Maritime Documentation Center Reviews (%countItem)
Maritime Documentation Center Rating
Address: 100 24th St W Ste 1-108, Billings, Montana, United States, 59102-4771
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Great experience with Maritime Documentation! It is truly a stress free process when you use their website.Would use again and would recommend them to anyone.
Complete scam and trickery. I filled out the form late at night and realized just after submitting that it was a fake website trying to represent itself as official Coast Guard. When I asked within hours to cancel my transaction due to the error they sent a long detailed email saying what I had signed and that I am now required to pay. Complete scam company that needs to be shut down. Shame on them.
This company contacted me regarding the renewal of my boat documentation for the US Coast Guard. It looks a lot like the US Coast Guard Website and offers to renew my boat registration (for $75). I realized this was not the US Coast Guard right after I hit the ENTER key to pay the renewal fee. I immediately sent them an email cancelling my transaction and also notified my credit card company to void the payment. The Maritime Documentation Center responded by saying they would not refund my money.
This message is written on behalf of MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER CORP. in response to the Complaint No.: *** received June 24, 2019 regarding the application for Renewal of USCG Documentation submitted by *** on June 23, 2019. MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER CORP. (MDC) is a third-party, fee-for-service document processing company that specializes in US Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC is not operated or endorsed by a governmental agency, and makes no attempt to impersonate the Coast Guard, or the National Vessel Documentation Center. On June 23, 2019, *** sought out MDC’s website and submitted a request for the processing of an application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation for his vessel “Ballybunion” with Official Number: ***. He did so without any solicitation from MDC whatsoever, beyond the Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice and did so without the assistance of a Telephone Agent. The Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice that *** received was a courtesy notice of an upcoming vessel renewal date. The Document states plainly that is a solicitation. Furthermore, the notice was replete with disclosures including a release of obligation, that points out that the site is maintained by a private firm, and even encourages the recipient to disregard the message if it was believed to have been received in error. The notice even explicitly states that use of our services include additional processing fees beyond the government’s fees alone. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service, *** chose to do so on June 23, 2019, when he submit his application for Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $75 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). Once received, his application was assigned to a Documentation Processor, and operations to complete his request began immediately. As mentioned in his complaint, there is record of a request from *** to cancel his application by email, received the following day, June 24, 2019. A Documentation Processor responded to his request by email on June 24, 2019, reiterating the Cancellation Policy stipulated by the Terms and Conditions of Use he agreed to at the time of purchase, which states that all application and processing fees submitted remain non-refundable, even in the event of a cancellation. *** then responded to that message, on June 24, 2019, once again demanding his application to be cancelled, and threatening to dispute the charge with his financial institution. This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”Submitting a Chargeback causes the entire transaction to be subject to review and the affected funds are immediately removed from MDC’s merchant accounts. These funds are only recoverable through additional arbitration and necessary manhours. As a result, such action automatically cancels further operations on the original service requested. No further correspondence has been received from Mr. after that point. The request for the processing of a Renewal application was submitted by Mr. ***, received by MDC, and operations to complete his request was initiated immediately. However, the following day, *** requested his application to be cancelled. Upon receipt of his request Documentation Processors assigned to his file contacted him reiterating the cancellation policy stipulated by the Terms and Conditions and agreed to by him at the time of purchase. In his complaint, *** claims that MDC is somehow illegitimate, and accuses MDC of engaging in fraud. This is patently false. The following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website: Copyright 2018 MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER | All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center 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. In addition to this disclaimer, *** also personally acknowledged through the submission of his application that he’d read, understood, and accepted the Terms and Conditions of Use that also clearly indicate the fact that MDC is a third-party, nongovernmental company. In short, Mr. *** sought out and contracted with MDC for the processing of his vessel’s Documentation, only doing so after certifying that he understood that his application would be processed by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. He then authorized a total charge amount of $75.00 USD after acknowledging that any/all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable, even in the event of a cancellation.On June 23, 2019, requested the processing of an application for Renewal of his vessel. That same day, operations began to fulfill his request. Before the completed Certificate could be generated, Mr. submitted a second request for the cancellation of his original service request. MDC then fulfilled his new service request, which at that point was the cancellation of his original service request. Pursuant to his new request, Mr.’s ongoing Renewal application was then cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions that he’d accepted at time of purchase. As he certified and accepted at the time of purchase, application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. Consequentially, this complaint is unwarranted, and the facts presented wholly without merit. *** sought out MDC’s website, and agreed to pay the total charge amount of $75.00 USD for the processing of his selected USCG documents to Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. His service request was received on June 23, 2019, but he requested the service cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions. By June 24, 2019, his updated request was fulfilled when MDC cancelled further operations on his Renewal application. Therefore, Mr.’s requested service was rendered successfully, and no refund is due at time. For any questions regarding this matter, please call (800) 535-8570, or email [email protected].
Maritime Documentation Center misrepresents themselves, making consumers believe they are dealing with the US Coast Guard, and they have a zero refund policy with exorbitant fees. Their fee was 14.5 times higher than the CG fee.
Within minutes of authorization of a charge to my credit card I realized my mistake and called to cancel my application, then followed the call with an email stating I wanted to cancel the application and expected a full refund They agreed to cancel but refused me a refund.
MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER CORP. (MDC) is a third-party, fee-for-service document processing company that specializes in US Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC is not operated or endorsed by a governmental agency, and makes no attempt to impersonate the Coast Guard, or the National Vessel Documentation Center. On May 17, 2019, *** sought out MDC’s website and submitted a request for the processing of an application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation for his vessel “Hadhammer” with Official Number: ***. He did so without any solicitation from MDC whatsoever, beyond “word of mouth” and did so without the assistance of a Telephone Agent. Mr. sought out MDC’s website for the purposes of the completion of a reinstatement of the ownership interest of his vessel, agreeing to the total charge amount of $450 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). Once received, his application was assigned to a Documentation Processor, and operations to complete his request began immediately. As mentioned in his complaint, there is record of a request from *** to cancel his application by email, received later that same day, May 17, 2019. A Documentation Processor responded to his request by email on May 20, 2019, reiterating the Cancellation Policy stipulated by the Terms and Conditions of Use he agreed to at the time of purchase, which states that all application and processing fees submitted remain non-refundable, even in the event of a cancellation. *** then responded to that message, on May 23, 2019, once again demanding his application to be cancelled, and the funds returned . On May 29, 2019, a charge back report was received for Mr.’s transaction. This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”Submitting a Chargeback causes the entire transaction to be subject to review and the affected funds are immediately removed from MDC’s merchant accounts. These funds are only recoverable through additional arbitration and necessary manhours. As a result, such action automatically cancels further operations on the original service requested. No further correspondence has been received from Mr. after that point. The request for the processing of a Reinstatement application was submitted by Mr. ***, received by MDC, and operations to complete his request was initiated immediately. However, later that day *** requested his application to be cancelled. Upon receipt of his request Documentation Processors assigned to his file contacted him reiterating the cancellation policy stipulated by the Terms and Conditions and agreed to by him at the time of purchase. In his complaint, *** claims that MDC is somehow illegitimate, and accuses MDC of engaging in fraud. This is patently false. The following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website: Copyright 2018 MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER | All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center 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. In addition to this disclaimer, *** also personally acknowledged through the submission of his application that he’d read, understood, and accepted the Terms and Conditions of Use that also clearly indicate the fact that MDC is a third-party, nongovernmental company. In short, Mr. *** sought out and contracted with MDC for the processing of his vessel’s Documentation, only doing so after certifying that he understood that his application would be processed by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. He then authorized a total charge amount of $450.00 USD after acknowledging that any/all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable, even in the event of a cancellation.On May 17, 2019, requested the processing of an application for Reinstatement of his vessel. That same day, operations began to fulfill his request. Before the completed Certificate could be generated, Mr. submitted a second request for the cancellation of his original service request. MDC then fulfilled his new service request, which at that point was the cancellation of his original service request. Pursuant to his new request, Mr.’s ongoing Reinstatement application was then cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions that he’d accepted at time of purchase. As he certified and accepted at the time of purchase, application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. *** even went a second step further to cancel his application, by disputing the charge with his financial institution. Arbitration must now take place for MDC to ever hope to recover the disputed funds at this point. Consequentially, this complaint is unwarranted, and the facts presented wholly without merit. *** sought out MDC’s website, and agreed to pay the total charge amount of $450.00 USD for the processing of his selected USCG documents to Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. His service request was received on May 17, 2019, but he requested the service cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions. By May 20, 2019, his updated request was fulfilled when MDC cancelled further operations on his Reinstatement application. Therefore, Mr.’s requested service was rendered successfully, and no refund is due at time. For any questions regarding this matter, please call (800) 535-8570, or email [email protected].
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:their website is misleading. They do indicate they are not part of the CG, but not until the very end of the site. Unfortunately I did not scroll down to that part till I had already approved the payment. Their fee of $450 dollars is excessive, when the CG only charges $31. I would never agree to a payment like that if I had any idea that it was so excessive. I made the unfortunate choice of believing their site was a reputable site, which it is certainly not if they refuse a refund submitted minutes after the transaction went thru.
Sincerely
My goal was to renew my US Coast Guard Vessel Documentation. This website came up in my search engine and I selected it. Unfortunately, I selected one of the "middle-man" services rather than going directly to the US Coast Guard. After doing some research (post event), these services charge large fee's for simply filing applications; the same applications individuals can file themselves without the fees. The service I selected charged me $450, because they said my Vessel Documentation was expired by more than 30 days, which it was…then I waited...nothing...still nothing. The response from chat = "need to email", response from email = "nothing".
This message is written on behalf of MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER CORP. in response to the Complaint received May 22, 2019 regarding the application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation submitted by *** on March 13, 2019. MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER CORP. (MDC) is a third-party, fee-for-service document processing company that specializes in US Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC is not operated or endorsed by a governmental agency, and makes no attempt to impersonate the Coast Guard, or the National Vessel Documentation Center. On March 13, 2019, *** sought out MDC’s website and submitted a request for the processing of an application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation for his vessel “Nauteak” with Official Number: ***. He did so without any solicitation from MDC whatsoever, beyond the use of an online search engine and did so without the assistance of a Telephone Agent. Mr. sought out MDC’s website for the purposes of the completion of an application for reinstatement of expired USCG Documentation for his vessel, agreeing to the total charge amount of $450 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). Once received, his application was assigned to a Documentation Processor, and operations to complete his request began immediately. ***’s application was processed, and submitted successfully to the National Vessel Documentation Center on April 23, 2019. MDC received confirmation from the NVDC for the successful receipt of the application on April 23, 2019. After submission to the National Vessel Documentation Center, Mr.’s application was returned with a Deficiency that needed to be resolved before the CG-1270 Certificate of Documentation (COD) could be issued. According to the Deficiency notice, the name of an additional owner on ***’s vessel had been omitted on the application. Documentation Processors assigned to his file notified him of this and requested the additional owner’s name on May 21, 2019. At time of writing Mr. has not provided the information required to proceed yet. Likewise, there *** has not requested the cancellation of his application via email at this time, and as the Cancellation Policy stipulated by the Terms and Conditions of Use he agreed to at the time of purchase states: all application and processing fees submitted remain non-refundable, even in the event of a cancellation. The request for the processing of a Reinstatement application was submitted by Mr. ***, received by MDC, processed immediately, and returned with a Deficiency from the National Vessel Documentation Center. Processors have notified Mr. of the current status of his application requesting information required to continue. This information has not been provided at this time. In his complaint, *** claims that MDC is somehow illegitimate, and accuses MDC of engaging in fraud. This is patently false. The following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website: Copyright 2018 MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER | All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center 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. In addition to this disclaimer, *** also personally acknowledged through the submission of his application that he’d read, understood, and accepted the Terms and Conditions of Use that also clearly indicate the fact that MDC is a third-party, nongovernmental company. In his complaint, Mr. claims that he has not received the service that he requested, and this claim is also false. An application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation has been processed on his behalf and is still underway. In short, Mr. *** sought out and contracted with MDC for the processing of his vessel’s Documentation, only doing so after certifying that he understood that his application would be processed by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. He then authorized a total charge amount of $450 USD after acknowledging that any/all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable.On March 13, 2019, he requested the processing of an application for Reinstatement of his vessel Documentation. MDC then fulfilled his request, which is still currently in process, requiring action on Mr.’s part to proceed. Consequentially, this complaint is unwarranted, and the facts presented wholly without merit. *** sought out MDC’s website, and agreed to pay the total charge amount of $450 USD for the processing of his selected USCG documents to Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. His service request was received on March 13, 2019, and is still currently in process at this time. Therefore, Mr.’s requested service was rendered successfully, and no refund is due at time. For any questions regarding this matter, please call (800) 535-8570, or email [email protected].
I needed to renew documentation for my boat and so I went on-line to find the Coast Guard site and found multiple links to Maritime documentation center (turns out they were all paid ads) and I thought that was the Coast Guards site for documentation of a vessel. The website even shows a Coast Guard vessel in the picture. I filled out the application and sent it at 10 pm at night. I started thinking that the charge of $525 seemed awfully excessive so I started looking further and found the Coast Guard site on the second page of Google search (they had bought so many ads on Google that it bumped the legitimate Coast Guard site to the second page). I then filled out my application to the proper site at 11 pm and then sent an e-mail to Maritime Documentation explaining that I wanted to cancel my application. I then called them first thing in the morning and also reiterated that I had filled out an application on-line overnight by mistake and would like to cancel it. The person on the phone was very nice and said he would pass along my request to their billing dept. Several hours later I received an extremely nasty e-mail from them stating that the small print on the application states that as soon as it is sent it is valid and there are NO CANCELLATIONS allowed. It got even nastier and stated that if I dispute it with my credit card company they will send me to collections and go after my credit rating. I believe that this business is set up primarily to trick people into using them and should be exposed to the public for what they actually are. I am currently in the process of disputing the charge with my credit card company as I refuse to be bullied by them!
This message is written on behalf of MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER CORP. in response to the Complaint received May 21, 2019 regarding the application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation submitted by *** on May 28, 2019. MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER CORP. (MDC) is a third-party, fee-for-service document processing company that specializes in US Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC is not operated or endorsed by a governmental agency, and makes no attempt to impersonate the Coast Guard, or the National Vessel Documentation Center. On May 28, 2019, *** sought out MDC’s website and submitted a request for the processing of an application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation for his vessel “Marguerite” with Official Number: ***. He did so without any solicitation from MDC whatsoever, beyond the use of an online search engine and did so without the assistance of a Telephone Agent. Mr. sought out MDC’s website for the purposes of the completion of a reinstatement expired Documentation for his vessel, agreeing to the total charge amount of $525 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). Once received, his application was assigned to a Documentation Processor, and operations to complete his request began immediately. As mentioned in his complaint, there is record of a request from *** to cancel his application by email, received later that same day, May 28, 2019. A Documentation Processor responded to his request by email on May 29, 2019, reiterating the Cancellation Policy stipulated by the Terms and Conditions of Use he agreed to at the time of purchase, which states that all application and processing fees submitted remain non-refundable, even in the event of a cancellation. *** then responded to that message by email May 31, 2019, indicating his intention to dispute the charge with his financial institution.This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”A formal charge dispute was received for the transaction on April 23, 2019. The request for the processing of a Transfer/Exchange application was submitted by Mr. ***, received by MDC, and operations to complete his request was initiated immediately. However, later that day *** requested his application to be cancelled. Upon receipt of his request Documentation Processors assigned to his file contacted him and reiterated the cancellation policy stipulated by the Terms and Conditions, that he agreed to at the time of purchase. Mr. *** then disputed the charge entirely with his financial institution on April 23, 2019. In his complaint, *** claims that MDC is somehow illegitimate, and accuses MDC of engaging in fraud. This is patently false. The following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website: Copyright 2018 MARITIME DOCUMENTATION CENTER | All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center 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. In addition to this disclaimer, *** also personally acknowledged through the submission of his application that he’d read, understood, and accepted the Terms and Conditions of Use that also clearly indicate the fact that MDC is a third-party, nongovernmental company. In short, Mr. *** sought out and contracted with MDC for the processing of his vessel’s Documentation, only doing so after certifying that he understood that his application would be processed by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. He then authorized a total charge amount of $525 USD after acknowledging that any/all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable, even in the event of a cancellation.On May 28, 2019, he requested the processing of an application for Reinstatement of his vessel Documentation. That same day, operations began to fulfill his request. Before the completed Certificate could be generated, Mr. submitted a second request for the cancellation of his original service request. MDC then fulfilled his new service request, which at that point was the cancellation of his original service request. Pursuant to his new request, Mr.’s ongoing Reinstatement application was then cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions that he’d accepted at time of purchase. As he certified and accepted at the time of purchase, application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. Consequentially, this complaint is unwarranted, and the facts presented wholly without merit. *** sought out MDC’s website, and agreed to pay the total charge amount of $525 USD for the processing of his selected USCG documents to Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. His service request was received on May 28, 2019, but he requested the service cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions. By May 29, 2019, his updated request was fulfilled when MDC cancelled further operations on his Transfer/Exchange application. Therefore, Mr.’s requested service was rendered successfully, and no refund is due at time. For any questions regarding this matter, please call (800) 535-8570, or email [email protected].
As many other have reported, I also feel as some previously quoted: "this company tricked me into using their service by designing their website to look extremely similar to the U.S. Coast Guard official website. They put their disclaimers in very inconspicuous places and only when you finally submit your credit card info do they finally put a disclaimer right in front of you. The similarity is so close between websites that I couldn't tell I wasn't on the USCG website which I was on just two days earlier. The fraud never occurred to me because letting a third party submit official government documents on my behalf without power of attorney doesn't even seem legal nor did I think the federal government would allow such a thing. After seeing their final disclaimer I quickly realized my mistake and within 5 seconds called them to cancel. No one would speak to me on the phone and they would only email me copies of their terms and agreement. Their terms do state no refunds but they also state every effort will be made to accommodate cancellations but if applications had already been processed no refunds can be given. No effort at all was made. I know they did no work on the matter because they only had 5 seconds before I notified them to cancel. They also don't have the proper paperwork to do anything nor did I grant them permission to conduct official government business for me. Not only am I angry about the misleading website but I'm also upset that these people now have all my personal info including my ss number which I never would've given out had I known this was not a US gov website. Not only does this company's deceitful tactics hurt unsuspecting consumers but undermine the legitimacy of the US government as a whole and especially the USCG. It also denigrates the confidence American citizens have in being able to handle their official business with the government via the internet. I'm stunned that the federal government allows these practices and the blatant copying of their website."
The government need to step in and shut this company down.
In April 2018, I received their official looking mailer about my vessel's expiring documentation. I fell for it and paid to renew my documentation through them as well as purchased a second year of their service for this year's documentation renewal for a total of $150 at each year's fee of $75 each. Later in the month when I received the authentic mailer from the US Coast Guard and saw that the renewal fee was $26, I realized that I had been tricked and complained to Maritime Documentation Center of their practices. They pointed out that it was too late. While I considered disputing it with my credit card company, I decided to let it go as a lesson learned. I did receive my 2018 documentation from the US Coast Guard through them.
In an email exchange with them yesterday, they are telling me that because I complained last year, they are pocketing the $75 towards this year and will not be executing my documentation with the US Coast Guard.
This company is using public information about USCG vessels to scam owners into believing they are the method by which yearly renewals are to occur. They sent an email a day prior to the official letter coming in USPS and their site is geared to look very official. While there is some fine print that states they are not the USCG (after looking back at it), it is obviously meant to deceive. What is important to understand is that unlike the AAA, which provides an actual service via walk in and other elements, this service provides literally no value - they are simply charging $75 for something that actually costs $26. The end user is doing the same work. It is literally a middleman providing no value operating out of a PO Box in the middle of the country far away from any boating industry. Also the title of their site actually says "USCG Documentation Services" with the first header saying "Our New SSL Encrypted Online Documentation Submission Portal"! with a Coast Guard boat next to it...
This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received May 19, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by ***, he claims that MDC tricks customers into submitting applications because the website is “geared to look very official”. MDC’s website address ends in “.us”. The Coast Guard’s website ends in .mil denoting a branch of the US military.This “.us” website address is simply the top-level, or most basic, domain for websites in the United States, very similar to website endings such as “.com” or “.net”. It does not denote or imply affiliation with a governmental entity, and the website otherwise clearly identifies our third-party nature, as described above. Furthermore, the website itself is replete with disclosures detailed the third-party nature of Maritime Documentation Center. *** claims that the banner picture of the website is evidence of misrepresentation. The “Coast Guard boat” pictured on the website does not depict a shield, logo, or any other such emblems indicating that it is affiliated with the US Coast Guard. Mr. then mentioned the text on the banner of the website, and the first header about the site’s SSL encryption. Directly underneath this header is a second header that describes a “THREE-STEP APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH OUR PRIVATE FIRM”. This would be a strange header to include at the top of the homepage of a site designed to mislead visitors into believing they’d reached the Coast Guard’s website. On June 29, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation beyond the Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice in an effort to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of his vessel “GENERAL LEE”. The Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice that *** received was a courtesy notice of an upcoming vessel renewal date. The Document states plainly that is a solicitation. Furthermore, the notice was replete with disclosures including a release of obligation, that points out that the site is maintained by a private firm, and even encourages the recipient to disregard the message if it was believed to have been received in error. The notice even explicitly states that use of our services include additional processing fees beyond the government’s fees alone. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service, *** chose to do so on June 29, 2019, when he submit his application for Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $75 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with ***’s application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on January 24, 2019, the following day after request was received.MDC processed ***’s application to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Renewal of USCG Documentation on May 7, 2019. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center on May 7, 2019. *** ANDERSEN’s Documentation was renewed successfully and was issued a new Certificate on July 10, 2018. According to records, Mr. requested the cancellation of his application on May 6, 2019, and requested a refund. Documentation Processors assigned to his file responded on May 7, 2019, re-iterating the Cancellation Policy as outlined by the website. As the Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation. ***’s application was then processed successfully, but he proceeded to dispute the charge with his financial institution nonetheless, on May 28, 2019. This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”At this point Mr.’s application has been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use. As *** has already received the service originally requested, and even took further steps to attempt to recover his funds afterward, there is no refund due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email [email protected].
Maritime Documentation is a FAKE company that tricks boat owners into purchasing their renewal documentation through them instead of the U.S. coast Guard. They charge $75 for one year, when the U.S. Coast Guard charges $26 for one year. Maritime documentation charged us $75 for one year and then another $150 for two more years. We thought the Maritime Documentation Center was the U.S. Coast Guard because of how similar their websites are. Also, because the Maritime Documentation center mailed us a letter that it was time to renew our vessel documentation that again looked so similar to the U.S. Coast Guard documentation. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS FAKE COMPANY!!!! Even though we paid $225 for three years, our actual Certificate of Documentation still EXPIRED. They never renewed it for us, even though we paid for that service. AGAIN, I REPEAT. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. THEY WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY!!
This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received May 12, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation.
Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website.
© 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.
According to the complaint submitted by ***, he claims that MDC tricks customers into submitting applications because of how similar the websites are. MDC’s website address ends in “.us”. The Coast Guard’s website ends in .mil denoting a branch of the US military.
This “.us” website address is simply the top-level, or most basic, domain for websites in the United States, very similar to website endings such as “.com” or “.net”. It does not denote or imply affiliation with a governmental entity, and the website otherwise clearly identifies our third-party nature, as described above.
On January 23, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation beyond the Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice in an effort to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of his vessel “GENERAL LEE”.
The Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice that *** received was a courtesy notice of an upcoming vessel renewal date. The Document states plainly that is a solicitation. Furthermore, the notice was replete with disclosures including a release of obligation, that points out that the site is maintained by a private firm, and even encourages the recipient to disregard the message if it was believed to have been received in error. The notice even explicitly states that use of our services include additional processing fees beyond the government’s fees alone.
Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service, *** chose to do so on January 23, 2019, when he submit his application for Three-Year Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $225 USD to do so.
Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “
The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable.
This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with *** application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on January 24, 2019, the following day after request was received.
MDC processed *** application to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Renewal of USCG Documentation on January 24, 2019. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center on January 24, 2019.
*** Documentation was renewed successfully and was issued a new Certificate on February 22, 2019.
At time of writing, no cancellation request has been received from *** regarding his application. As the Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation.
However, records indicate that *** application is still active, and operations on his file still ongoing.
As Mr. has already received the service originally requested, there is no refund due at this time.
For further assistance with a specific service request, please email
Website is designed to be deceptively similar to an official USCG website to lure people into their overpriced documentation agent services. They also cite 46 CFR 67.500(e) which is only applicable to official government entities. Please also see the following notation from USCG regarding organizations like this.
I received an official-looking envelope from the Maritime Documentation Center, 100 24th St W Suite 1-1028, Billings MT 59102. Inside was a letter indicating that my vessel's documentation is set to expire and that for an additional fee, this organization was willing to renew my certificate of documentation.
This is a scam. They are trying to trick me into paying them $75 and filling out their form instead of paying only $26 directly to the U.S. Coast Guard using the real form that the USCG sends me every year.
I fell for it last year. But not again.
See the USCG warning below
https://coastguardnews.com/boater-beware-vessel-documentation-fraud-lurks-online...⇄ />
Boater beware: Vessel documentation fraud lurks online
A new scam is targeting boat owners looking to save a little time online, but it’s costing them hundreds of dollars: Websites offering documentation renewal services for a fee.
These websites lure boaters with the appearance and convenience of an official government website, but, just because a site looks like the Coast Guard and works like the Coast Guard, that does not mean it’s the Coast Guard. Boaters using these websites can end up spending three times the standard fee, and Coast Guard boarding officers will not accept their vessel’s documentation as valid.
Why? The U.S. Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center, located in Falling Waters, West Virginia, is the only authorized entity to issue Certificates of Documentation required for vessels engaged in commercial trade and optional for vessels weighing five or more net tons engaged in recreational use and activities.
I wouldn't use this company if I was paid to use them. I had a chat session with their CS to find out what the $475 fee was for for my initial documentation of my vessel($133 to the USCG and they get a $342 profit). I wanted to know what they get a $342 profit for doing rather than me filling out the paperwork and submitting it. here is the chat session:
Chat started on 17 Apr 2019, 05:38 PM (GMT+0)
(05:38:50) *** joined the chat ***
(05:38:50) ***: the extra cost to go thru your company is almost 4-5 times what the Coast guard fees are. Why should I go thru your company instead of just filling out the forms and following the directions myself?
(05:39:52) Customer Service: We apologize for keeping you waiting. Our operators are busy at the moment, please leave us a message with your email address and we'll get back to you shortly.
(05:43:04) *** Documentation Processor joined the chat ***
(05:43:30) Documentation Processor: Thank you for your patience.
(05:44:16) Documentation Processor: There is substantial benefits to submitting here.
(05:44:25) ***: like?
(05:44:27) Documentation Processor: Although you are under no obligation to do so.
(05:44:36) Documentation Processor: Would you like to submit an application at this time?
(05:45:05) ***: I UNDERSTAND THAT BUT CONSIDERING THE DOCUMENTATION FEE OD $133 GOES TO THE COAST GUARD. WHAT IS THE ECTRA $342 GETTING ME FROM YOUR COMPANY?
(05:45:43) ***: I want to know what your company is doing for my $342 and why I should have you document my boat rather than myself or another company
(05:45:53) Documentation Processor: The cost listed includes all applicable taxes, application, and processing fees involved.
(05:47:24) ***: I understand that. The cost is $133 to the US Coast Guard. There is no taxes since you are not in my state and you are doing a service. Your company is keeping the extra $342 for filling out the paper work? what else is your company doing to earn my $342?
(05:47:51) Documentation Processor: Have you submitted an application yet.
(05:47:55) Documentation Processor: ?
(05:48:21) ***: no I haven't because I want to know and understand what your company is doing to earn that fee
(05:49:52) Documentation Processor: Well it would appear that we haven't done anything, and haven't earned any money at all. If you do not wish to submit here, again, you are under no obligation to do so.
(05:49:55) Documentation Processor: Is there anything else I can assist you with at this time?
(05:51:00) ***: I am just wanting to know what services and benefits I get for going thru your company instead of doing it myself or another company. why would I pay someone before I know what those benefits are that you claimed I will get.
(05:51:30) ***: do you not have a list of services and benefits for your services?
(05:51:52) *** Documentation Processor left the chat ***
(05:52:23) ***: hello?
(05:52:37) *** Documentation Processor joined the chat ***
(05:52:59) Documentation Processor: Well it would appear that we haven't done anything, and haven't earned any money at all. If you do not wish to submit here, again, you are under no obligation to do so. Is there anything else I can assist you with at this time?
(05:53:13) ***: I am just wanting to know what services and benefits I get for going thru your company instead of doing it myself or another company. why would I pay someone before I know what those benefits are that you claimed I will get. do you not have a list of services and benefits for your services?
(05:53:21) Documentation Processor: Well it would appear that we haven't done anything, and haven't earned any money at all. If you do not wish to submit here, again, you are under no obligation to do so. Is there anything else I can assist you with at this time?
(05:53:27) ***: I am just wanting to know what services and benefits I get for going thru your company instead of doing it myself or another company. why would I pay someone before I know what those benefits are that you claimed I will get. do you not have a list of services and benefits for your services?
(05:53:29) Documentation Processor: Well it would appear that we haven't done anything, and haven't earned any money at all. If you do not wish to submit here, again, you are under no obligation to do so. Is there anything else I can assist you with at this time?
(05:53:48) ***: why should I give your company my money?
(05:54:11) ***: After all of this back and forth I can see your customer service is absolutely unacceptable.
(05:54:32) Documentation Processor: Thanks for chatting with us. Have a great afternoon!
I feel this company tricked me into using their service by designing their website to look extremely similar to the U.S. Coast Guard official website. They put their disclaimers in very inconspicuous places and only when you finally submit your credit card info do they finally put a disclaimer right in front of you. The similarity is so close between websites that I couldn't tell I wasn't on the USCG website which I was on just two days earlier. The fraud never occurred to me because letting a third party submit official government documents on my behalf without power of attorney doesn't even seem legal nor did I think the federal government would allow such a thing. After seeing their final disclaimer I quickly realized my mistake and within 5 seconds called them to cancel. No one would speak to me on the phone and they would only email me copies of their terms and agreement. Their terms do state no refunds but they also state every effort will be made to accommodate cancellations but if applications had already been processed no refunds can be given. No effort at all was made. I know they did no work on the matter because they only had 5 seconds before I notified them to cancel. They also don't have the proper paperwork to do anything nor did I grant them permission to conduct official government business for me. Not only am I angry about the misleading website but I'm also upset that these people now have all my personal info including my ss number which I never would've given out had I known this was not a US gov website. Not only does this company's deceitful tactics hurt unsuspecting consumers but undermine the legitimacy of the US government as a whole and especially the USCG. It also denigrates the confidence American citizens have in being able to handle their official business with the government via the internet. I'm stunned that the federal government allows these practices and the blatant copying of their website.
This business poses as the United States Coast Guard office to inject their service as a middle-man between the boat owners and the annual USCG documentation renewal process.
They send out official looking mailings which instruct the recipient to complete the annual documentation renewal through their phone number or web portal.
The USCG process has always been a bit sloppy, so it is easy for this business to spoof the USCG material. A savvy consumer might recognize that this mailing as illegitimate, but many casual consumers comply with the mailing because this is how the Coast Guard has done business in the past.
The Maritime Documentation Center effectively intercepts the annual renewal and charges the consume 300% to submit the documentation on their behalf. The consumer is left believing that they have been working with officials of the US Government. This exposes the consumer to liabilities associated with filing inaccurate government forms as well as the monetary loss from the exaggeration of the documentation fees.
When confronted with the confusion the vendor refuses to refund any money or make any amends. A legitimate business would work to resolve the issue, but this vendor proudly declares that all transactions are final.
There are many more details to cover, but this is all that will fit into this space.
The first part of 2018 I received a formal looking letter to re-new our USCG documentation. It was a different format than I had seen and the cost was $75.00 instead of $26.00. I chalked it up to cost increase and changes under the current administration. The web address had a .us identifier which led me to believe it was an official government address. Not to mention the logo and letter format looked like it was official USCG letterhead and even had a vessel on it that looked like a USCG cutter. The on-line application had an option of 5 years worth of documentation for $375.00. I hit the submit button and got a confirmation that said I would only get one year at a time and that each subsequent year would be issued in that subsequent year. About a week later I received the renewal form that I was familiar with and looked into the renewal that I had already done. I called the company and they advised that I would need to send an email. I emailed them advising that I wanted to cancel the transaction as I found that they were not legally able to document my vessel. I received a very long cut and paste version of the non refundable policy. I immediately disputed with my bank and they ultimately found in their favor because of the conditions in the small print that I accepted when I hit submit. I did receive the 2018 documentation so I let it go for the time. Now to the 2019 documentation that expires March 31 and I had not received the current form yet. I called and was once again advised to email, which I did. I got a return email from them that said since I disputed the charge that this indicated that I was no longer wanting their services and was cancelling the contract and all fees were non refundable. They sent the cut & paste version of that part of the terms & conditions too. They also advised me that any further communication would need to be with my bank and that they have the option of sending me to collections and putting a lien on the vessel.
Maritime Documentation Center uses unethical business practices to present themselves as a government agency for renewing vessel documentation. I fell for their approach and renewed the $75 license for my boat. I was emailed by Maritime Documentation Center that to process the renewal they would need an additional $450. Their business policy is that all the money is non-refundable including the licensing fee that would be paid the the United States Coast Guard. They refuse to refund my money. There are numerous complaints about this company on the internet including the Revdex.com.
I did call and spoke with a customer service agent who stated that my refund request would be processed - I then received another email stating that they would not refund. I feel that this company is a total scam.
Add me to the list of scam victims. I knew my US Coast Guard documentation was up for renewal and went to the internet to get ahead of the curve. My search listed Maritime Documentation Center as the lead option to renew my Cert of Documentation. I assumed that the $75 fee was the Coast Guard fee. I completed the online form, in essence doing all the work, submitted and paid the $75 via credit card. I did get my updated Certificate. However, on the day I recieved the documentation I recieved my renewal notice from the Coast Guard. $26!!!
This company should be required to clearly state that they are a service site that helps complete the processing of the paperwork. They should also be required to state what they are charging for this service. They triple the cost of the documentation fee in a deceptive way. Horrible business practice and adds zero value to the consumer or the Coast Guard. BEWARE!!
After I got our dad’s boat from my brother (he wasn’t using it at all) I discovered that the certificate was expired for a while now and I had to redo all the paperwork (change the address and owner, renew the certificate, etc). I was getting prepared for a bunch of trips to different offices and long queues but my brother told me to use the website of Maritime Documentation since it was supposed to be easier. I gave it a try and won’t you know it, I could do all of those things directly from their site, from my own computer within a few minutes. I received all the paperwork in due time and now I can enjoy a trip on our boat with my entire family.
When I came across Maritime Documentation I’ve easily found all the forms I needed to register my dad's old fishing boat. The forms were really easy to fill out, everything was done online and the paperwork came sooner than I was expecting. I will definitely use them again next year to renew the documentation.