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Old 06-01-2017, 09:25 AM   #1
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USCG Documentation

Yesterday I renewed the boats documentation. Three years ago it was free, two years ago it cost $26, yesterday it was $75. When it was free they mailed you a a renewal letter, you signed it and mailed it back. I assume human hands came in contact with it somewhere along the line when it was received. Yesterday I did it all online including payment. No human hands except mine involved. Never fails, give the Govt. an inch, they take a mile.
Rant complete,carry on.
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Old 06-01-2017, 09:41 AM   #2
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Yesterday I renewed the boats documentation. Three years ago it was free, two years ago it cost $26, yesterday it was $75. When it was free they mailed you a a renewal letter, you signed it and mailed it back. I assume human hands came in contact with it somewhere along the line when it was received. Yesterday I did it all online including payment. No human hands except mine involved. Never fails, give the Govt. an inch, they take a mile.
Rant complete,carry on.
Are sure you renewed through the "official" USCG site? I believe it's still $26.

https://www.uscg.mil/nvdc/forms/cg1280.pdf
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Old 06-01-2017, 09:52 AM   #3
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https://www.uscg.mil/nvdc/instr/fee%20sch.pdf

https://www.uscg.mil/nvdc/instr/inst%20renewal.pdf
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:01 AM   #4
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I renewed mine in January and it was still $26 .
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:07 AM   #5
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Never fails, give the Govt. an inch, they take a mile.
Rant complete,carry on.
Rant misdirected.

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Old 06-01-2017, 10:13 AM   #6
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Yesterday I renewed the boats documentation. Three years ago it was free, two years ago it cost $26, yesterday it was $75. When it was free they mailed you a a renewal letter, you signed it and mailed it back. I assume human hands came in contact with it somewhere along the line when it was received. Yesterday I did it all online including payment. No human hands except mine involved. Never fails, give the Govt. an inch, they take a mile.
Rant complete,carry on.
Unfortunately, you fell victim to a ruse:

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s...ion-30171.html
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:21 AM   #7
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You got took.
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:23 AM   #8
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Yesterday I renewed the boats documentation. ... Never fails, give the Govt. an inch, they take a mile.
Rant complete,carry on.

On the contrary, you've been screwed by the free enterprise system.

I renewed Monday for $26 with the real Coast Guard.
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:39 AM   #9
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OK ok my fault, all on me, solo. The letter they sent looked official, as did the website. Called my credit card company and the $75 had not posted yet, so I got it disputed and erased but had to get a new card number, which in this case, was a good thing. The letter was from U.S. Vessel Documentation.
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:51 AM   #10
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OK ok my fault, all on me, solo. The letter they sent looked official, as did the website. Called my credit card company and the $75 had not posted yet, so I got it disputed and erased but had to get a new card number, which in this case, was a good thing. The letter was from U.S. Vessel Documentation.
Please keep us posted. If your experience is like others that have used that site and canceled, you'll be hearing from them.
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Old 06-01-2017, 10:57 AM   #11
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They already heard from me by phone this morning. To them I say "bring it".
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Old 06-01-2017, 11:51 AM   #12
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I was in Sitka a couple of weeks ago and at the head of the dock ramp there was a USCG notice posted warning people about this "service", and reminding them that they can renew directly with the USCG for $26
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Old 06-01-2017, 12:36 PM   #13
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They already heard from me by phone this morning. To them I say "bring it".
Keep us informed. It also wouldn't hurt to file a complaint with your state's consumer protection division.
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Old 06-01-2017, 12:40 PM   #14
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Keep us informed. It also wouldn't hurt to file a complaint with your state's consumer protection division.
Good idea, will do. Thanks.
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Old 06-01-2017, 12:47 PM   #15
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They already heard from me by phone this morning. To them I say "bring it".
Just be aware that the law is on their side completely, so if they choose to bring it, they can do so, up to and including getting a lien on your boat. I know they do threaten and they do have a lawyer associate for nasty letters. I do not know if they've ever taken it further. As to the credit card dispute, they get many of those too and have a record of winning them. Yes, they're devious. Yes, you made a mistake. But they also know what they're doing from a legal viewpoint, so be careful. It may not all be worth the $49 you're saving.
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Old 06-01-2017, 12:52 PM   #16
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On their website and social media sites, in plain sight:


U.S. Vessel Documentation Inc. is a private company, not the U.S. Government.


US Vessel Documentation, Inc. is NOT the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are the nation's #1 rated agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.


Devious- yes. Illegal- not in my opinion.
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Old 06-01-2017, 01:08 PM   #17
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Band B & Pau: that's all true, but its devious as hell. website is uscgdocumentation.us looks pretty official. I called a a few minutes ago and cancelled the order, the guy says no problem, he send it over to the cancellation dept. We'll see how this goes.
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Old 06-01-2017, 01:08 PM   #18
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On their website and social media sites, in plain sight:


U.S. Vessel Documentation Inc. is a private company, not the U.S. Government.


US Vessel Documentation, Inc. is NOT the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are the nation's #1 rated agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.


Devious- yes. Illegal- not in my opinion.
Perfectly legal as they provide a service. It happens to be one you don't need and not worth the $49 but it's a service. They take your information and they submit it to the CG.

Ont thing to understand is that companies like this that operate in that shady area of legal but deceptive know the laws and rules very well. They deal with complaints and stopped payments daily. It's much like the scam telemarketers who take advantage of the elderly but you get the tape of the conversation and you'll find the elderly man did place the order.
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Old 06-01-2017, 01:10 PM   #19
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Band B & Pau: that's all true, but its devious as hell. website is uscgdocumentation.us looks pretty official. I called a a few minutes ago and cancelled the order, the guy says no problem, he send it over to the cancellation dept. We'll see how this goes.
If they had not yet sent it in, you may stand a chance. However, if they'd actually submitted the order plus the $26 to the CG, then you can't cancel. In fact, by cancelling the payment you'd be committing a crime. Just keep that in mind. There business is built on deception, but they are pros at it.
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Old 06-01-2017, 11:02 PM   #20
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I received the letter this week, it is deceptive, the intent is deceit- why else would they create a WV return address? The mail is postmarked California, they use a lot of bureaucratic-sounding drivel and refer the recipient to their website, equally deceptive.

It may be legal, that doesn't make it righteous. They do have a disclaimer that they are a third party agent, but it's phrased in a way that doesn't really indicate that the recipient has the choice to use the USCG site: "...Use of our process requires payment of a service fee in addition to the government renewal application fee. " Further on... "You are under no obligation to utilize our firm's service.

So while they are probably exactly within the law, the business model is based on sleight- if they were honest and forthcoming that they're charging a premium to provide a service that is unnecessary, they'd fail.

I did file a complaint with USPS because the mailing is deceptive and has the intent of creating the illusion that the recipient is dealing with an official US government agency. It's not likely to have any impact, but something about a business that operates on the shady side compels me to act. Enough complaints may result in action that will compel them to be more honest and save a fellow boater the hassle of dealing with this underhanded schmuck.
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