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Since the frozen embryos will be shipped between clinics in two different countries, will they have to travel through other countries or will they go direct from clinic to clinic?
Samples will be transported via the most direct route from the clinic in one country to the clinic in the other country, and possibly via other airports in other countries. They will remain in our possession the entire time, from the moment we collect them at the clinic of origin, up until the moment when they are delivered to the responsible person at the destination clinic.
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Do you rent the shipping container if I chose to courier the embryos myself?
No, I’m afraid we do not rent our containers. Our expertise is a personal, hand-carry service by one of our team.
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How many years have you been providing international courier services and how many shipments have failed (due to customs confiscation, a faulty container, etc.)?
HBI Ventures has been operating for more than 10 years, and IVF Couriers, which is a division, has been operating for three years under Simon Hedley and Annare Bernet. Bringing extensive experience (over 50 years combined) in International Logistics and Transportation at both Ground and Corporate level, we decided to join forces and diversify into an area that interested us both, that of cryogenic shipping and more specifically cryogenic shipping and storage of embryos and gametes.
We can honestly tell you that we have not had any service failures to date and will continue to do everything within our power to ensure that remains true.
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Do you provide insurance?
We cannot offer additional insurance. We have been advised that it would be impossible to determine at what point any cell damage occurred, since, in theory it could easily happen in the lab when the samples are being moved and before being handed into our custody.
Standard in the industry, our International Shipping agreement is the best protection that we can provide. It clearly outlines the risks involved, and requires signature and agreement to our terms prior to undertaking the transfer.
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What information and documents you will require in order to arrange this transfer?
TBC
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Can you provide typical door-to-door transit times?
Collection and delivery of your consignment is undertaken by our specialist dedicated couriers. We make every effort to reduce unnecessary border delays, and provide ongoing up to date tracking reports as well as immediate notification and confirmation of delivery.
Delays are minimal or eliminated, since our dedicated courier can easily change to another flight as required. Our couriers will manage all customs clearance at any moment of the day or night.
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Do you provide references?
Yes, we can happily provide professional references and recommendations. However, in order to maintain client confidentiality, we do not normally offer patient references.
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What typical problems might arise in transit?
The main problem we encountered is being denied boarding by an airline, as we refuse to lose contact with our consignment. During the past 3 years, this has happened on 4 separate occasions in different countries and is normally due to ignorance on the part of the particular airline’s ground handling staff. When this happens we simply purchase a ticket on the next available flight, or another airline. It is our policy not to pass these additional charges on to the client, and we absorb any additional expenses, which may include extra hotels and other costs.