The Red Flag Standard

This is the list we audit against. Publishing it keeps us honest: you can see exactly what counts as a finding, and so can anyone else.

Red flags

A red flag is something likely to cost you money, delay or the cargo itself if it is not fixed.

The cargo is not eligible for Ghana under current rules (age limit, barred title, right-hand drive, banned item).
A used vehicle has no plan for the GS 4510 inspection and Certificate of Conformity.
The vehicle title will not reach U.S. Customs at least 72 hours before export.
The consignee is not registered with the Ghana Shippers' Authority, or names and IDs do not match across documents.
The quote is silent on what is not included, so costs can appear later.
Charges in the quote are duplicated, unexplained, or not tied to a service.
Terms that move risk or costs to you without saying so (storage, re-delivery, abandonment, cancellation).
No insurance, or insurance that does not cover the leg where the risk sits.
A clearing agent who cannot show a valid license.
A request to pay duty or port charges into a private account instead of through official channels.

Amber items

An amber item needs attention but is not yet costing you money: an unclear date, a document that will expire, a missing receipt, a vague inventory line.

How a finding is valued

We put a dollar value on a finding only when the documents support it: a charge that should not be there, a fee that would apply if a deadline is missed, or the cost of an ineligible purchase. We do not inflate values to justify a fee.

Our audit promise

If the Document and Quote Audit does not find something worth more than its fee under this standard, we refund the fee in full.