EMPIRE CONTAINER FREIGHT STATION — Local services in Rancho Dominguez

This place charged me $400 for picking up my china shipped bender including storage fees. I didnt know so many people would be putting their hands in my pocket. I originally paid $300 for shipping. Than I had to pay $310 to la port. And $650 to customs. That's not including the broker fees of about $190. Quite an experience. And of course the $400 empire fees. Would say though that the clerk did try to help me with the customs paperwork.i ended going to staple.to print the customs release since I guess their email is blocked, doing that made me wait another 40 minutes in line. The fellow who loaded my item seemed inexperienced ,unable to get my boxed center properly and loading down the back of my truck with the forks on the lift ,I was about ready to tell him to get off the lift and let me load my box. They off course never answer their phones, so its a must to drive out there if u have an item to pick up. Also to get to the office for.the release.paperwork ,you have to navigator through a bunch of speedy forklifts making forklift and pedestrian very likely. I'm surprised nobody has been seriously injured. That would never fly at the company I work at. Forklift and foot traffic are kept separate as much...

Our recent experience with Empire CFS, Tammy Rodriguez, and Letty Zuniga was disappointing and unnecessarily difficult. We called the facility, paid the storage fees, and submitted the paperwork in advance via email to confirm that our driver would be received. We received no confirmation or response until our driver was already onsite and being rejected. When the paperwork was printed, it was rejected because we were told it was not what they needed. Later in an attempt to hand-deliver new documents, we were emailed that the documents were missing information that was clearly included on the document provided.

This caused confusion, unnecessary delays, and a poor experience for both our driver and our operations team. As a transportation provider, we understand the importance of process and documentation; however, clear and timely communication is essential for an effective logistics partnership.

We hope Empire CFS reviews their internal communication procedures to ensure better coordination with carriers...

All the negative reviews here should actually be directed towards the freight forwarders they used. Seems like there was bad communication from the customs broker or the freight forwarder to the customers. Importing involves many fees AFTER arriving to the port of arrival, and it's up the the freight forwarder or the customs broker to educate these first time importers. I do agree that the rates have went up insanely over the past years, maybe 2-3x more than three years ago.

My experience with Empire CFS has been great. They have a fast response time with releases and in the end, you just need to know the process.

For any first time importers, I highly you ask your forwarder/broker questions regarding addl fees so that way you won't get any surprises when picking up...