UPS charging Duty on Replacement Goods (so twice) from EU

Jamespearce86

Hi everyone, I did initially comment on another post but thought I'd best start a new thread! 

I recently sent a faulty product back to Thomann in Germany, and they assured me that the returning goods would be marked as a replacement for the goods sent back and I wouldn't be charged Tax. 

Sure enough, I've been asked to pay duties by UPS on the replacement item and Thomann basically refused to speak to USP about it, saying I would need to pay the tax and claim for a refund?! 

UPS have just emailed saying the charge duty on ALL incoming shipments (regardless of the reason they're coming in), this can't be right? Despite sending them all the appropriate paperwork, it seems crazy to have to pay the duty (again) and then have to mess around trying to get it refunded. Am I best off hoping they deliver the goods anyway and I just don't pay the taxes? 

Sandtree

Did you return the original item or have you now got two?

Are you actually talking Import Duty or VAT?

Jamespearce86

Sandtree said:

Did you return the original item or have you now got two?

Are you actually talking Import Duty or VAT?

Yes sorry, I returned the faulty item (along with all the customs paperwork stating that it's going back for a replacement), and then Thomann sent another (new) one to replace it. UPS notification says "Import charges" - in the breakdown it says "Government charges" plus the brokerage fees but 0.00 on VAT. 

visidigi

Did Thomann ship it delivered duty paid (DDP) or did they mark it for you to pay? Sounds like a shipping error on the side of Thomann. If you have proof it was control exported and then imported then you should be able to pay and reclaim from HMRC, but you wont get any UPS fees back.

Jamespearce86

visidigi said:

Did Thomann ship it delivered duty paid (DDP) or did they mark it for you to pay? Sounds like a shipping error on the side of Thomann. If you have proof it was control exported and then imported then you should be able to pay and reclaim from HMRC, but you wont get any UPS fees back.

I'm not sure, I can't see many details on the invoice to help clear up anything despite going back to them and asking for confirmation that they had attached the relevant forms to the delivery. Do you think UPS will deliver the parcel before taking the fees or will they simply hold on to it?

custardy

Have they repaired or replaced?
Seen previous cases where a replacement item attracts duty vs repair

Jamespearce86

custardy said:

Have they repaired or replaced?
Seen previous cases where a replacement item attracts duty vs repair

Its a replacement, so I spoke to HMRC and they suggested that Thomann should have filled out a CN22 or CN23 declaration form which would have avoided this whole mess! I've basically got to pay it and claim it back but I'll still be down the Brokerage fee (and lots of time).

mattyprice4004

Such is the joy of Brexit unfortunately - my job is a shipping coordinator and I deal with this every single day now. 
It's an absolute farce, no one seems to know the correct procedure and it's incredibly draining to deal with

Jamespearce86

@mattyprice4004 I can't imagine how tough it must be at the moment! My main issue now is that Thomann refuse to take any responsibility for the issue and are just being rude/unhelpful - I've even told them the name of the form they should have filled out but they've basically said it's standard for everyone to reclaim the taxes back. No apology for the time/brokerage fee I won't get back or even that the original goods were faulty. 

winwoody

James,I know it's been awhile since your problem with Thomann I am having almost the exact same problem.
I have already paid UPS £80 for the first delivery sent one faulty item back to Thomann who replaced the unit for same and now UPS are asking for another £56 The delivery driver advised me not to pay because it would take for ever to recover the cost plus i am not in a financial position at the moment to pay,just wondered if your problem got resolved

Jamespearce86

winwoody said:

James,I know it's been awhile since your problem with Thomann I am having almost the exact same problem.
I have already paid UPS £80 for the first delivery sent one faulty item back to Thomann who replaced the unit for same and now UPS are asking for another £56 The delivery driver advised me not to pay because it would take for ever to recover the cost plus i am not in a financial position at the moment to pay,just wondered if your problem got resolved

Heya! So I ended up just paying the duty as I didn't want to be without the item. The paperwork to complete to reclaim is absolutely ridiculous and for someone who doesn't work in shipping it's really annoying to know how to calculate things (especially as I kept one of the items that wasn't broken!) If they deliver your parcel without you paying it's probably a good shout to not pay it but I don't know if you'll get hounded by UPS. 

Thomann after much complaint gave me some credit on my account but still they weren't great outside of this.