The company does provide a service, but it’s a shady one that skirts the edge of legality because it misleads people into believing that it is a governmental agency (note the .us domain name.)
A search around the Internet will reveal any number of companies offering similar, unscrupulous “services” in a variety of areas. For example, if you have a web site, companies will send you emails offering to renew your domain name for way more than the actual cost while purporting to be the agency that registers them. You will also find web sites in the U.S. that masquerade as state agencies for driver’s license registration. When my daughters were in college, there was even a web site that tried to divert parents filing FAFSA applications for financial aid. That would be comforting, giving all of that personal info to shady web operators. The fact is, everyone needs to be very, very careful whenever doing any business on the web. Buying something from an unknown company offering a great deal can set you up for trouble. I had my credit card number stolen a couple of times over the years after buying from small web sites with poor security. Jack Brennan Former C&C 25 Shanachie, 1974 Bristol 30 Tierra Verde, Fl. From: Josh Muckley via CnC-List Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2017 12:41 PM To: C&C List Cc: Josh Muckley Subject: Re: Stus-List Deceitful USCG Documentation Renewal Company Nobody likes getting fooled or taken advantage of. Good on you guys for warning one another and the rest of the list. However, there are lots of 3rd party "documentation specialists". This site doesn't falsify who they are AND includes a disclosure about who they are and what they do. For the past 5 years of my documentation the USCG NVDC has sent me a renewal notice near the end of each year, listed the means of renewing the documentation, provided a due date, and listed the cost. A few years ago the price went from $5 to $26. I expect this practice and price to continue into the future. IIRC there is currently no way to pay via credit card or file online so each year I dust off the check book and write another single check, sign and return the form to NVDC via snail mail. The only change I've heard of possibly coming in the future is a 3 year documentation but as of yet that has not been implemented. Good luck on your quest to punish this company for "predatory" or "deceitful" practices but the company is simply providing a service. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
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