07/28/2026
Last week a receiver called asking me to handle a loading survey. No problem — except I had already been appointed by the shipper, a long‑time client. WCL Inc. doesn’t traditionally accept third‑party assignments or contract work out to independent surveyors. If you hire one of us, you'll get a Gong Tuner, not a subcontractor armed with a spreadsheet.
Meanwhile, several big international surveying companies started calling for the same job. I had to decline across the board — not because I don’t love a good circus, but because I was already committed. And because I’m not fond of working with surveyors from off… they tend to be incompetent, get in the way, and require adult supervision.
I did everything I could to steer the receiver toward Benjamin Mabry, the second‑best draft surveyor I’ve ever met (he insists he’s first, but JoJo and I have a ranking system). Ben’s local, sharp, and fully GongTuner trained — meaning he can handle off‑the‑chart inaccurate shore scales and provide 24/7 cargo supervision without needing a nap or a committee meeting.
The receiver thanked me for being transparent about conflicts of interest and said they’d go back to one of their “trusted” vendors. Those vendors then proved they couldn’t furnish a competent surveyor, couldn’t handle the scale issues, and couldn’t provide round‑the‑clock supervision.
One of those “trusted” vendors ended up hiring Ben anyway — at full Gong Tuner tariff.
Moral of the story:
When doing business in the Carolinas, shop local. Being big doesn’t necessarily mean being best. And the devil you know isn’t always better than the one you don’t.
As for the photo… let’s just say I’m excited to work with Chaz 2.0. He’s hip to my schtick and never lets me get away with any shenanigans. 😃 Who knows, we may even live stream part of this event. Everyone, let's keep the comments civil - Thank you!
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