Latest update April 27th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 17, 2019 News
Guyana has sent a 40-member strong team to the 2019 Goodwill Games Meet in Suriname slated for August 16 – 18. Among those that are aiming to make Guyana proud is 15-year-old Daniel Claxton.
But preparation for Daniel was much more than merely physical training. In fact, it warranted him securing suitable swim gear from overseas.
However, this was no walk in the park and Daniel’s father, Shawn Claxton, recently shared the struggles of trying to find a way of having these shipped from the United States to Guyana in the shortest possible time.
However, such a struggle is now a thing of the past and this is all thanks to the senior Claxton’s ‘last resort’ run-in with the HAB International Shipping Company [HAB-IT].
He recounted being faced with a quandary when he learnt that none of the shipping companies he’d contacted prior had the ability to ship the swim gear in time for his son to begin his journey to Suriname early Thursday morning.
Shawn Claxton said that he commenced his quest to find a shipping company last week Tuesday but given the ‘Eid holiday’ weekend, those he contacted, ahead of HAB-IT made it clear that “that is impossible.”
Shawn Claxton said that he was especially perturbed by the state of affairs because he had given his son all assurance that his swim gear was already en route.
With everything to lose, including his son’s confidence in him, the man said that he called to mind an HAB-IT advertisement he heard on the radio and decided to swing by its Eccles, East Bank Demerara office.
By this time days had elapsed and Shawn Claxton’s nerves were on edge.
“When I walked into HAB-IT, it was crunch time already,” the man said as he recalled sharing his dilemma with one of the staffers there.
Although the staffer informed him that “it would be tight”, for Shawn Claxton there was a glimmer of hope when he didn’t hear the words “that is impossible”. The staffer went on to inform another staffer who took on the case and made it clear to the elder Claxton that if the item is shipped in a timely manner to HAB-IT’s Miami office, the possibility existed that the swim gear could arrive on time.
That staffer placed a call to the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Harold Beharry, who was at the time in the United States to inform him of the customer’s predicament. But to Shawn Claxton’s surprise Mr. Beharry did not only assure him of being able to provide the swim gear but days in advance too.
“That was about half day Saturday and that was for the first time someone told me that it was possible,” said Shawn Claxton.
Shawn Claxton is convinced that the series of events that unfolded since he entered the HAB-IT office were nothing short of miraculous. Having reached to HAB’s Miami office on Saturday, the swim gear was shipped on Sunday and was delivered to the Claxton’s La Parfaite Hamonie, West Bank Demerara home on Monday which was in fact a national holiday. Not only was the senior Claxton appreciative of the service but he was even astonished when he learnt that Mr. Beharry decided to withhold delivery cost as a gift to Daniel who he wished all the best at the Goodwill Swim Meet.
“These people never saw me before; this was my first experience with HAB-IT and they were so caring but it wasn’t just about the caring side of things, I don’t know how to put it in words but they made you feel as if you were a part of their family,” Shawn Claxton shared as he recalled how “Mr. Beharry kept me updated throughout the whole process.”
“The Claxton family truly appreciates what he did for us,” he added as he assured, “I believe in them and we will definitely be shopping from now on with HAB-IT and I am telling everybody about them even though some of people I told still think it is impossible.”
According to HAB’s Miami Manager, Tina Beharry, the shipping service was introduced back in 1991 to meet emergency shipping needs. “It was established because of Swiss Machinery [another Harold Beharry’s establishment] which at the time was offering parts in a time sensitive manner for customers…they found that there was a lot of down time in getting those parts and so they needed a faster turnaround time,” Tina shared.
In the quest to implement this solution, she recalled that efforts were made to find an airline that could provide a swift and reliable shipping service. At the time Caribbean Airlines was offering a jet pack service but only to Trinidad and Tobago at the time. A partnership was eventually forged allowing for HAB-IT to introduce a daily express shipping service.
“We have been very efficient; we have cargo every single day on our express service through a flight that goes everyday from Miami to Guyana,” Tina revealed. Although there have been a few minor glitches over the years, she assured, “We continuously have satisfied customers. Once they get their items to us [in Miami] by 10am today it would be landing in Guyana tonight to be cleared and delivered tomorrow.”
HAB can also offer its customers a two-day turnaround time if they so desire. At an allowed 50 pounds per package, Tina said, “We ship anything from auto and tractor parts to things for the mining industry, and with the development of the oil and gas industry there is always an emergency for something. Along with that we have noticed that we get a lot of requests to ship items for special events… We work with the hospitals to ship medications; we ship across the board for any industry and even personal items,” the Miami Manager confidently asserted.
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