Documentation Renewal

[kthoennes]

Just got my renewed doc certificate in the mail, four days after the online payment.

 

[Comodave]

I always put a yearly reminder in my smartphone in case the renewal letter gets lost in the mail.

 

[DonW28]

Just got my renewed doc certificate in the mail, four days after the online payment.

Took me the exact same time. Kudos to the USCG for a fast and painless renewal system. So easy and actually pretty cheap if you are using the real site.

 

[Davil1]

===========================
agree totally
went thru the local DMV registration "non-official" once.
I do not believe the term scam or fraud really apply, as they provide a service.
My objection is to the presentation, graphics and lack of a clear disclaimer on their head page, will save a lot of time and anger.
When I reported to the FTC I was very careful to avoid the terms Fraud and Scam as they really are not, perhaps deceiving?
Any ways
no great harm, except my pride.

===============================================
Update
received my credit from Amex today!!!! $128.00
The original charge was never refunded as promised, the refund is according to the credit card company based on my ability to produce the necessary documentation (email from the company acknowledgment of my cancelling order to request refund and their promise to refund,
Love my Amex, always been very responsive, and customer service is great.
Incidentally, did make a report to "Federal Trade Commission", all these unnecessary aggravation can easily be avoided if the regulatory agencies clamp down on deceptive advertising.
All is well on the eastern front.
Sayonara

 

[Unclematt]

I sent mine in online today I hope they are as fast for me. I will be wearing my life jacket underway, I just bought an EPIRB and PLB. If I get caught in the **** and need to leave the wheelhouse I have a tether.

 

[AKDoug]

I received my 5 year renewal today, it took 3 weeks and they did figure out the five years based on the comment line on the check I wrote. All is good!

 

[Unclematt]

I did the one year, I was waiting for them to get the 5 year option online. I emailed them twice, the first answer was it would be ready by Jan 31, the second time they said they had no idea when it would be available.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Just did my renewal today, but found out that my notice was from the bogus fraudulent company. I know some have said it's a legitimate "service," but there is a word for being "serviced" unknowingly. Ask Bill Cosby.

I couldn't tell while filling out the form that it was bogus until the $64/year fee at the end. So I kept that window open while I searched for the real USCG site. There wasn't a USCG multiple-year option online so I did the $26 annual fee again. Paid and closed both websites. I immediately got a notice that my payment had not gone through because of some technicality. Turns out that the warning was from the bogus website. It appears they have some fancy sucker notice whereby they can tell if you visit their website and they will send you an email warning that the sky is falling if you don't complete the transaction with them. I hadn't even provided them with any payment information. Very clever business practice, in a sleazy predatory way.

 

[Chuck34]

Marco, you can only do multi year renewals through snail mail…not available online.
Glad you did not get suckered in.

 

[Rich wilmer]

And now you know! Sucker sites are everywhere, just have to pay attention. ��

 

[fgarriso]

Just did my renewal today, but found out that my notice was from the bogus fraudulent company. I know some have said it's a legitimate "service," but there is a word for being "serviced" unknowingly. Ask Bill Cosby.

I couldn't tell while filling out the form that it was bogus until the $64/year fee at the end. So I kept that window open while I searched for the real USCG site. There wasn't a USCG multiple-year option online so I did the $26 annual fee again. Paid and closed both websites. I immediately got a notice that my payment had not gone through because of some technicality. Turns out that the warning was from the bogus website. It appears they have some fancy sucker notice whereby they can tell if you visit their website and they will send you an email warning that the sky is falling if you don't complete the transaction with them. I hadn't even provided them with any payment information. Very clever business practice, in a sleazy predatory way.

Hears who I use, their good people, and they do it all.

https://allyachtdocumentation.com/contact-us

 

[Lollygag1]

One line process was quick and easy, took a couple pf weeks for the docs to arrive.

 

[Chuck34]

Hears who I use, their good people, and they do it all.

https://allyachtdocumentation.com/contact-us

While I have always done my own new documentation, there are times it may be best to use a doc service. I'm cheap and would rather spend $100 and do it myself vs $4-500 to have a doc service do it.
However, when it comes to simple renewal, there is never any reason to use a doc service. You can spend 4-5 minutes on the CG website and pay $26 or you can spend 4-5 minutes on a doc service website and spend $75. Very simply, it's a no-brainer?

 

[Davil1]

renewal

===============================================
Update
received my credit from Amex today!!!! $128.00
The original charge was never refunded as promised, the refund is according to the credit card company based on my ability to produce the necessary documentation (email from the company acknowledgment of my cancelling order to request refund and their promise to refund,
Love my Amex, always been very responsive, and customer service is great.
Incidentally, did make a report to "Federal Trade Commission", all these unnecessary aggravation can easily be avoided if the regulatory agencies clamp down on deceptive advertising.
All is well on the eastern front.
Sayonara

========================
happy ending
have my renewal in the mail from USCG.
I renewed for two years.
Tip.
You may receive (as I did) an older form without a choice for multiyear renewal.
Just enclose the check for the amount to cover the number of years of choice, and hand write on the renewal form what you want.

All is well on the Western front.

Mahalo plenty

 

[Mac2]

I got scammed! I just paid $375 for 5 years. I'm in the process of trying to get the charge reversed. The USCG logo really fooled me and the fact that they sent me the letter stating my documentation was about to expire (which it was). The above was really helpful information and I wish I had read it sooner.

 

[magna 6882]

I would think there would be a sticky post reminding all not to get scammed. I got the notice in the mail and it looked so real i had to really read closely to understand it was a third party. Did help remind me to do it online.

 

[Porgy]

“ I would think there would be a sticky post”

Like the one at the top of the Financial Matters and Red Tape forum?

 

[Chuck34]

I would think there would be a sticky post reminding all not to get scammed. I got the notice in the mail and it looked so real i had to really read closely to understand it was a third party. Did help remind me to do it online.

There have been multiple threads here and all the major boating forums for at least 5-6 years. I got scammed about 5 years ago and have made it my mission to alert as many people as possible. I’ve posted at least 100 times (maybe 200) on more than a half dozen forums.

 

[Chuck34]

I got scammed! I just paid $375 for 5 years. I'm in the process of trying to get the charge reversed. The USCG logo really fooled me and the fact that they sent me the letter stating my documentation was about to expire (which it was). The above was really helpful information and I wish I had read it sooner.

Good luck on the reversal. While a few have, I would say 99% were not successful. FWIW, you will get your COD. While these guys have a very scammy business model, they are legitimate businesses that provide an unnecessary service.

 

[Davil1]

Good luck on the reversal. While a few have, I would say 99% were not successful. FWIW, you will get your COD. While these guys have a very scammy business model, they are legitimate businesses that provide an unnecessary service.

==============================

Unfortunately true not meeting the definition of fraud,the most can be said is Deceptive.
My posting is really to remind the steps for a more promising refund.

1) Email and ask if they are the USCG official site

copy of my correspondence

"Carol
is this address the USCG or is yours a service provider not part of the United States Coast Guard.
If you are not the official United States Coast Guard, I request you stop any proceedings and refund any charges applied to my credit card"

2) on receipt of their response, telling they are not,
3) Request a refund,
4) There will be a response, more likely a lengthy protest on their part as to how they are a legitimate business etc, and they will make an exception etc, and direct you to their disclaimer at the foot of their screen in little lettering describing their business as third party.
They also will tell you a waiting of so many days until they refund the payment and for you not to file a claim with your credit card.
You acknowledge it and will wait. mark the date and wait.
5) call your credit card and confirm what is the window (Amex 90 days) so you do not miss your credit card policies.

Keep all your emails and also print them, you will need them to file your claim with your Card company.
It is very important you can provide the documentation and facilitate both your refund and for the company to deal with them

Found the most difficult part to wait for the unnecessary time as we know the time needed is no more than 24Hs!

Amex refunded within their normal policy (do not remember a week?)

Do not forget to report to the FTC.

 

[Chuck34]

I’m guessing these scammer companies (there are a couple) have been reported to the FTC, Post Office and CG multiple times, but unfortunately, the fine print covers their butts. However, a year or so ago, the CG stopped putting boat owners’ names and addresses on their website. That was the source of info the scammers used. Their databases will now start to dry up.

 

[CaptTom]

I'd love to find a better way to get the word out, so fewer people get scammed. Off the top of my head, here's one possibility:

Along with the certificate, the NVDC could include a renewal reminder. Just a sheet of paper showing the date, cost and web site where to renew. If you renewed on line, they could also send you an e-mail with a calendar entry (.ics file) attachment that includes the same information.

They'd probably get beaten up by some congresscritters if they specifically said not to fall for the scams. But it seems perfectly legitimate to pass along the actual cost and correct web site, and let the boater decide if they want to pay more.

 

[Chuck34]

They'd probably get beaten up by some congresscritters if they specifically said not to fall for the scams. But it seems perfectly legitimate to pass along the actual cost and correct web site, and let the boater decide if they want to pay more.

Actually, the CG put out a bulletin a few years ago warning boaters that there were private companies offering documentation services with much higher fees than the CG charged.

 

[John R M]

I got scammed! I just paid $375 for 5 years. I'm in the process of trying to get the charge reversed. The USCG logo really fooled me and the fact that they sent me the letter stating my documentation was about to expire (which it was). The above was really helpful information and I wish I had read it sooner.

I wondered about copyright of the logo, and found this on their site:

"The U.S. Coast Guard's mark, emblem, and name are protected by federal law 14 USC 639. Approval before commercial use is required. The use of Coast Guard protected words and symbols for commercial purposes is prohibited unless the producer completes a licensing agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard."

If the USCG is warning people about these third party companies, why don't they go after them for illegal use of their logo?

 

[Chuck34]

I wondered about copyright of the logo, and found this on their site:

"The U.S. Coast Guard's mark, emblem, and name are protected by federal law 14 USC 639. Approval before commercial use is required. The use of Coast Guard protected words and symbols for commercial purposes is prohibited unless the producer completes a licensing agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard."

If the USCG is warning people about these third party companies, why don't they go after them for illegal use of their logo?

If you look at the CG's actual logo and compare it to the scammers logo, it's close but not exact...enough difference to get away with it. The same with the big red stripe on CG Boats vs the boat stripe on the scammers website...close but not close enough to have legal action charged.

 

[slowgoesit]

I ran into a guy a few days ago who got "scammed" by one of these companies. For him, the saving grace was that he mailed in his application along with his check. He didn't find out that it wasn't the official site until after he had received his documentation renewal. He notified the company, requesting that the difference in $$ be refunded back to him. They basically told him to pack sand. Then he send them a certified letter asking again that they refund the difference. He also included a copy of his cancelled check, front and back that was made out to the "National Vessel Documentation Center", and asked them by what legal authority they cashed a check made out to a Federal Agency?
About 10 days later he received a check in the mail from the company for the FULL amount. No letter, no explanation, just the check!
And they had already processed his application and he had already received his renewal!

 

[Chuck34]

Just got my renewal reminder from one of the scammers, National Documentation Portal. In the letter they clearly say 5 year renewal is mandatory, which is wrong. CG offers 1-5 year renewal.
Just reminding folks only go to the real CG Doc office for $26/year renewal, not $75.