Have you ever made a tiny error that had a big impact?

I was chatting about travelling with a friend the other day. She was telling me she spends a lot of time in the USA. Now, I’m well travelled, but a lot of my time has been spent on the other side of the world in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. But she sent me some photos, and I have to say, they looked pretty stunning.  Beautiful sunsets, incredible mountains, and a picture of a MASSIVE moose. Yep, you read that right. A moose. Stood in the road in front of her car, blocking the way. So I emailed back and said, “That’s a big moose. I hope it moved out of the way so you could move your car”

Except, that’s not quite what I sent. Thanks to my cracking spelling skills, what I actually sent was “That’s a big MOUSE” She found it hilarious. Not just the spelling error changing the animal, but that it changed the whole concept of the situation. Picture a huge truck, stopped in the middle of the road, unable to get past a tiny mouse. Hilarious! 

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? Sometimes one tiny error, just a few letters wrong, can have a big impact. It can change the meaning of something so significantly that the whole scenario changes. Especially when it comes to freight paperwork! Customs are not known to be forgiving. Get a category, classification or commodity code wrong, and you could end up with delays, fines or even destroyed goods. 

Take HS code 9303 and 9403 Just one digit difference, but one is firearms and ammunition the other is furniture ! Accuracy matters, so take your time and get the right people to help you with your paperwork, or you could find yourself in a sticky situation. And if you ever find yourself in a standoff with a moose, ask my friend Sarah Milton (BIFA membership supervisor) what to do, she seems to be a pro. 

Chadd