get my cigarettes back from customs

themissingdigit

i recently went to prague on my return i purchased 1000 B&H cigarettes from the duty free shop at the airport. there were 2 sections as in english duty free shops, EU destinations & non EU. i asked how many i could buy & was told as many as you want as long as they are the more expensive duty paid ones. so i got 1000. coming home i was stopped at customs & told they were not in the EU & confiscated them. i got home & checked, they are in the EU. so i appealed to have them returned as i learnt that some of my friends who came home the day before were stopped at the same customs (stansted) with 4000 each & let through. i put this in my appeal only to be told hard luck & customs was too big to locate the people working the day before!!! i can go to court if i want but if i loose i will have to pay all the costs.
apparently you can bring alcohol & rolling backy back but britain has decided they don't pay enough tax on cigarettes. how were we supposed to know? why don't they give you this info when you book a flight or when your on the plane on the way out there.
has anybody any advise as to how i might get them back or a better place to post the question?
someone said i should try my MP.
thanks
paul
themissingdigit@aol.com

izzy_flint

You are allowed to bring 3200 (thats 16 cartons of 200) from any country that is in the EU as you are paying the duty to the country you bought them from.The only exception are the duty free countries like Luxumberg,Gibraltor,Andora or any of the Canary Islands.This is the government guidelines.
With the Czech's only just joining the EU, i am not 100% sure on if they are classed as a tax free place like the ones mentioned above.This is what you need to look into.If they are then you are only allowed 200 per person if they are NOT then you are allowed the same as if you went to any other European Country.
I have just found this for you
Quoted from the HM custom and Excise official website
The EU Countries are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus*, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, The Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (but not the Canary Islands), Sweden, The UK (but not the Channel Islands).

so go here save it and you can quote from it when you write to them,
http://www.day-tripper.net/zxo/zxo2accesshmce.html

hope this helps you

izzy_flint

sorry just found this too from the same site

From CZECH REPUBLIC - 200 cigarettes or 250g of smoking tobacco or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos

From ESTONIA - 200 cigarettes or 250g of smoking tobacco*

From HUNGARY, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, POLAND, SLOVAKIA OR SLOVENIA - 200 cigarettes*

Dont know why it is that low but it could be as they have just joined the EU

themissingdigit

thanks for the resopse.it would appear that i cant get them back. but my arguments are
1. it was a guenuine mistake
2.the same customs officers let people through with cigarettes 24hrs earlier.(3 freinds were stopped)
3.why dont they make you aware when you fly out.
4.why do the have duty free & duty paid choices at the airport?
5.why could i not at least keep my allowance?
6.i was also travelling with 8 people who had no cigarettes.
think i will contact my EMP

Savvy_Sue

6.i was also travelling with 8 people who had no cigarettes.

Don't even bother with that argument. If you bought them, they're yours. They can't bring them through for you.

VH

Customs can be a bit hit and miss, sometimes you will not get stopped, other times you will get collared. It seems to depend on how busy the airport is and how much manpower they have on at that time.

The customs allowances are clearly displayed on big illuminous white boards all over the airports. I travel to the Canaries quite a lot (200 cig. limit) and you get people giving the same old story every time, I wasn't aware of the allowances etc. - it's your responsibility to check up in advance.

I hate to say it but I think you have no chance of getting them back - it's a bit late now but the best tactic would have been to divide them equally between those with none in their cases - even if each person was slightly over then they would have got away with it - I have done this in the past without difficulty.

themissingdigit

VH
i think i have lost them.
the reason we didn't divide them up was because the czech republic is in the EU & i was well within my limits. nowhere was it in big writing saying. please note that when travelling to these countries (list them) even though they are in the EU we have decided they don't charge enough tax so you can not have your allowance.

they even took 5 boxes of a young lady in front of me & she was in tears.

my annoyance was greater when i got home to find that they stopped 3 of my friends 24Hrs earlier each having 4000 B&H.they tried to take them but my friends said show me where it says your not allowed duty paid fags from EU countries. customs (same officers) said not to worry they weren't taking them anyway & let them thro. i only found this out after i got home. customs told me they weren't in the EU, so i thought it was my mistake.

m00nie

most eu countries you are allowed to bring back what ever you like, they say 3200 is the guideline though. But prague is different, this and a few others they limit it to (off the top of my head without finding the leaflet) 800. 400 on the way out 400 on the way in.

i agree this is not advertised enough tho.

as someone above says customs are hit and miss. all depends on who you get,what mood there in etc etc.

As for doing anything about it, slim chance im afraid, customs seem to be a rule to themselves