Debt collection agency late payment fees - is this enforceable?

geeku

Hi all. I was recently contacted by a debt collection agency stating I owe money to FedEx (for import duty/tax), with late payment fee incurred. This was for a package received in July, and I moved shortly afterwards. From experience, couriers usually request payment before delivery is made, but I've since learnt that FedEx likes to bill you after with no notice of any fees to expect beforehand. As such, I did not know I owed them anything.

Whilst I don't dispute the import fees (even though this is a 3rd replacement for an item, for which I already paid tax the first time round; though paid nothing for the 2nd), I argued that since I only found out about this charge after they contacted me by phone, I shouldn't have to pay the late payment fee.
At no point did I agree to any delivery terms and conditions as delivery was arranged by the seller, so how can the charges be justified? What's stopping them from adding £100 per week, for example?

So my question is, do I have any leg to stand on this matter? Thank you in advance.

Cotswoldtony

If you are now in the hands of a debt collection agency this will either be an independent company who purchased your debt or a debt collection department at FedEx.
You only pay import duty/tax for the item once so if you have proof the item received was faulty and the seller agrees you are only being sent a replacement for the item you have already paid import duty/tax on in the first place.
Contact the debt collection agency and request an itemized invoice for the alleged debt and late payment fees and import duty/tax paid.
Request a copy with wet signature of the contract you signed with Fedex agreeing to their terms and conditions.
Contact your supplier to put in writing/email they have sent you replacement item/s for faulty goods you received from them.
Wait for their reply and go from there.

sourcrates

Typically these import duty debts are fairly small amounts of money which do not get chased after much more than a letter or two.

geeku

Thanks for the advice.

The debt is no longer being handled by FedEx. I was told that I should claim the tax back from HMRC for the item and only then would they void the charge.

I know it's not usually advised, but I'm going to wait it out.