#6 (6 of 8 for July 15, 2000)

Complaints.com received this e-message via email on July 14, 2000: From: [Email User]

RE: US Customs Dockage Fee on Lake Champlain

I would like to know who to address a complaint to regarding an experience I had yesterday at the Rouses Point border crossing on Lake Champlain. I have a country home just across the border in Canada and my wife and I had paddled our kayaks into the US. However, when we attempted to report in to customs, we were told by the marina operator that there was a dockage fee. We spoke to the customs officer (Mr. Jackson), and were told that all the marinas in Rouses Point charged a dockage fee. We said that we did not wish to dock, merely check in with customs and were told that we had to fill out a particular form and to do so, we had to enter the office, and to enter the office, there would be a dockage fee of $10 per boat. Now, Mr Jackson took the position that he had nothing to do with what the marina operator did and was simply enforcing the regulations. The marina operator thought the whole thing was hilarious while we most certainly did not , nor did Mr Jackson who was politely doing his job and went so far as to ask the operator if he would waive the dockage fees and he laughed and said he would not. This to me is a case of someone profiting from the public attempting to do their duty and report in to customs. There has been a lot of talk lately in your congress regarding an entry fee for non residents but to my knowledge, there is still no fee. But at this crossing point , there is. On the Canadian side,the Customs office has its own site where boats check in at no charge. There is apparently no such facilty in Rouses Point so that, even if you do not have any business to conduct with the marina operator, you must pay the operator before you can see the customs officer. Would you please tell me who I should direct this to? Thanks for your time.