Claim for Reimbursement of Excess Weight Charges

An Air Force member appealed a Claims Division determination which denied his claim for reimbursement of the excess weight charges incurred in the transportation of his household goods. The member contended that he had not been given the opportunity to remove the excess weight and was not given sufficient credit for professional books, papers, and equipment. He further stated that he had been told that if his goods exceeded his authorized weight allowance, he had the option of removing the excess weight before the shipment was made providing he paid for the labor involved. The Air Force confirmed this, and added that the member was also told that if he removed overweight articles, he should have to pay the costs of packing the overweight goods initially and of repacking the shipment. It also pointed out that the carrier and the member originally estimated the shipment to be overweight. There was no authority for the Government to pay transportation costs in excess of those authorized. As to the argument that the member was not given sufficient credit for professional books, papers, and equipment, an examination of the inventory revealed that the shipment contained only 552 pounds of these items instead of the 822 pounds originally credited to the member. The transportation charges were increased to reflect this, and the member protested the revision. Since the member offered no documentation to support the original figure, the weight listed in the shipper's inventory was accepted. Accordingly, the disallowance of the claim was sustained.