All new Members joining WLN after January 01, 2022 will be required to participate in the WLN Payment Protection Fund (PPF). For an annual fee of EUR 500.00, the PPF protects individual members up to EUR 10000.00 of their open debts from other Registered and Premium Members.
Some important notes concerning PPF coverage:
The Fund covers only the debts of members resulting from bankruptcy, insolvency or inability of a member to pay when such debts ONLY involve physical transportation costs.
The Fund’s liability shall be a maximum of 80% of the total amount invoiced which assumes a 20% profit margin not covered by the PPF.
The Fund only covers delinquent debts defined as being unpaid 45 days after the end of the month in the invoice is dated. As an example, an invoice dated anytime between March 01 and March 30, should be settled by May 15 and is considered delinquent after that date. Exceptions are when Members have previously agreed, in writing, to a different payment schedule and/or when the debt involves ocean freight with long transit times. Payment should NOT be dependent on receipt of monies from consignees as this is at the sole option/discretion and responsibility of the Member.
On the 15th day of each month, WLN broadcasts a reminder for WLN Members to check the status of their debts with other WLN Members. Delinquent debts MUST be reported to WLN by the end of that month to be eligible for coverage under the PPF. The objective of this is to have an early-reporting system in place so that the level of debts is minimized and not accumulate. Whenever a delinquent debt is reported WLN will intervene to assist in collection including broadcasting details to other WLN Members, placing that member on Hold or PREPAID ONLY status and termination in the event of on-going or multiple delinquencies.
Payments from the PPF will only occur after the relevant debt has been assigned to WLN for their further collection efforts. Any recovery of the debt must be repaid to WLN.
Should the claiming party have access to any other means of full or partial recovery of the debt (via receivable insurance coverage, sale of freight or even being a participant in another network offering receivable coverage), WLN will assume a secondary position.
WLN recognises that many members have a policy of starting relationships on a Prepaid basis. In order to facilitate transactions between WLN Members, the PPF shall also be used to guarantee initial transactions between members up to EUR 5000.00 in order to allow/establish Open Account Credit status to be granted between members. This ruling allows a seamless 1st transaction credit agreement on initial activity BUT any default in payment must be reported to WLN under the rules of the Gold Fund.
What is NOT covered by the PPF are as follows: It does NOT cover (i) Import Duties or Taxes at destination (ii) transactions that are complicated by their very nature not normally handled by general freight forwarders requiring special procedures and credit terms (Project and/or Heavy-lift Cargo, Perishable & Cold Chain freight, Live Animals, Currency, Bullion and Bank Note transportation, etc.); (iii) operational disputes or consequential penalties imposed by any 3rd party such as demurrage or detention; (iv) Extraordinary events or circumstance beyond control, such as wars, sanctions, strikes, riot, crime or events described by the legal term “Act of God” (such as Hurricanes, Flooding, Earthquakes, Volcanic eruption); (v) Negligence – as where non-performance is caused by usual and natural consequences of external forces (vi) Interest or Currency Exchange losses. Only in exceptional circumstances – completely and exclusively at the discretion WLN will the PPF be used to cover freight losses incurred in a shipper vs. consignee dispute totally beyond the control and proper due diligence of WLN Members. As a general practice, WLN will NOT cover claims that are accepted under Forwarders Liability Insurance whether or not the forwarder has such coverage or not.
Revised: November 04, 2021