Royal Mail £8 Internal Post Handling Fee scam?

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  • N79
    N79 Posts: 2,615 Forumite
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    The eight pound charge is the customs clearance fee that RM are charging you for acting as your customs agent.

    What exactly is this charge for?

    It is for presenting your package to customs. RM have to provide the invoice details to customs. They have to provide the package for inspection. (This may mean unpacking a container with thousands of packages and then repackaging the container for onward delivery). RM may have to open the package for presentation to customs. If they do, then RM have to repack your goods. This is what the 8 pounds pays for.

    If you wish, you could always go down to Heathrow or Felixstowe (or wherever your parcel arrives - remember it could be Schipol or Frankfurt or even Athens under the EU's customs union) and arrange yourself for your package to be presented to customs. Or you could employ your own customs agent (for a lot more than 8 pounds).

    Or you can pay RM the 8 pounds. Personally I think it is the cheapest customs agent I am aware of. Please let me know of any cheaper customs agents - I will start using them myself.
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365 Forumite
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    it also goes towards the new tracking service RM are using on all charge items now
    so they basically travel to the delivery offices and are tracked all the way
    i spent over an hour the other day just dealing with the customs charges we recieved that day
  • finance-boy
    finance-boy Posts: 86 Forumite
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    I've just bought 2 bags of food for my picky tropical fish (£20 each) and the Royal Mail have charged me £11.70 for each one! I could have bought another bag for that!

    I can't believe some people are defending the Royal Mail on this. Even the Royal Mail's resident customer service drone should be able to see that slapping an £8 handling fee on something with a customs charge of only £3.70 is completelyunreasonable. It's not like we even have a say in the matter, since Royal Mail is essentially still a monopoly (we can't choose which company carries our imported parcels within the UK), and a lot of the things we buy simply aren't available from within the EU.

    For shame!
  • superscaper
    superscaper Posts: 13,369 Forumite
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    finance-boy wrote: »
    (we can't choose which company carries our imported parcels within the UK),

    I disagree, there's loads of couriers to choose from (lack of choice is dependant on the flexibility of the one sending the goods). Although you'll find that if they end up paying the customs duty I think RM are one of the cheaper ones with their admin charge.
    "She is quite the oddball. Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX-81?"
    Moss
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365 Forumite
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    finance-boy wrote: »
    I've just bought 2 bags of food for my picky tropical fish (£20 each) and the Royal Mail have charged me £11.70 for each one! I could have bought another bag for that!

    I can't believe some people are defending the Royal Mail on this. Even the Royal Mail's resident customer service drone should be able to see that slapping an £8 handling fee on something with a customs charge of only £3.70 is completelyunreasonable. It's not like we even have a say in the matter, since Royal Mail is essentially still a monopoly (we can't choose which company carries our imported parcels within the UK), and a lot of the things we buy simply aren't available from within the EU.

    For shame!

    am i a drone? hmm i suggest when you order you get your supplier to use a courier
    problem solved
    you will still be charged per parcel though
    ther customs fee has no effect on the work involved handleing it,(and ive said this before) why not complain to HMRC and ask them why they dont bill you directly?
  • finance-boy
    finance-boy Posts: 86 Forumite
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    Okay, so does everybody in this thread work for the Royal Mail? Hands-up, please.
  • finance-boy
    finance-boy Posts: 86 Forumite
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    Are you being paid to post in this thread? Or do you just love your employer so much that you take time out of your own day to defend them on the internet?
  • superscaper
    superscaper Posts: 13,369 Forumite
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    finance-boy wrote: »
    Okay, so does everybody in this thread work for the Royal Mail? Hands-up, please.

    Your only response to someone with a differing view is that they must have a vested interest? That's rather close minded.
    "She is quite the oddball. Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX-81?"
    Moss
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365 Forumite
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    oh i dont agree with you(after referring to me as a drone) so you just continue attacks and start a conspiricy theory?
    maybe you need to tighten the tinfoil hat a little?
  • finance-boy
    finance-boy Posts: 86 Forumite
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    And yet you haven't answered my questions... :rolleyes:
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