Maritime Documentation Center

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received April 17, 2020 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation.

Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website.

© 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.

MDC’s website address ends in “.us”. The Coast Guard’s website ends in .mil denoting a branch of the US military. Maritime Documentation Center Corp.’s website is completely different in appearance, language, and function from the National Vessel Documentation Center’s website.

This “.us” website address is simply the top-level, or most basic, domain for websites in the United States, very similar to website endings such as “.com” or “.net”. It does not denote or imply affiliation with a governmental entity, and the website otherwise clearly identifies our third-party nature, as described above.

Furthermore, the website itself is replete with disclosures detailed the third-party nature of Maritime Documentation Center. MDC makes the third-party nature of its service quite clear through repeated disclosure, and all fees submitted include applicable application and processing fees to the National Vessel Documentation Center of the US Coast Guard. As a result, Mr. ***’s statement that “any fees charged or agreements offered by [Maritime Documentation Center Corp.] are in no way associated with the NVDC certificate process”, is patently false. The fees required for the NVDC’s certification process are included in the fees submitted through the website. This is a fact that is made abundantly clear by the Authorization Statement of the website that is required to be personally selected at the time of purchase in order to successfully submit an application.

The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows:

“I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “

The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable.

This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with ***’s application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on March 18, 2020, the following day after his request was received.

On April 17, 2020, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us in an effort to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of his vessel “KICKS”.

Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service by the website, *** chose to do so on April 17, 2020, by submitting his application for the Reinstatement of his vessel’s Documentation and agreeing to the total charge amount of $450 USD to do so.

Once his service request was received by MDC, operations began immediately to fulfill his request.

After his application was already in process, *** elected to dispute the charge with his financial institution on April 24, 2020.

This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”

As a result, Mr.’s application has now been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use.

Since operations began on ***’s application, he was in the process of receiving the service he’d requested. Despite this, Mr. took further steps to attempt to recover his funds afterward by submitting a charge dispute with his financial institution. As dictated by the website, and agreed to at the time of purchase, this action causes the application to be cancelled according to the No-Refund policy accepted at the time of purchase.
As a result, no refund is due to Mr. *** at this time.

For further assistance with a specific service request, please email [email protected].

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received March 30, 2020 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by ***, he claims that MDC “gives the impression that they are a US Government Agency”. MDC’s website address ends in “.us”. The Coast Guard’s website ends in .mil denoting a branch of the US military.This “.us” website address is simply the top-level, or most basic, domain for websites in the United States, very similar to website endings such as “.com” or “.net”. It does not denote or imply affiliation with a governmental entity, and the website otherwise clearly identifies our third-party nature, as described above. Furthermore, the website itself is replete with disclosures detailed the third-party nature of Maritime Documentation Center. On March 17, 2020, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation in an effort to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of his vessel “***”. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service by the website, *** chose to do so on March 17, 2020, by submitting his application for Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreeing to the total charge amount of $225 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with ***’s application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on March 18, 2020, the following day after his request was received.MDC processed ***’s application to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Renewal of USCG Documentation on March 18, 2020. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center on March 18, 2020. ***’s Documentation was renewed successfully and was issued a new Certificate on March 19, 2020. Due to federal regulations, each new Certificate of Documentation is valid for one year after the new expiration date. As a result, the Documentation is now current, and set to expire on March 31, 2021. Unsatisfied that his Certificate would not somehow remain valid beyond that point, MARCH *** elected to dispute the charge with his financial institution, despite the fact that he’d received his Certificate already on April 6, 2020. This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”As a result, Mr.’s application has now been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use. As *** has already received the service originally requested, and has even taken further steps to attempt to recover his funds afterward, there is no refund due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email [email protected].

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received February 12, 2020 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by *** BALL, he claims that MDC represents itself as the National Vessel Documentation Center. As the disclaimer above clearly illustrates, this is a false claim. Furthermore, the website itself is replete with disclosures detailed the third-party nature of Maritime Documentation Center. According to his complaint, Mr. *** submitted an application for the Renewal of his vessel’s USCG Documentation on November 26, 2019. However, our records do not show any such application associated with his vessel. Even if Mr. application had been submitted with MDC, all potential clients are required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement, before submitting an application, or funds of any kind through the website. The Authorization statement is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client understands that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). Because no application has been received here at www.maritimedocumentation.us, no refund is due to Mr. *** at this time. We invite Mr. to verify his confirmation emails to ascertain who he submitted his application with. For further assistance with this matter, or a specific service request, please email ***.

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received February 10, 2020 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by ***, he claims that MDC represents itself as the National Vessel Documentation Center. This is a false claim. Furthermore, the website itself is replete with disclosures detailed the third-party nature of Maritime Documentation Center. On September 1, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of his vessel “THE ***”. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service, *** chose to do so on September 1, 2019, when he submit his application for Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $150 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with ***’s application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on September 3, 2019.MDC processed ***’s application to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Renewal of USCG Documentation on September 3, 2019. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center on September 3, 2019. ***’s Documentation was renewed successfully and was issued a new Certificate on September 10, 2019. ***’s application was then processed successfully, but he proceeded to dispute the charge with his financial institution nonetheless, on May 28, 2019. At this point Mr.’s application has been completed, and the service he’d requested has been fulfilled. As a result, there is no refund due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email ***.

Due to the client's dissatisfaction with the service, a refund has been initiated for the transaction has already been initiated.

For any other questions or concerns regarding this matter, please contact us by email directly at [email protected].

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received November 26, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his applications for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by ***, he claims that MDC is a scam because his renewal application was not processed. This position is false because Maritime Documentation Center processed Renewal applications for both vessels successfully for the years of both 2018 and 2019. This process was completed in accordance with the description of the service as it appeared on the website, and the Terms and Conditions of Use accepted at the time of purchase. On May 15, 2018, and May 29,2018, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation beyond the Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice in an effort to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of his vessel “UNNAMED” and “***”. Despite the website making him aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service, *** chose to do so on May 15, 2018 and May 29, 2018, when he submit his applications for Five Year Advanced Paid Renewal of two Documented vessels and agreed to the total charge amount of $375 USD each to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per ***. “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per ***. This was the case with *** application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on May 17,2018, and May 29, 2018, followed by the Renewals processed on April 29, 2019, and April 30, 2019 the following year.Regarding Mr.’s claims this was not done in a timely manner, please see the description of the Advanced Payment Renewal option as it appears on the website: USCG RENEWAL DOCUMENTATION ADVANCED PAYMENT OPTION*You can eliminate the possibility of late fees, as well as reinstatement fees, by paying your yearly renewal documentation in advance. Your certificate of documentation will be automatically renewed each year, for the number of years selected, by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. NOTE: The NVDC only issues their vessel renewals for a period/duration of one year each. Your yearly certificate will be valid for one year only. You will receive one (1) Year long certificate each year, depending on how many additional years you have ordered. For each individual year of renewal a new renewal will be AUTOMATICALLY forwarded to your designated address at time of renewal(s). This may require that the vessel owner update their current address to facilitate the renewal process.As the description states, the clients who choose to select this service understand that the Renewals would be administered by MDC each year, per the number of years selected. MDC processed ***’s applications to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Renewal of USCG Documentation successfully for both years. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center both in 2018, and 2019. Contrary to ***’s claim, neither vessel is expired, and both are now current through May of 2020. As *** has already received the service originally requested, and the Renewal period remains active in accordance with the description of the service he’d selected, there is no refund due to him at this time. For any other questions or concerns on this matter, please email ***.

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received November 11, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Abstract of Title of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.On November 12, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation beyond the Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice in an effort to acquire the Abstract of Title for the Coast Guard Documentation of the vessel “SUMMER DREAM”. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service by the website, *** chose to do so on November 12, 2019, when he submit his application for Abstract of Title and agreed to the total charge amount of $75 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with ***’ application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Abstract of Title to the NVDC on November 13, 2019, the following day after request was received.MDC processed ***’ application to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Abstract of Title on November 13, 2019. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center on November 13, 2019. ***’ Documentation was updated successfully and was issued a new Abstract of Title on November 19, 2019. This completed document was delivered via email to the contact email address provided on November 19, 2019. According to records, Mr. requested the cancellation of his application on November 18, 2019, and a full refund. Documentation Processors assigned to his file responded on November 18, 2019, re-iterating the Cancellation Policy as outlined by the website. The Documentation Processor even pointed out that the application had already been processed at the time as well. As the agreed upon Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation. At this point Mr.’ application has been processed and completed as originally requested. According to the Terms and Conditions of Use accepted at the time of purchase, all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. As *** has already received the service originally requested, and even took further steps to attempt to recover his funds afterward, there is no refund due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email ***.

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received November 4, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by ***, he claims that MDC tricks customers into submitting applications because the website is “geared to look very official”. MDC’s website address ends in “.us”. The Coast Guard’s website ends in .mil denoting a branch of the US military.This “.us” website address is simply the top-level, or most basic, domain for websites in the United States, very similar to website endings such as “.com” or “.net”. It does not denote or imply affiliation with a governmental entity, and the website otherwise clearly identifies our third-party nature, as described above. Furthermore, the website itself is replete with disclosures detailed the third-party nature of Maritime Documentation Center. *** claims that the banner picture of the website is evidence of misrepresentation. The banner on the homepage the website does not depict a shield, logo, or any other such emblems indicating that it is affiliated with the US Coast Guard. On November 2, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation beyond the Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice in an effort to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of his vessel “EL SEA PAVER”. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service, *** chose to do so on November 2, 2019, when he submit his application for Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $75 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per ***). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified he’d understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per ***. According to records, Mr. requested the cancellation of his application on November 2, 2019, and requested a refund. Documentation Processors assigned to his file responded on November 4, 2019, re-iterating the Cancellation Policy as outlined by the website. As the Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation. Despite agreeing to these terms, Mr. *** proceeded to dispute the charge with his financial institution nonetheless, on November 7, 2019. This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”At this point Mr.’s application has been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use. Since *** requested the processing of his application, and then requested his application to be cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use, and even took further steps to attempt to recover his funds afterward, there is no refund due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email ***.

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received October 7, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation for his vessel. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.On October 7, 2019, *** utilized a search engine to seek out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service by the disclaimer of the website, Mr. *** chose to do so on October 7, 2019, when he submit his application for Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $75 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “ The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified that he understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This fact is made clear to the client, however it is also clearly stated that the application was non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center as well. This was the case with ***’s application as well, when MDC began the process of Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on October 7, 2019, the same day the request was received. According to records, Mr. *** requested the cancellation of his application on October 7, 2019, and a refund. Documentation Processors assigned to his file responded on October 7, 2019, re-iterating the Cancellation Policy as outlined by the website. As the Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation. Please see the cancellation policy that Mr. ***’s application is subject to at the following link: http://maritimedocumentation.us/terms-and-conditions/ At this point Mr.’s application has been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use, due to his cancellation. As stipulated, and agreed to at the time of purchase, all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. Therefore, no refund is due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email ***@maritimedocumentation.us.

This message is written in response to the Complaint No.: *** received October 2, 2019 on behalf of Ms. *** regarding her application for Reinstatement of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by *** MARSHALL, she says she completed an application three months ago, and haven’t received the completed Certificate back yet, and now requests a refund as a result. On August 6, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service by the website, *** chose to do so on October 6, 2019, when she submit her application for Reinstatement of her vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $450 USD to do so.Prior to that *** submitted an application for Renewal of USCG Documentation for the same vessel, authorizing a total charge of $150 to do so. Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per ***. “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified that she understood that her application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per ***. This was the case with *** application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Reinstatement of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on August 9, 2019. This application is currently in process, and will culminate in the receipt of the completed Certificate of Documentation by mail, as originally requested.Furthermore, in order to successfully submit an application of any kind through the website, the client is required to agree to the Terms and Conditions of Use stipulated by the website. You can find the Terms and Conditions of Use in full at the following link: These Terms and Conditions of Use also point out that no exact time frame regarding applications can be given as every application is unique. At this point Ms. application has been processed, and will soon be completed by the National Vessel Documentation Center as originally requested at the time of purchase. As stipulated, and agreed to at the time of purchase, all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. Therefore, no refund is due at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email

Please see the following description of the Advanced Payment Renewal option as it appears on the website:

USCG RENEWAL DOCUMENTATION ADVANCED PAYMENT OPTION*You can eliminate the possibility of late fees, as well as reinstatement fees, by paying your yearly renewal documentation in advance. Your certificate of documentation will be automatically renewed each year, for the number of years selected, by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. NOTE: The NVDC only issues their vessel renewals for a period/duration of one year each. Your yearly certificate will be valid for one year only. You will receive one (1) Year long certificate each year, depending on how many additional years you have ordered. For each individual year of renewal a new renewal will be AUTOMATICALLY forwarded to your designated address at time of renewal(s). This may require that the vessel owner update their current address to facilitate the renewal process.

As pointed out in the initial response, and confirmed by the client in the message above, the application was processed to the National Vessel Documentation Center successfully. This was done in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Use stipulated by the website as well as the description of the service included above.

Because the requested service was rendered successfully, no refund is due at this time. This matter is now closed and no further complaint responses will be addressed through this platform. For any further questions or concerns about this matter, please correspond directly by email at [email protected].

This message is written in response to the Complaint received September 26, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Transfer/Exchange of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by ***, he claims that MDC tricks customers into believing they are dealing with the US Coast Guard. On September 23, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service by the website, *** chose to do so on September 23, 2019, when he submit his application for Transfer/Exchange of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $525 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified that he understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with *** application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on June 17, 2019, the following day after request was received. According to records, Mr. *** requested the cancellation of his application on September 24, 2019, and a refund. Documentation Processors assigned to his file responded on September 24, 2019, re-iterating the Cancellation Policy as outlined by the website. As the Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation. At this point Mr. application has been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use, due to her cancellation. As stipulated, and agreed to at the time of purchase, all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. Therefore, there is no refund due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email ***.

This message is written in response to the Complaint received September 25, 2019 on behalf of Mr. *** regarding his application for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by *** MCCAHAN, he claims that MDC tricks customers into believing they are dealing with the US Coast Guard because the website address ends in “ .us” instead of “.com”, and because Maritime Documentation Center referred to members of its staff as “Administrators”. MDC’s website address ends in “.us”. The Coast Guard’s website ends in .mil denoting a branch of the US military.This “.us” website address is simply the top-level, or most basic, domain for websites in the United States, very similar to website endings such as “.com” or “.net”. It does not denote or imply affiliation with a governmental entity, and the website otherwise clearly identifies our third-party nature, as described above. Furthermore, “Administrator” is not a known military rank of governmental office. It merely denotes MDC employees with more authorization than others to assist clients as required. On August 18, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service by the website, *** chose to do so on August 19, 2019, when he submit his application for Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $75 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified that he understood that his application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with ANN BEARDSLEY’s application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on June 17, 2019, the following day after request was received.MDC processed *** application to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Renewal of USCG Documentation on August 19, 2019. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center on September 19, 2019. *** Documentation was renewed successfully and was issued a new Certificate on September 3, 2018. According to records, Mr. *** requested the cancellation of his application on September 20, 2019, and a refund. Documentation Processors assigned to his file responded on September 20, 2019, re-iterating the Cancellation Policy as outlined by the website. As the Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation. At this point Mr. application has been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use, due to his request. As stipulated, and agreed to at the time of purchase, all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable. Furthermore, his Documentation has been successfully Renewed, as originally intended. Therefore, the requested service has already been rendered, and there is no refund due to him at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email ***.

This message is written in response to the Complaint received July 27, 2019 on behalf of Ms. *** regarding her application for Renewal of USCG Documentation. Maritime Documentation Center (MDC) is an online, third -party document processing service that specializes in Coast Guard Documentation services. MDC makes no attempt to represent ourselves as a governmental entity. In fact, the following disclaimer appears on every navigable page of the website. © 2019 Maritime Documentation Center. All Rights Reserved. Maritime Documentation Center is NOT the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Vessel Documentation Center; we are a third party private agency that handles USCG Documentation processing to NVDC.According to the complaint submitted by ***, she claims that MDC tricks customers into submitting applications. On June 15, 2019, *** sought out the website maintained by Maritime Documentation at www.maritimedocumentation.us without any prior solicitation beyond the Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice in an effort to renew the Coast Guard Documentation of her vessel “***”. The Vessel Renewal Courtesy Notice that *** received was a courtesy notice of an upcoming vessel renewal date. The Document states plainly that is a solicitation. Furthermore, the notice was replete with disclosures including a release of obligation, that points out that the site is maintained by a private firm, and even encourages the recipient to disregard the message if it was believed to have been received in error. The notice even explicitly states that use of our services include additional processing fees beyond the government’s fees alone. Despite being made aware of the fact that there was no obligation to use our firm’s service, *** chose to do so on June 15, 2019, when she submit her application for Prepaid Five Year Renewal of his vessel’s Documentation and agreed to the total charge amount of $375 USD to do so.Before a client can submit any application, or any associated funds through the website successfully, they’re required to authorize to the total charge amount according to the Authorization statement. The Authorization statement that was personally selected at time of purchase is as follows: “I agree to pay the above total amount according to the card issuer agreement and hereby authorize the charge for the total amount above for the processing of selected USCG documents. I understand that my application will be processed in the order in which it is received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm. I understand that application and processing fees are non-refundable as per Maritime Documentation Center and as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). “The Authorization clearly indicates that the client certified she’d understood that her application would be received by Maritime Documentation Center, a private documentation firm, for the processing of selected USCG documents. Additionally, it clearly states that all application and processing fees submitted would be non-refundable. This clause is due, in part, to the fact that all funds submitted to the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) are non-refundable as per 46 CFR 67.500(e). This was the case with ***’s application as well, when MDC successfully processed a Renewal of USCG Documentation to the NVDC on June 17, 2019, the following day after request was received.MDC processed ***’s application to the National Vessel Documentation Center as a Renewal of USCG Documentation on June 17, 2019. MDC received confirmation of successful receipt of the Renewal from the National Vessel Documentation Center on June 17, 2019. According to records, Ms. *** requested the cancellation of his application on May 6, 2019, and requested a refund. Documentation Processors assigned to her file responded on June 17, 2019, re-iterating the Cancellation Policy as outlined by the website. As the Terms and Conditions stipulate, once operations begin all application and processing fees submitted remain nonrefundable, even in the event of a cancellation. ***’s application was then processed successfully, but she proceeded to dispute the charge with her financial institution nonetheless, on May 28, 2019. This practice, commonly referred to as a Chargeback, is also mentioned in the site’s Terms and Conditions of Use. According to the Terms and Conditions already accepted by *** at time of purchase, “by initiating a Charge Back, [the client] is declaring that the he/she no longer wishes to continue receiving services from our company, thus automatically cancelling the application. Cancelled applications are still subject to the No-Refund Policy, and all application and processing fees remain nonrefundable.”At this time, it appears the funds were successfully disputed, thereby temporarily removing the affected funds immediately. No further details on the status of this file is currently available. At this point Ms.’s application has been cancelled according to the Terms and Conditions of Use, due to her cancellation, and subsequent charge dispute.As *** has already received the service originally requested, and even took further steps to attempt to recover her funds afterward, there is no refund due to her at this time. For further assistance with a specific service request, please email ***.

This message is written in response to your rejection of the last response.

As previously stated, your application was submitted in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Use stipulated by the website that is available in full at the following link: http://maritimedocumentation.us/terms-and-conditions/

For any other questions or concerns regarding this matter, please feel free to email ***.