Parcelforce/Customs Outragous Charges

custardy

mellowmick wrote: »

I disagree.
Parcelforce are going to the hub anyway to collect parcels for distribution,yes?
Ok,duty needs paying.No problem.
WHY cant customs contact me by letter etc informing me of this??
If this was the case then i could pay duty & vat then next time parcelforce visited their hub to collect parcels they could collect mine then deliver it.
I do not see why they should jump in and add a charge for something which could be dealt with by HMRC & myself.
I just want to save money!
Looks like a money spinner to me.
Think we will have to agree to disagree )
Cheers.
Mick.

you disagree
good for you
why don't customs contact you? because you didnt bother to sort that out
they don't jump in. given you didnt bother to sort anything out,then it defaults to the carrier doing the work for you.
Its a simple case of crying now you have been charged.

arcon5

mellowmick wrote: »

I disagree.
Parcelforce are going to the hub anyway to collect parcels for distribution,yes?
Ok,duty needs paying.No problem.
WHY cant customs contact me by letter etc informing me of this??
If this was the case then i could pay duty & vat then next time parcelforce visited their hub to collect parcels they could collect mine then deliver it.
I do not see why they should jump in and add a charge for something which could be dealt with by HMRC & myself.
I just want to save money!
Looks like a money spinner to me.
Think we will have to agree to disagree )
Cheers.
Mick.

I'm sure I read somewhere a while back that the fee only just covers their actual costs. Can't remember where though or even how true it is though.

custardy

arcon5 wrote: »

I'm sure I read somewhere a while back that the fee only just covers their actual costs. Can't remember where though or even how true it is though.

thats for RM and the running of Mount Pleasant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail_Mount_Pleasant_Sorting_Office

18/08/2009
Annex1: Mount Pleasant customs unit cost per item 2007/08

Activity
Cost Element
Cost (£k)
Primary Customs
Managers, Staff, Property
1000
Secondary Customs
Staff, Property, Storage
1308
Delivery Office
Handling, Recording, Property,
900
Cash Handling
Cashiers
50
Return to Sender
Staff
69
RM total costs

3327

Cost per item

£7.99

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/8_fee_for_collecting_hm_custom_c#incoming-40217

mazza111

custardy wrote: »

nope
its a new part and as such would be liable to charges anyway.even if they came from the original seller

When I said you were being harsh, I meant that the OP didn't have a chance to declare the customs himself as he was the 3rd party. It does seem like he got away with it when he first ordered the parts from Australia tho, so had no intentions of declaring the goods anyhoo.

bikersal

I've just purchased a motorbike rack from America that cost in total including postage £105 but have since received the following bill that I cannot and should not afford to pay

Customs duty £22.25 (goods total less than £135! so invalid)
Import VAT £169.31!
Clearance fee £8.00

Grand total £199.56 for one item worth around £85 that I bought because it was specially designed to fit my bike.

Not only this the item was held by customs for a week having arrived on 28 March and not released until 4 April when they invoiced me.

I think small claims court comes to mind if I can't get a response from customs using form BOR286 that I eventually found on HRMC website.

I need this item for a charity ride and am absolutely disgusted at the incompetence of our border agency who have probably looked at the US dollar price when doing their calculations!

mazza111

Think the only way to get it back is to pay it and then reclaim.

arcon5

bikersal wrote: »

I've just purchased a motorbike rack from America that cost in total including postage £105 but have since received the following bill that I cannot and should not afford to pay

Customs duty £22.25 (goods total less than £135! so invalid)
Import VAT £169.31!
Clearance fee £8.00

Grand total £199.56 for one item worth around £85 that I bought because it was specially designed to fit my bike.

Not only this the item was held by customs for a week having arrived on 28 March and not released until 4 April when they invoiced me.

I think small claims court comes to mind if I can't get a response from customs using form BOR286 that I eventually found on HRMC website.

I need this item for a charity ride and am absolutely disgusted at the incompetence of our border agency who have probably looked at the US dollar price when doing their calculations!

What was the declared value ?

custardy

bikersal wrote: »

I've just purchased a motorbike rack from America that cost in total including postage £105 but have since received the following bill that I cannot and should not afford to pay

Customs duty £22.25 (goods total less than £135! so invalid)
Import VAT £169.31!
Clearance fee £8.00

Grand total £199.56 for one item worth around £85 that I bought because it was specially designed to fit my bike.

Not only this the item was held by customs for a week having arrived on 28 March and not released until 4 April when they invoiced me.

I think small claims court comes to mind if I can't get a response from customs using form BOR286 that I eventually found on HRMC website.

I need this item for a charity ride and am absolutely disgusted at the incompetence of our border agency who have probably looked at the US dollar price when doing their calculations!

HMRC can decide on an items value. so you need to clarify what figure they are working on.
how long has it been since you submitted the form?
looking at your dates of invoice. its been 3 days including a bank holiday at most.
did you use a postal method with proof of delivery?