Guide
How to question a freight forwarder's invoice
Questioning a freight invoice is a commercial conversation, not a confrontation. The importers who get charges corrected most reliably are the ones who make it easy to say yes: they name the exact charge, cite the document behind it, ask for a specific record, and give a date for a reply.
Get your evidence together before you write
A message that says the invoice looks high invites a defensive reply. A message that says a documentation fee appears twice against one bill of lading, quotes both line amounts, and asks what distinguishes them is difficult to answer with anything except an explanation or a credit.
Assemble the quotation, the invoice, and whichever supporting documents bear on the charges you are asking about — the arrival notice for day-counted charges, the measurement certificate for anything based on volume or weight, the customs entry for duties and taxes.
What a good message contains
- The provider, the shipment reference, the invoice number, and the bill of lading or container number, so nobody has to search for the file.
- Each questioned charge as its own numbered item, with the amount as printed on the invoice.
- What the quotation said about that charge, quoted, and where it appears.
- The specific document you are asking for, and why it settles the point.
- The total amount under query, stated once and clearly.
- A date by which you would appreciate a reply.
Language that works, and language that does not
Words such as fraud, theft, illegal, or overcharging convert a routine billing query into a dispute about character. They rarely produce a faster credit, they often produce a legal review instead of an operational one, and they can damage a relationship you will need for the next shipment.
The alternative is not vagueness. Being specific about amounts and documents is far more forceful than an accusation, because it is answerable. "The invoice bills five storage days; the arrival notice shows a last free day of 8 May and gate-out on 11 May" is a stronger sentence than any adjective.
Expect to be asked something back
Some of what looks questionable will turn out to be your side of the story. A container held for an extra two days because your warehouse could not take a delivery appointment is a charge you incurred, not one the provider invented. A revised measurement may reflect palletising that your supplier did after the quote was given.
Establishing those facts before writing saves an embarrassing correction later, and it is why a good process asks the importer for their own information before it asks the provider for theirs.
Track what actually comes back
A promise is not a recovery. What counts is a credit memo, a corrected invoice, a refund confirmation, or a reduction actually applied to what you pay. Record the outcome against the specific charges you questioned, because that record is what tells you which of your questions were worth asking — and which providers answer them.
Common questions
Who should I address it to?
The billing or accounts contact on the invoice, with your usual operations contact copied. Operations often knows the answer, and billing is the one who can issue the credit.
What if they do not reply?
Follow up in writing, restating the specific charges and the original date. Keep everything in one thread so the chronology is clear. If the account is significant, escalating within the provider is usually more productive than escalating in tone.
Do I need a lawyer?
For an ordinary billing query, no — this is a commercial conversation about documents. If the amount is substantial, the provider refuses to engage, or the applicable trading conditions are being invoked against you, take proper legal advice. Nothing described here is legal advice.
A note on what this is
This guide describes how freight charges are commonly evidenced. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not describe the terms of your particular agreement with your provider.