MRS. DEBRA LEIGH REFERENCES

MRS. DEBRA LEIGH, OMAHA, NEBRASKA

I was very satisfied with Bettini Tile. Marco was very helpful and the quality of the marble is much better than anything I was finding locally. I had Italian marble that I purchased when I built my home originally ten years ago and was trying to find Calcutta Gold marble that was similar to what I already have in my entryway to put in an adjoining dining room. I went back to my original marble supplier and he was not able to get anything that was even close and the quality of everything he came up with was substantially. After several months of my supplier unsuccessfully trying to find something I googled Italian marble on the internet and found Marco. He was immediately responsive to my email. I sent him digital photos of my existing floor and he sent me back digital photos of some of his Calcutta Gold slabs. His price was very good, even when adding the shipping costs and the costs of clearing it through customs it was much lower than my local supplier was quoting.
I wired 50% of the amount to him with the order and the balance was wired after he had completed the order and shipped it (but prior to my actually receiving it). He has to receive the balance prior to him sending you the packet with all the paperwork that is required to clear customs. I must say the most intimidating part of all this was trying to figure out exactly what I was going to need to do on my end to get it cleared through customs. I called a local logistics company who evidently tried to scare me into spending a bunch of money with them. Luckily I didn’t bite. These people were trying to tell me that I would have to pay for this and that etc etc. I decided to call the Port of Omaha directly and ask what they needed from me in order to clear customs. The Port people were much nicer and basically told me not to worry that we would work through it once the marble had arrived in Omaha (this obviously could vary from port to port so you might want to call ahead of time to see what they say).
I don’t know what part of the country you are located in but my shipment from Marco came into the U.S. at New York/New Jersey. When I received the paperwork from Marco (which consisted of three copies of the Bill of Lading, invoice, and paperwork on the company it was consigned to) there was a phone number in New Jersey that it said to contact which I did. They then contacted me once they had the shipment and advised that they required a payment (less than $70.00) and an original copy of the Bill of Lading which I promptly mailed them and I also faxed them a copy. They consigned it to a local trucking company and sent me the paperwork on that. I contacted the trucking company and they told me that they would get back to me once they had the shipment in Omaha then I would need to get it cleared through customs and then I could pick up my shipment or make arrangements with them to deliver it. In order to clear it in Omaha all I had to do was fax a copy of my paperwork to the Port people with an explanation that it was for personal use. This is important when clearing it and it may also be quantity related. I was not buying a tremendous amount so it was pretty easy to explain that it was for personal use. I believe that it may also be value related – anything with a value of less than $2,000 US dollars is not even questioned (I don’t think). Mine was worth more than that but all they required was a statement that it was for personal use. This may vary from port authority to port authority but I had no problem at all. Between the fee I paid the company in New Jersey and the freight company in Omaha I spent less than $250.00 to get it cleared through customs and delivered to my house.
The overall experience was very good and I would not hesitate one minute in ordering from Mr. Bettini again. The quality of his marble was excellent and I was very impressed with his service.
I hope this has been helpful.
Sincerely,
Debra Leigh
Omaha, Nebraska