Royal Mail £8 Internal Post Handling Fee scam?

custardy

George_Bray wrote: »

I'm very grateful to you and others on this thread who've pointed out the above method of avoiding the Royal Mail's £8 fee. I must try it but whether an eBay seller in China will actually write the required phrase on the parcel is another matter. The £8 fee, as well as the current pricing of postage stamps and other aspects of the way they operate - it all leads to me disliking the Royal Mail so much that I hardly ever use them to send anything.

How much would you say is a fair price for the service?

The-Truth

custardy wrote: »

How much would you say is a fair price for the service?

He'd probably want it all for less than a quid and also be the type to complain if the staff don't get the national living wage (not the governments version either)!

Krissy306

Hi sorry to take over someone else's thread I've had a read through your chat but still didn't find the answer I was hoping maybe someone could tell me, I got this today for an item bought in America (obviously i don't want to pay it but from reading here it lols like I have to). Why so much does anyone know £35.57? So frustrated!


Can't add a photo as on my mobile

powerful_Rogue

krissycontagious wrote: »

Hi sorry to take over someone else's thread I've had a read through your chat but still didn't find the answer I was hoping maybe someone could tell me, I got this today for an item bought in America (obviously i don't want to pay it but from reading here it lols like I have to). Why so much does anyone know £35.57? So frustrated!


Can't add a photo as on my mobile

Best to stick to one thread
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=69511005&postcount=39

Nilrem

krissycontagious wrote: »

Hi sorry to take over someone else's thread I've had a read through your chat but still didn't find the answer I was hoping maybe someone could tell me, I got this today for an item bought in America (obviously i don't want to pay it but from reading here it lols like I have to). Why so much does anyone know £35.57? So frustrated!


Can't add a photo as on my mobile

How much was the value of the item?

VAT will be 20% on top of the cost (including postage) if it is worth over £15.
Duty may also be payable.

At a guess for a £35 fee all in it would be £8 handling (unless it was express delivery in which case it can be about £14 I think), so about £27 in taxes.
Was the item (including postage) about £140?

alias26

My 2 year old has been sent a cardigan from her 70 year old Great Aunt. Royal Mail have delivered a card saying customs and handling charges of £16.43 need to be paid. On a home made cardigan for a child!? I can't see what the great aunt has written on her declaration but clearly she has made a mistake. I don't want the gift returned to her in New Zealand as it'll upset her to have to post it again but I also don't want to have to pay money to HMRC and Royal Mail that shouldn't be due. After half an hour on the phone, both deny there is anything they can do. Any advice?

marliepanda

alias26 wrote: »

My 2 year old has been sent a cardigan from her 70 year old Great Aunt. Royal Mail have delivered a card saying customs and handling charges of £16.43 need to be paid. On a home made cardigan for a child!? I can't see what the great aunt has written on her declaration but clearly she has made a mistake. I don't want the gift returned to her in New Zealand as it'll upset her to have to post it again but I also don't want to have to pay money to HMRC and Royal Mail that shouldn't be due. After half an hour on the phone, both deny there is anything they can do. Any advice?

Pay it, get it, then dispute it if appropriate.

A £16 charge means a £8 charge, meaning your aunt has declared it to be worth roughly £40, give or take a few pounds for the shipping fee.

They base their charges on the form. If they're wrong, then you can dispute it. If the form is wrong, in your opinion, sadly that's no ones fault but the person who filled the form in incorrectly.

trukdiver

marliepanda wrote: »

Pay it, get it, then dispute it if appropriate.

A £16 charge means a £8 charge, meaning your aunt has declared it to be worth roughly £40, give or take a few pounds for the shipping fee.

They base their charges on the form. If they're wrong, then you can dispute it. If the form is wrong, in your opinion, sadly that's no ones fault but the person who filled the form in incorrectly.

I disputed a charge and got a refund of the tax, but not the RM fee. In my case, the sender had used the maximum insurance cover as the value. I argued that the item was not worth anything like that. I had to get a letter from the sender explaining they had made a mistake!

custardy

trukdiver wrote: »

I disputed a charge and got a refund of the tax, but not the RM fee. In my case, the sender had used the maximum insurance cover as the value. I argued that the item was not worth anything like that. I had to get a letter from the sender explaining they had made a mistake!

Because RM performed the service, as per the declared value.

marliepanda

trukdiver wrote: »

I disputed a charge and got a refund of the tax, but not the RM fee. In my case, the sender had used the maximum insurance cover as the value. I argued that the item was not worth anything like that. I had to get a letter from the sender explaining they had made a mistake!

And I'm sure, had the parcel gone missing, the sender would have claimed back the full insurance value if they could.

Bit of having your cake and eating it there.

As custards said, why should RM pay you back for a mistake?