Excessive Damage to Vehicle - Not recommended

If you are planning to relocate or just want to export a vehicle to another country, I want to tell you about my nightmare of an experience with a shipping company I used to relocate 2 of my cars from South Africa to Perth. We had been in contact with several companies regarding the shipping and finally decided that we would use a Company called Seabrook Forwarding & Handling to bring 2 of my cars over. The reason we chose to use them is because they could help us with all of the paper work. My cars were picked up in South Africa on the 23rd of October 2017 where they had been in individual storage units. When they were picked up they were inspected and a full inspection sheet filled out which was e-mailed to us by a friend who was present and this confirms that they were in good condition and would now make their way to Seabrook in Cape Town. Upon arrival at Seabrook another inspection was done that will confirm the cars were still in the same condition as they were when leaving Johannesburg. They were loaded into a shared container on the 11th of November where their Journey to Perth would begin. While the cars were on route to us we received a phone call from Seabrook to advise that the cars will need to be evaluated in Australia now and that the evaluation done in South Africa will not work as the rules had changed. Frustrated about this there was not much that we could do as the cars were almost here. We contacted the company that Seabrook suggested and got the cars re evaluated at an extra cost to us. The valuation that was given was different to the South African one and 1 of my cars was valuated at more than double the South African evaluation. So now the long wait is over and we receive an e-mail on the 20th of December 2017 saying that the cars had been cleared and we were able to go and collect them from the logistics company in Freemantle, Perth. Excited by this news we headed off to collect the vehicles. This excitement was very short lived as when we got there the cars were in a shocking condition. They were dirty, fingerprints all over them & the interiors were dusty and dirty due to the windows being left open. 1 of the cars owner’s manual and service book was left lying open on the floor. These things were only minor in comparison to the over 20 dents. YES, you read correctly OVER 20 DENTS. The dents were not contained to 1 area of the car but were spread over the bonnet, Roof & Boot. The damage appears to have been caused by someone leaning and lying possibly standing on these areas of the car. We were advised by the logistics company that no inspection needed to be done and that we were free to take the cars home. We showed them the damages and we were told that this is the state that the cars arrived in. When we were discussing the damage, we were told that in their opinion it seems as though some one had been standing on the car. We called Seabrook at this point and told them that we are not happy with the condition of the car. While speaking to them they advised that we were insured and should take photos of the cars as they stand in the warehouse (which we did) and then take them home, wash them and take further phots of the known damage and check for further damage. Disappointed we headed home where instructions from Seabrook were followed, more photos were taken which were then sent off to them. The next day we took the car to the panel beaters for a quotation to have it fixed. As soon as the panel beater saw the vehicle he asked who had been leaning / lying on the car. We received a quote back which said that the damage would cost more than half the value of the Australian evaluation. Seabrook advised that they would put a claim through the insurance company but failed to keep us informed which resulted in many calls from our side to follow up. Eventually they advised they were concerned about the outcome of the claim as the car had been insured for less than the Australian valuation. We had insured the car to the value of the South African evaluation as we were none the wiser that they would need to be re-evaluated in Australia. I find it strange that Seabrook was not aware of any upcoming changes regarding this. On the 15th of January 2018 when I called them they advised that they were waiting for the insurance company to get back to them and again advised the insurance company would only pay out just less than what the car was evaluated at in South Africa. During this call I asked them to send me a report or an explanation on how 1 car can get damaged in a sealed container when all 3 cars are strapped down and cannot move. Surely if 1 got damaged from Rough Seas they would all have had some damage? In my opinion the only way my car could have been damaged is when they were strapping down the car on the wooden platform above it. So, at this point I asked to speak to a manager but was told that he was in a meeting and would return my call. I received a call from a private number and it so happened to be the Manager of Seabrook Australia. It did not take long to realise that he had no clue about the situation with my car and I know this because he had said that he had spoken to the assessor from the insurance company which apparently had come out and assessed the car which is impossible as we had the car in a locked garage on our premises and had not given anyone access to it. When I advised him that no one had been here he seemed to be stunned and had nothing to say. Much to my frustration I had to go through the whole ordeal again and explain to him about the damage and the photos sent to them. He also then came with the same story about the insurance and that Seabrook would not take any responsibility due to the vehicle supposedly being damaged at sea. My frustration led to me advising him that I would take this matter further and post a complaint on Social Media, He then became defensive and asked if I knew who I was speaking to and that he was the owner of Seabrook International. As far as we know from doing a bit of research it seems that he is only a Manager of the Australian Branch. I asked that they send an assessor out to come and see for themselves the extent of the damage. He agreed and the assessor arrived a few days later and took his time assessing the vehicle and taking photos. He had said that it seems as though someone had been leaning and pushing on the car. We called to follow up regarding the outcome and after many calls again eventually got an answer which was that the assessment was not in our favour. We asked for a copy of the report which Seabrook refused to give us. At the end of it all I was told that it was not Seabrook’s fault and that they would not take any responsibility for the damage as it was caused at sea and that we need to accept the claim from the insurance. Unfortunately, we were forced to accept the Insurance claim as any pay-out was better than nothing. We took out the insurance for the possibility of minor mishaps but definitely not for complete negligence / incompetency from Seabrook. In summary I would not recommend that anybody leave their beloved vehicle in the hands of Seabrook. There are many other shipping companies that I am sure would be more than competent in getting your vehicle to its destination in the same condition you left it.