You are correct Josh that the site displays an obscured disclaimer in tiny font at the very bottom of its pages, where you wouldn't normally scroll, that they are not the USCG NVDC.
HOWEVER, the company behind this site makes *so such disclaimer whatsoever* in the unsolicited letters it sends to vessel owners - see the letter I received at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-NqAxQ6JxFTeU1HcDZKTWdiQzA . That is deceitful and unscrupulous. And you CAN pay for COD renewal online at the real USCG NVDC - see https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/nvdc/, left-hand navigation menu, heading "Order Products Online:". I went through that process on Friday, spending another $26, in hopes that U.S. Vessel Documentation would cancel the renewal order I placed with them, which they won't because they're predatory. The reason I got duped by the scam is because U.S. Vessel Documentation's unsolicited "Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice" letter arrived first. I've yet to receive any reminder notice from the real USCG NVDC, though it's been on my mind to expect one based on something I remember reading when I first got my COD (which is in my safe deposit box; I intend to retrieve it and re-read that promise of a reminder). Yes, U.S. Vessel Documentation is providing a service. The same service you can get for a fraction of the cost, online from the real USCG NVDC, with no additional value provided by U.S. Vessel Documentation for the multiple of the actual cost. U.S. Vessel Documentation is attempting to appear to consumers as the real USCG NVDC, and is ripping consumers off. Cheers, Randy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Josh Muckley via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> To: "C&C List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: "Josh Muckley" <muckl...@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2017 10:41:10 AM Subject: Re: Stus-List Deceitful USCG Documentation Renewal Company Nobody likes getting fooled or taken advantage of. Good on you guys for warning one another and the rest of the list. However, there are lots of 3rd party "documentation specialists". This site doesn't falsify who they are AND includes a disclosure about who they are and what they do. For the past 5 years of my documentation the USCG NVDC has sent me a renewal notice near the end of each year, listed the means of renewing the documentation, provided a due date, and listed the cost. A few years ago the price went from $5 to $26. I expect this practice and price to continue into the future. IIRC there is currently no way to pay via credit card or file online so each year I dust off the check book and write another single check, sign and return the form to NVDC via snail mail. The only change I've heard of possibly coming in the future is a 3 year documentation but as of yet that has not been implemented. Good luck on your quest to punish this company for "predatory" or "deceitful" practices but the company is simply providing a service. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Feb 5, 2017 12:15 PM, "RANDY via CnC-List" < cnc-list@cnc-list.com > wrote: According to https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?SearchType=CORP&SearchCriteria=U.S.+Vessel+Documentation&SearchSubType=Keyword this company is only one year old. Its principals are John Soria and Maria Carlos of Long Beach, CA (husband and wife, it would appear from https://www.facebook.com/captainjohnsoria and https://www.facebook.com/maria.carlos.5268 ). John Soria is also the principal of U.S. Marine Surveyors http://usmarinesurveyors.com/about/ , also of Long Beach, CA. But maybe the company had a previous incarnation - John Soria's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/captain-john-soria-96666046 mentions a domain name vesseldocumentation.us , which was registered on 10/03/15 by one Edward Riener, according to https://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results-res.jsp?domain=vesseldocumentation.us . The current domain name uscgdocumentation.us was registered by John Soria on 6/29/16 - https://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results-res.jsp?domain=uscgdocumentation.us . Ed Riener runs a diving company in Southern California that also does marine survey work - http://edrienerdiving.com . So my guess, and this is just a guess, is that Ed Riener and John Soria may have met through their work in Southern California, and Ed Riener may have sold a vessel documentation business with domain name vesseldocumentation.us (registered 10/03/15) to John Soria who renamed the business U.S. Vessel Documentation and launched a new website at uscgdocumentation.us (registered 6/29/16). I complained to the USCG NVDC about U.S. Vessel Documentation in email on Friday, and may follow up with a letter or phone call to the CO of that unit. It could be argued that John Soria is close to violating 18 U.S. Code 912 - https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/912 , and possibly in violation of federal and California consumer protection laws as well. Best Regards, Randy Stafford S/V Grenadine C&C 30-1 #7 Ken Caryl, CO From: "Matthew L. Wolford via CnC-List" < cnc-list@cnc-list.com > To: "cnc-list" < cnc-list@cnc-list.com > Cc: "Matthew L. Wolford" < wolf...@erie.net > Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2017 7:05:33 AM Subject: Re: Stus-List Deceitful USCG Documentation Renewal Company FWIW, I almost fell for the same trick a couple years ago. I filled out the on-line form, but when I got to the price I figured there was no way the fee went up that much. So I left the form and found the authentic government vessel registration site. I called the government office in West Virginia and reported the scam, but apparently they do not intend to do anything about it. From: PETER OCAMPO via CnC-List Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2017 1:33 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: PETER OCAMPO Subject: Re: Stus-List Deceitful USCG Documentation Renewal Company Randy I'll make you feel. Being a new boat owner I googled us coast guard documentation saw the web site and filled out the forms for transfer of ownership and they took me for 450 but I would never had known I had over paid had if not been for your post. So next time I'll use the real uscg website. So thanks for saving me money in the future Peter Goonie island C&c 40 Sent from my iPhone On Feb 4, 2017, at 11:29 AM, RANDY via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com > wrote: <blockquote> Yes I found the USCG NVDC to be very straightforward and helpful when I exchanged Grenadine's CoD from her previous owner to me one year ago. The USCG officers with whom I spoke on the phone were professional and informative, and the website and forms and procedures were easy to understand and easy to use. My complaint here is that there a predatory third-party business trying to deceive vessel owners into thinking it is the USCG NVDC, and then bilking them for 3X the cost of what the USCG NVDC charges for the same service. It succeeded in doing that to me. Fool me once, shame on me. I'm not the first person to get screwed by this unscrupulous company and complain about it - see https://www.bbb.org/losangelessiliconvalley/business-reviews/not-elsewhere-classified/us-marine-surveyors-inc-or-us-vessel-documenta-in-long-beach-ca-646887/reviews-and-complaints Cheers, Randy From: "phorvati ." < phorv...@gmail.com > To: "CNC boat owners, cnc-list" < cnc-list@cnc-list.com > Cc: "RANDY" < randy.staff...@comcast.net > Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2017 8:56:03 AM Subject: Re: Stus-List Deceitful USCG Documentation Renewal Company I purchased a tayana fd12 in september, ended up submitting several parts of the application, all per the instruction document. Few of them were release of primary mortgage bill of sale and exchange of COD. all via email and pdfs attached. I was a bit scepticall but the coast guard website was accurate on processing times. I got the new COD last week. it was under 100$. So it took a bit, my guess was due to request for release of PM. Coast Guard website works but u need to do your own due diligence, read requirements and fulfill them as required. On Feb 3, 2017 8:17 PM, "RANDY via CnC-List" < cnc-list@cnc-list.com > wrote: <blockquote> Listers - fair warning - I got deceived today into paying 3X what I needed to for USCG documentation renewal. I received a letter via USPS from an entity named "U.S. Vessel Documentation", domain name uscgdocumentation.us , titled "Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice". As I'm sure the sender intended, I mistook the letter as being from the United States Coast Guard National Vessel Documentation Center, reminding me to renew my Certificate of Documentation. It's been on my mind that my CoD is expiring soon, and I've been expecting a reminder. So I went to uscgdocumentation.us , filled out the renewal form, and submitted it. I was surprised to see the price was $75 - I'd remembered the renewal cost being ~$25 - but I thought "well, the Coast Guard must have raised their prices", and submitted the form anyway, with my credit card information. Somehow sometime after doing that, I noticed fine print at the very bottom of uscgdocumentation.us web pages, where you wouldn't even normally scroll or look, saying "U.S. Vessel Documentation is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC." So then I went to the real USCG NVDC website, https://www.uscg.mil/nvdc/default.asp, where I applied for an exchange of the CoD last year when I bought Grenadine (since she was previously USCG-documented), and confirmed their renewal fee is only $26 and you can file for renewal online right there. At that point I realized I'd been had, and immediately requested cancellation of my renewal order from that company, in writing, and in voice mail, and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the USGC NVDC about "U.S. Vessel Documentation", and contacted my credit card company to block the charge from this merchant. I'm now in the process of posting about this experience on sailing-related forums I've visited. If you own a USCG-documented vessel, *DO NOT* do business through the deceitful company uscgdocumentation.us , unless you don't mind paying 3X the cost of something you could do directly though https://www.uscg.mil/nvdc/default.asp . These "U.S. Vessel Documentation" people are predatory. I've posted the letter I received, and an email exchange I had with this company, at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-NqAxQ6JxFTeU1HcDZKTWdiQzA . Cheers, Randy Stafford S/V Grenadine C&C 30-1 #7 Ken Caryl, CO _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated! </blockquote> <blockquote> _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated! </blockquote> _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated! _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated! _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated! </blockquote> _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
_______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
