Worst ever experience getting deck through customs?

[avalonian]

great news avalonian!
also amazing because my maths is pretty bad but it looked like you were really over charged! hope you hardly had to pay anything at all!

The original charge was more than the cost of the deck and the shipping added together. They charged me £67.46 and it should have been £7.95. They sent a three page letter waffling on about what Vat is paid on, how it's also due on shipping, and on second hand goods, how the handling charge is still due, but didn't manage to explain how they managed to over charge by such a huge amount.

No sign of an apology for any inconvenience either, but I wasn't really expecting one - they are a government department after all.

 

[gregory]

Last year I traded some decks in the trade-train here on AT. So obviously I had not paid for those decks as I had traded them. However, on the package, the other AT member had written a high amount of value; she told me she did that in order to protect me if the package got lost.
When the package arrived I had to pay $50 of tax. I told them it had been a gift, that I had not paid for it. They said nevertheless I had to pay tax.

A gift is in no way exempt from tax. It's the declared value (or, if they think you have cheated - they open it up and THEY value it) that it is paid on. Sad but true. A kid in the UK was sent a T-shirt from New Zealand - something to do with football - it was pricey, but his uncle wanted him to have it. The fees were horrifying - here, it's payable on the TOTAL value of bought goods over £15, and gifts over £34. Postage costs are included in the value . The US has MUCH higher limits. For Canada it seems to be PST on anything over $20 (gifts over $60).... + a $9.95 fee for collection. Makes no difference whether you paid or not, except that the limits are higher.

I am glad about that refund. I've had some too - one I got it ALL back as they were totally wrong - it wasn't taxable as it genuinely was a gift well under the limit - and that time they DID apologise and I got the £8 back as well..

 

[MandMaud]

It shouldn't be such a fight! But good to know getting refunds can be done.

And the good news is - they are going to send me a refund of the overcharge.

Result!

The original charge was more than the cost of the deck and the shipping added together. They charged me £67.46 and it should have been £7.95.

Obviously a typo! I once worked as a school secretary, and there was one particular member of staff who got taken off the payroll almost every single term, because someone at County Hall was hitting the wrong key while entering data in the accounting software; I'm not sure why it was always this one person, something to do with the surname maybe. Good ol' government offices as you say.

No sign of an apology for any inconvenience either, but I wasn't really expecting one - they are a government department after all.

Well obviously. Their role is to be inconvenient, I thought?

 

[cirom]

I have shipped to the UK several thousand times over the last number of years. I only recall two occasions where customs was charged and that was when it was more than just one deck. I think there are a several things about how we send our items and describe them that help our shipments stay under the radar. Fingers crossed that it remains that way....