Terms of Service

1. Who we are

These terms are issued by KC International Netherlands B.V., Beechavenue 174, 1119 PS Schiphol-Rijk, The Netherlands (“KC International”, “we”, “us”). You can reach us at info.ams@kc-intl.com or +31 (0)20 654 4758.

They apply to the use of this website (www.smart-importexport.com) and of the KC International Client Portal (the “Client Portal”), and to every request for services you send us, whichever channel you use.

2. Our forwarding services and the conditions that apply

We arrange the transport, storage, customs clearance and related handling of goods on your behalf: by sea, air and road, between Europe and Asia and beyond. We do this as a forwarder. The actual carriage is performed by carriers such as shipping lines, airlines and road hauliers, whom we instruct for you.

All our activities and services are performed under the Dutch Forwarding Conditions (FENEX conditions), latest version, as filed with the registries of the District Courts of Amsterdam, Arnhem, Breda and Rotterdam. These conditions contain, among other things, limitations of our liability. We send you a copy free of charge on request. Where these terms and the Dutch Forwarding Conditions differ on a forwarding service, the Dutch Forwarding Conditions prevail.

The carriers we instruct work under their own conditions and under the international conventions that govern their mode of transport, such as the CMR Convention for road transport, the Hague-Visby Rules for sea transport and the Montreal Convention for air transport. Their liability towards cargo interests is limited by those rules.

General terms of a client do not apply unless we have accepted them in writing.

3. How you request a service: by e-mail or through the Client Portal

You can send us a request in either of two ways. Both have the same standing.

• By e-mail to your contact person at KC International or to info.ams@kc-intl.com.
• Through the Client Portal, where you can make quick quotes, send order and offer requests, request bookings and follow your shipments, documents and invoices.

An agreement for a service comes about only when we confirm your request: by e-mail, or as a confirmation or booking in the Client Portal. Until then, a request is a request; it does not reserve space or equipment.

Instructions that are urgent or that change a shipment already under way (a new delivery address, a hold, a cancellation) must reach us in time. If you are not sure that an instruction has reached us, call or e-mail your contact person. We cannot be held responsible for an instruction that did not reach us.

4. Quotes, published rates and prices

• Quick quotes in the Client Portal are estimates calculated from our rate sheets for the route and load you enter. They are not binding offers.
• Rates published on this website are indicative and for information. They depend on available space and equipment and on the validity stated with them.
• Offers we send you by e-mail or in the Client Portal are valid for the period stated in them, subject to space and equipment at the time of booking.
• Prices are in the currency stated and exclude VAT, duties and taxes unless stated otherwise. Surcharges that carriers or authorities impose or change after our offer, such as fuel, currency, peak-season, security or congestion surcharges, may be passed on at cost.
• Customs duties, import VAT and other charges levied by authorities are for your account, also when we pay them on your behalf.

Our invoices are payable within the term stated on them.

5. What we need from you

You are responsible for giving us information that is correct, complete and on time, in particular:

• the nature, description, quantity, weight, dimensions and value of the goods, and their customs (HS) codes;
• whether the goods are dangerous, perishable, temperature-controlled, oversized or otherwise need special handling;
• the documents, licences and permits the goods require, including for export control, sanctions and import restrictions in the countries involved;
• correct addresses and contact details of shippers, consignees and notify parties.

Costs, fines and damage that result from incorrect, incomplete or late information are for your account.

6. The Client Portal

Access to the Client Portal is personal. Keep your login details confidential and tell us at once if you think someone else has used them. You are responsible for what is done under the accounts of your company. You can manage the members of your company in the portal; remove access for people who leave.

Shipment statuses, departure and arrival times, track-and-trace events and similar information in the portal come largely from carriers, terminals and other third parties. We show them as received, for your information. They can be late, incomplete or change without notice, and are not a guarantee of any time of arrival.

The portal includes an AI assistant that can read a text you paste in, such as an e-mail from your supplier, to fill in a quote or order for you. Check every value it proposes before you use it: you remain responsible for the data you send us.

7. Availability of the Client Portal and this website

We do our best to keep the Client Portal and this website available, fast and correct, and to give you the best service we can through them. We cannot guarantee that they are always available or free of errors. They can be unavailable, slow or incomplete, for example:

• during maintenance and updates;
• because of failures at our hosting, cloud or other technology providers;
• because of disruptions of the internet or of telecommunication networks;
• because data feeds from carriers or other third parties are late or unavailable;
• because of cyber attacks or other causes outside our control.

We are not liable for damage resulting from the Client Portal or this website being unavailable, interrupted or slow, or from information in them being late or incomplete, where the cause lies outside our control.

The portal is an extra channel, not the only one. When it is offline, our forwarding work continues: send your request or instruction by e-mail to your contact person or to info.ams@kc-intl.com, or call us on +31 (0)20 654 4758, and we will handle it as usual.

8. Liability

Our liability for the forwarding services is governed and limited by the Dutch Forwarding Conditions (section 2). For the use of this website and the Client Portal, which we provide as a service to our clients and visitors, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as lost profit, lost sales or delay damage, nor for loss caused by the unavailability described in section 7. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, such as liability for intent or deliberate recklessness.

9. Using this website and the portal properly

You may not:

• try to get access to accounts, data or systems that are not yours, or test their security without our written permission;
• copy rates, news or other content in bulk, or collect it automatically (scraping), for use outside your own dealings with us;
• send content that is unlawful, misleading or harmful, or use the forms to send unsolicited messages;
• put an unreasonable load on our systems.

We may limit, suspend or close access when we suspect misuse. The texts, design, rate presentations and software of this website and the portal are protected; you may use them for your own dealings with us.

10. News and other information

News articles and other information on this website are general information about trade and logistics. They are not advice for your situation. We take care that they are correct but do not guarantee it.

11. Personal data

How we handle personal data is explained in our Privacy Policy.

12. Changes

We may change these terms. The version on this page applies from the date shown at the top. For a service already agreed, the terms that applied when it was agreed remain in force.

13. Applicable law and disputes

These terms and every agreement with us are governed by Dutch law. Disputes are settled as provided in the Dutch Forwarding Conditions; where they do not provide for it, by the competent court in the Netherlands.

14. Contact

KC International Netherlands B.V.
Beechavenue 174, 1119 PS Schiphol-Rijk
The Netherlands
info.ams@kc-intl.com · +31 (0)20 654 4758