1. Immediate safety and preservation
1.1 In an emergency, contact the appropriate emergency services and follow lawful safety instructions first. Report a material incident to the known VEXO shipment contact and dispatch@vexologistics.com as soon as practicable. Include the reference, location, time, nature of the event, affected equipment, known condition and available contacts. Do not place personnel at risk to obtain photographs or documents.
1.2 Segregate and preserve affected goods where safe. Keep packaging, seals, temperature information and receiving records. Record protective steps, storage location and persons with custody. An initial report should state known facts and identify uncertainty; it should not fabricate a cause or promise a particular outcome.
2. Identify the responsible party and governing regime
2.1 Determine the actual carrier, custodian, insurer and contract applicable to the loss. Separate legs or modes may have distinct documents and time limits. VEXO can assist with coordination, but that assistance does not make it the carrier or guarantee a claim’s success.
2.2 The claimant shall determine its authority to claim, including ownership, contractual rights, assignment or insurer subrogation. Competing claims or prior payments must be disclosed to prevent duplicate recovery. Seek timely professional advice if the proper recipient, law or deadline is uncertain.
3. Formal claim content
3.1 A formal claim should identify the shipment, assert responsibility for the alleged loss and demand a specified or determinable monetary amount. Identify the claimant and the person authorised to communicate about it. Attach available documents and state what additional evidence will follow. Where the applicable regime permits supplementation, do not miss the filing deadline while waiting for a complete file.
3.2 A delivery exception, inspection report, photograph or request for an update may not satisfy the applicable minimum claim requirements. Obtain and retain proof of timely delivery of the claim to the proper party. Copying VEXO does not necessarily constitute filing with that party.
4. Supporting evidence
4.1 Provide the BOL, delivery receipt, shipment reference, accepted instructions, commercial invoice or other value evidence, itemised calculation, quantity and weight records, photographs, inspection or testing reports and repair estimates where relevant. For shortages, preserve seal and loading/unloading tallies. For temperature issues, include settings, recorder data, times, units and qualified product assessment.
4.2 Evidence should show the cargo and equipment context, not just a close-up of damage after unloading. Identify when and by whom photographs were taken. Preserve original files and avoid editing metadata or annotations into the only retained copy. A claim calculation shall credit salvage, prior recovery and other amounts as required by law.
5. Deadlines and administrative assistance
5.1 Use the actual contract and governing law to determine the filing and action periods. Where the U.S. Carmack framework applies without a valid displacement, statutory minimum periods restrict how short a carrier’s claim and lawsuit windows may be. Other territories and modes require separate review.
5.2 Prompt notice to VEXO helps coordinate inspection and escalation. Administrative assistance targets do not replace statutory periods, extend them or automatically extinguish a claim. Negotiation, an insurer’s investigation or an unanswered message should not be assumed to toll time. A valid extension must be documented with the proper party.
6. Investigation, disposition and communication
6.1 The claimant and performing provider shall cooperate in reasonable inspection, evidence requests and mitigation without surrendering applicable privilege or non-waivable rights. Where governing rules require claim acknowledgement or periodic disposition notices, those requirements remain the provider’s responsibility. VEXO may request updates but does not control an insurer’s coverage decision.
6.2 Record the date and content of an actual claim disallowance and obtain advice about its effect. A settlement offer is not necessarily a formal disallowance. Evaluate proposed releases, assignments and salvage obligations before acceptance; a receipt of funds may have legal consequences.
7. Mitigation, salvage and settlement
7.1 Reasonable mitigation may include repair, segregation, lawful resale or other measures appropriate to the commodity. Unsafe food, regulated goods and protected branding can require special controls. No one should destroy evidence or sell restricted goods merely to reduce storage cost. Document alternatives and obtain necessary authority.
7.2 A commercial accommodation payment shall specify whether it settles a claim, creates an assignment or is made without admission. Recovery must avoid double payment of the same loss. Freight invoices and cargo claims remain separate issues subject to the controlling agreement and mandatory law; parties shall not assume an unrestricted right of offset.