We paid over $20,000 upfront in full to Sea & Air International (USDOT #2484337, MC-40986, FMC…read more#020349) to ship irreplaceable family heirlooms from France to the US as our mother downsized her home. These were pieces that had been in our family for generations, split between myself in Pennsylvania and my brother in Connecticut. Once they had our money, we had zero leverage. What should have been straightforward turned into a nightmare of incompetence, dishonesty, and shocking unprofessionalism - all personally mismanaged by Yaniv, the company president and co-owner.
MISSING BOX - NEVER FOUND
A box containing irreplaceable family heirlooms has never been found: a 100+ year old family dinner service, an antique wicker basket, and other irreplaceable items. Sea & Air noticed the box was missing when the container arrived at their US warehouse in October 2025 and told NO ONE for over a month - not us, not their French subcontractor Grospiron who handled packing. The container arrived in October but wasn't delivered until November. Over a month of complete silence while they knew something was wrong.
PRESIDENT YANIV LIED - THEN ADMITTED IT IN WRITING
When we discovered the missing box, Yaniv told us Sea & Air had contacted Grospiron immediately to investigate. This was a lie. Florence from Grospiron confirmed in her December 11, 2025 email: "When your container was received at the Sea & Air warehouse towards the end of October, no missing package was reported to us." When confronted, Yaniv admitted in his December 17, 2025 email: "We did not report in time on the missing box, you are right." Dana (Claims Specialist) and Chris (Executive VP) at W K Webster insurance were copied on this email as witnesses to the admission. The president lied to our faces, got caught by his own subcontractor, then admitted it in writing.
DAMAGED FURNITURE
I received two antique cabinets damaged by subcontractors during delivery to my Pennsylvania home. When I pointed out the damage while they were barely beginning delivery, their response was: "Whatever you say, bro, contact the office." Not only careless but deeply unprofessional.
WRONG DELIVERY ADDRESS
My brother's desk drawer was delivered to me in Pennsylvania by mistake. I had to drive it to Connecticut myself.
IMPROPERLY PACKED ITEMS
My brother received an antique bowl shattered to pieces. It had been packed standing on its edge - any competent mover knows this guarantees damage during transport.
THE INSULTING SETTLEMENT AND "BLACKMAIL" ACCUSATION
After all these failures on a $20,000+ move, Sea & Air initially offered $250 (1.25% of what we paid), eventually raised to $500 (2.5%). We requested $1,000 - only 5% of the move cost, incredibly modest given they lost items that cannot be replaced at any price. President Yaniv's response was to accuse us of "blackmail" and "extortion" for saying we would leave honest reviews if they didn't offer fair compensation. Direct quote: "demands for payment conditioned upon the suppression of reviews may constitute coercive conduct, including blackmail or extortion." Mentioning you'll leave factual reviews if a company fails you is normal consumer behavior, not blackmail. Instead of accountability, they chose legal intimidation.
WARNING: FULL PAYMENT UPFRONT
Sea & Air requires full payment upfront. Once they have your money, you have absolutely no leverage when things go wrong. And as our experience shows, when things go catastrophically wrong, President Yaniv will lie, fail to investigate, stay silent, offer insultingly low compensation, and accuse you of blackmail for pushing back.
TIMELINE
* Sept 2025: Move from France, PAID $20K+ UPFRONT
* Oct 2025: Container arrived, box missing, Sea & Air silent
* Nov 2025: Delivered after month of silence
* Dec 11, 2025: Grospiron confirmed they were never contacted
* Dec 17, 2025: Yaniv admitted "We did not report in time"
* Dec 2025-Jan 2026: Offers of $250, then $500
* Jan 2026: We requested $1,000; accused of "blackmail"
* Feb 2026: Matter declared "closed"; we file complaints and reviews
BOTTOM LINE
We trusted Sea & Air International with generations of family history. They lost irreplaceable items, damaged what they didn't lose, lied about investigating, stayed silent for a month when they knew something was wrong, and insulted us with a $500 offer on a $20,000+ move. This wasn't a junior employee - this was the president and co-owner personally mismanaging every single step. We are filing formal complaints with the FMC, FMCSA, BBB, International Association of Movers, and British Association of Removers.
Do not trust Sea & Air International with your irreplaceable belongings.