CargoSettle · a FreightAudit Pilot service
When the other end of the shipment stops cooperating.
CargoSettle settles commercial disputes between freight forwarders, NVOCCs and their overseas agents before they turn into lawsuits. Consulting from $499 a month, plus a commission only on money recovered.
Your network's payment protection stops where these disputes start.
The payment protection plans of the leading forwarder networks exclude cargo released without the original bill of lading, demurrage and storage, and fraud, and they suspend a claim once it is disputed. A lawyer in your agent's country is slow and expensive for a file this size. We work in between: 30 years in trade and logistics across China, Türkiye, the United States and Europe, reading the B/L set, the terminal record and the statement of account until the break in the chain is on paper.
The disputes we take on.
For origin forwarders, destination agents, NVOCCs, and the shippers and consignees caught between them.
Unpaid freight
The consignee paid your destination agent, and the freight never came back to you.
Cargo released without the original B/L
The agent delivered against a copy, a letter of indemnity or no instruction at all, while you still hold the originals.
Abandoned cargo
The consignee disappeared; demurrage, detention and storage keep running, and the carrier bills you as shipper on the master B/L.
Agency account disputes
Months of cross-invoicing, profit share and rebates that no longer reconcile, and a set-off the other side made on its own.
Destination charges holding cargo
Local charges inflated on FOB or EXW shipments, with the container held until they are paid.
Fake agents and email fraud
Impersonated agents, changed bank details, false release requests. We establish the facts for your bank, insurer and counsel and set up checks so it does not happen again. We do not promise to recover stolen funds.
Four steps, one person running the file.
- 1
Choose a plan and sign
Pick a plan, pay by card and sign the consulting agreement and letter of authorization online. Nobody is contacted before you sign.
- 2
Send us the file
The B/L set, statements of account, agency agreement, invoices, and the email and WeChat thread with the other side. We tell you exactly what is missing.
- 3
We rebuild the facts and talk to every party
A timeline, what each side can prove, and what the delay costs each of them per day. Then the agent, the consignee, the carrier and the terminal.
- 4
We negotiate, with counsel when needed
Every offer goes to you for approval. The money is paid directly to you; our commission is invoiced only after you confirm it has arrived.
When a lawyer is needed, we manage the lawyer.
You should not have to find, brief and manage counsel in a country and a language you do not work in. With your approval at each step, we do it for you.
- We propose counsel in the other party's country and negotiate their fees. The first consultation is budgeted at about $500; the rest is scaled to the size and complexity of the matter.
- Counsel works for you and bills you directly. We take no referral fee and no share of legal fees.
- We brief counsel with the full file and instruct them within the scope you approve.
- In Türkiye the negotiation formally runs through a Turkish lawyer or registered mediator; we prepare the file and steer it.
- Legal strategy is counsel's. We are not a law firm.
Plans
A monthly consulting fee, a commission only on what is recovered, and expenses at cost when a file needs travel.
Starter
- Monthly fee
- $499
- Commission on amounts recovered
- 15%
- Active dispute files at a time
- 1
- Reply time
- 2 business days
- Agent Check on a new overseas agent
- —
- Agency statement review
- —
- Strategy call
- —
- Release Control Kit
- —
- Travel, accommodation and other expenses
- At cost, approved first
Growth
- Monthly fee
- $999
- Commission on amounts recovered
- 10%
- Active dispute files at a time
- 3
- Reply time
- 1 business day
- Agent Check on a new overseas agent
- 1 a month
- Agency statement review
- Quarterly
- Strategy call
- Quarterly
- Release Control Kit
- Included
- Travel, accommodation and other expenses
- At cost, approved first
Scale
- Monthly fee
- $1,999
- Commission on amounts recovered
- 5%
- Active dispute files at a time
- 8
- Reply time
- 1 business day, priority
- Agent Check on a new overseas agent
- 4 a month
- Agency statement review
- Monthly
- Strategy call
- Monthly
- Release Control Kit
- Included
- Travel, accommodation and other expenses
- At cost, approved first
The terms that matter
Full CargoSettle terms- Minimum term 3 months, then month to month; cancellation takes effect at the end of the paid period.
- The commission rate is locked to your plan on the day a file is opened.
- Files opened while you are subscribed stay subject to the commission for 12 months after you cancel.
- Amounts recovered means money paid to you, charges waived or credited, and agreed set-offs, including anything obtained through counsel.
- Expenses are billed at cost, only after you approve an estimate; trips over $1,500 are paid in advance.
- Lawyer, mediator and court fees are paid by you directly.
- Annual prepay by invoice: two months free.
Lanes
China–United States, China–Europe, Türkiye–United States, Europe–United States, and the Far East lanes into Türkiye, Europe and the United States.
Language
We work in English. You can write to us in Chinese by email or WeChat — we use translation. The English version of our agreements controls.
What we are not
- Not a law firm; nothing here is legal advice.
- We never receive, hold or direct your money, and we do not buy or take over claims.
- No neutral mediation: we act for you only.
- A separate service from FreightAudit Pilot's Claims and Dispute Advisory, with its own terms.
- We decline any matter that conflicts with our FreightAudit Pilot work.
- Every client and every file is screened against sanctions lists before we act.
Questions forwarders ask.
Who is CargoSettle for?
Freight forwarders, NVOCCs and their overseas agents with a commercial dispute at the other end of a shipment, and the shippers and consignees caught in one. Most clients are origin forwarders in China and the Far East; the service works for either end.
Do I pay the monthly fee without an active dispute?
Yes. The plan covers dispute work when you need it and prevention in between: checks on new overseas agents, agency statement reviews and the Release Control Kit on Growth and Scale.
What counts as an amount recovered?
Money paid to you, charges waived or credited, and agreed set-offs on a file we worked, including anything obtained through counsel, mediation or court. Our commission is invoiced only after you confirm the money has arrived.
Does the money pass through you?
No. The settlement names your bank account. If a payment ever reaches us by mistake, we return it within 5 business days.
Will you meet the other party in person?
Yes, when a meeting will move the file. Travel and accommodation are billed at cost after you approve the estimate; trips over $1,500 are paid in advance.
Is this legal advice?
No. CargoSettle is a commercial consulting service of HDC Brands LLC, not a law firm. When the law or the file requires a lawyer, we bring one in for you, with your approval.
What language do you work in?
English. You can write to us in Chinese by email or WeChat — we use translation. The English version of our agreements controls.
Start CargoSettle.
- Secure Stripe checkout, billed monthly
- Consulting agreement and letter of authorization to sign within one business day
- Nobody is contacted before you sign
- Not sure yet? Choose “Check my case first”: free, reply within 2 business days
Prefer email? Write to support@freightauditpilot.com. Leave your WeChat ID in the form and we will add you.
CargoSettle is a commercial consulting service of HDC Brands LLC, doing business as FreightAudit Pilot, New Jersey. Not a law firm; no legal advice. We never receive or hold client funds.