Can customs broker place a hold?
I have imported plants before, and am familiar with the process. I have a small shipment of 4 plants from Indonesia to USA for which my import permit was included. For this shipment, I was charged a $26 permit and license fee. I paid, but sent an email asking what the fee was since I had never been charged before, and if there was anything needed to avoid the fee in the future. The next day, I received a reply that my “dispute” was forwarded to the broker. The day after, I was informed that my “dispute” was denied, with no answers to my question. The day after that my shipment was placed on hold where it is still today. I can’t get any answers from DHL when the hold will be released.
It still has to go to USDA for inspection, so I’m likely looking at dead plants.
Did my “dispute” prompt the hold?