in place by the end of the month of August. In the meantime, if you have a BMW European Delivery car that has been held up in customs clearance at port, we would be happy to work with you to make the wait as painless as possible. Please send an email with your contact details to [email protected] or call us at 800-831-1117.


----------



## dalekressin (Sep 3, 2008)

Consumers are changing.
Some like a relationship they can depend on,
while others prefer the optimal price over any relathionship.


----------



## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

vatkens said:


> BMW of North America is acutely aware of customs clearance issues affecting some BMW European Delivery program cars arriving in the country. We understand the desire of our customers to receive their cars as quickly as possible and ask for their patience while we resolve the issues. We have been working diligently with all parties to correct the delays and expect to have a long-term solution in place by the end of the month of August. In the meantime, if you have a BMW European Delivery car that has been held up in customs clearance at port, we would be happy to work with you to make the wait as painless as possible. Please send an email with your contact details to [email protected] or call us at 800-831-1117.


Excellent! Thank you for taking a closer look at this issue.


----------



## luvartcars (Mar 21, 2010)

BMWNA

Thank you for your response.


----------



## bimmer_fam (Apr 16, 2007)

vatkens said:


> BMW of North America is acutely aware of customs clearance issues affecting some BMW European Delivery program cars arriving in the country. We understand the desire of our customers to receive their cars as quickly as possible and ask for their patience while we resolve the issues. We have been working diligently with all parties to correct the delays and expect to have a long-term solution in place by the end of the month of August. In the meantime, if you have a BMW European Delivery car that has been held up in customs clearance at port, we would be happy to work with you to make the wait as painless as possible. Please send an email with your contact details to [email protected] or call us at 800-831-1117.


What about those who already suffered excessive waits? You should be reaching to customers individually IMHO and not with standard write up, as such...:thumbdwn:


----------



## kcdude (Sep 17, 2004)

vatkens said:


> BMW of North America is acutely aware of customs clearance issues affecting some BMW European Delivery program cars arriving in the country. We understand the desire of our customers to receive their cars as quickly as possible and ask for their patience while we resolve the issues. We have been working diligently with all parties to correct the delays and expect to have a long-term solution in place by the end of the month of August. In the meantime, if you have a BMW European Delivery car that has been held up in customs clearance at port, we would be happy to work with you to make the wait as painless as possible. Please send an email with your contact details to [email protected] or call us at 800-831-1117.


So still the newbie...I had no idea BMW NA actually paid attention to these boards. Glad to see a response.


----------

