It has been 2 years and 2 months and after several phone calls to Mr. Gbayan and his office receptionist, he has still not produced the generator or refunded my $250.00. He now does not accept my phone calls.

Mr. Sam Hill is another Liberian in the Trenton, New Jersey area who provides shipping periodically. A few years ago, Mrs. Hill shipped a barrel for me to Liberia. I lived in the Virginia area and so I had to drive up to New Jersey to drop off the barrel at a location in New Jersey where he picked it up. Because I had to return to Virginia that same day and would not see Mr. Hill before he picked up my barrel, I asked if he would call me and let me know when he had picked up the barrel. He never did call and when I called him there was never an answer for 2 months. I told my representative in Liberia to continue to check the area where Mr. Hill unloads barrels in Monrovia and weeks later, we received the barrel.

Last summer (2007), I received a call from Hill asking if I would like to ship any barrels to Liberia. I told him about what happened the last time I shipped with him and told him he did not display any professionalism by keeping me in the dark about my barrel. He told me that he was wrong and apologized and assured me that this time would be better. He even offered to call Mr. Gbayan of Nimbaco Express on my behalf to get him to return my money.

Because I wanted to patronize his business and give him a second chance, I paid him $475 to ship 2 jumbo barrels and 3 small boxes (including purchase of the barrels) in July of 2007 to Liberia. The container should have arrived in Monrovia in September of 2007. When October rolled around and I called Mr. Hill regarding my barrels, he told me there was a problem at the port in Monrovia and he would get back to me. I couldn't imagine what the problem at theport was since I had shipped boxes with someone else since my shipment with Mr. Hill and they had arrived already in Monrovia.

In October, I had not heard from him and called. He again promised not to worry because the container would be out in a few weeks. I called Mr. Hill just before Thanksgiving and he said that definitely the things would be out by Thanksgiving. I even placed calls to his representative in Liberia (Reginald Sieh) who told me the container did not leave the U.S. until November. It was then I realized Mr. Hill had been lying to me all along. It is now a new year, February 2008 and my barrels or Mr. Hill are missing in action. He does not answer his home or cell phone.

Last month, my cousin told me that a few years ago, her sister sent her a barrel with clothes and a computer by Sam Hill. When she received the barrel, there was no computer..only clothes. I wish I had heard this story before I met Mr. Hill.

I am writing this message to warn Liberians who seek out their fellow Liberians in the shipping business to send items home to their families or businesses. Beware of shippers who are dishonest, crooked, roguish, and unprofessional. It's a very sad when people who are shipping barrels with food, clothes, and books for the poor in Liberia are bamboozled by their own kind.

I do want to recognize Liberias who ship containers and barrels who are professional, honest and caring. They are also friendly and timely.

1) Jeff Blibo, Manassas, VA -Very honest shipper

2) West African Shipping Express - Union, NJ - provides follow-up phone calls to let you know when container arrived in Liberia

3) George Dimmerson - NJ - Honest and timely shipper