ParcelForce Clearance Fee

visidigi

mum26 wrote: »

Hi, I would appreciate opinions on a similar situation please. I ordered a watch from Think Geek in the US, it arrived really quickly ( despatched 2 June, arrived 4th June! ) and was just handed over to my daughter by the courier. The next day we had a number of phone calls (I was at work), one resulted in an answerphone message from UPS saying you need to pay x amount, ring us on this number or a driver will come to the door tommorow to collect cash, the second time my daughter answered and was told the same thing (even though the parcel is in my partners name!).

There is no paperwork, breakdown or invoice for the charges on the package at all.

When i've had customs charges in the past the item has been held by the courier, they have contacted me with a breakdown of what has to be paid by a certain date then they have forwarded the item on to me after payment.

We phoned UPS and got a call centre person who wasnt sure what was going on, so I emailed through their facebook email and someone has been chasing it up, however I keep getting different stories from them!

The latest is that the package was not marked properly as needing charges paying so the delivery guy didn't know. However it is covered in stickers, one marked as NDOC (no documents for customs?) and the other luminous orange one marked C.O.D which I assume means collect charges on delivery? There is also a sticky plastic document bag attached but that was empty on delivery.

Now I'm happy to pay the VAT (item came to $63.43 including shipping which is roughly £39, UPS have worked out £8.76 VAT and £11 brokerage fee) but do I still need to pay the brokerage? It is not the amount I object to at all (and usually i'm fine paying customs charges etc, I accept that as part of buying from overseas) it is UPS sloppy attitude and rudeness.

They shouldnt have delivered it, as it had duties to pay, they should have collected them on delivery.

Mistakes happen, sloppy atitude and rudeness, well they could (and should) have with held delivery before payment, the same requirement exists, that the fee and charges need to be settled.

I would pay, it simply isn't worth the hassle.

wedgehog

Please sign this government petition against Parcelforce ripping us off with fee's of £13.50 or more just to collect the vat on small items purchased abroad, often pushing the cost above the item in the package.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/search?order=desc&q=parcelforce+charges&sort=count

Please tell your friends

NeverInDebt

Any reason your are singling out just PF other couriers also charge a fee?

wedgehog wrote: »

Please sign this government petition against Parcelforce ripping us off with fee's of £13.50 or more just to collect the vat on small items purchased abroad, often pushing the cost above the item in the package.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/search?order=desc&q=parcelforce+charges&sort=count

Please tell your friends

?

bris

wedgehog wrote: »

Please sign this government petition against Parcelforce ripping us off with fee's of £13.50 or more just to collect the vat on small items purchased abroad, often pushing the cost above the item in the package.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/search?order=desc&q=parcelforce+charges&sort=count

Please tell your friends

You should realise this fee is actually a bargain.


When you import into the UK you have to clear customs, if they don't do it for you then it sits in the customs warehouse waiting for clearance.


For clearance you need to do all the paperwork and file it with customs, can you do this yourself?


Your problem is the fact that you think your getting a bargain buying from China (or any other cheap place outside the EU) but are to daft to realise the VAT and customs charges have still to be added.


Lets hope your next thread isn't "help I bought cheap rubbish from China and now it's faulty"

visidigi

wedgehog wrote: »

Please sign this government petition against Parcelforce ripping us off with fee's of £13.50 or more just to collect the vat on small items purchased abroad, often pushing the cost above the item in the package.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/search?order=desc&q=parcelforce+charges&sort=count

Please tell your friends

Oh dear. You really don't have a full understanding of how the process works.

You think RM or ParecelForce and other carriers should do all the leg work and then allow you to ring up and pay directly?

Read this thread here before opening up futile petitions which have completely weak arguments (which are also wrong)

zaax

custardy wrote: »

sigh,and does every package they handle incur 'TAX'? no is the answer
since we are going into pedant mode

Its called VAT

zaax

wedgehog wrote: »

Please sign this government petition against Parcelforce ripping us off with fee's of £13.50 or more just to collect the vat on small items purchased abroad, often pushing the cost above the item in the package.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/search?order=desc&q=parcelforce+charges&sort=count

Please tell your friends

Don't be silly, £13.50 is very good value. John Grose want to charge £100 just to program a new car key - 10 mins labour but they still charge for an hour

Hintza

The threshold for VAT is £15 therefore the minimum VAT payable would be £3. Therefore your example of having to pay £1.50 VAT +£8 clearance is wrong.

Nothing worse than a petition when the petitioner can't even get their facts right!

Hermione_Granger

Hintza wrote: »

The threshold for VAT is £15 therefore the minimum VAT payable would be £3. Therefore your example of having to pay £1.50 VAT +£8 clearance is wrong.

Nothing worse than a petition when the petitioner can't even get their facts right!

There is no threshold when importing from the Channel Islands, so yes, if you import something that cost £7.50, it is entirely possible to end up paying £1.50 VAT + £8 clearance.

Nothing worse that a smart ar5e who also has their facts wrong.

custardy

I like Matthew's petition better.it quotes thr Postal act.