UPS charging me £260 for a parcel that's already been delivered?

RedBricksAndThings

Posting here for advice/shared experiences because I can't get through to UPS through phone or email
I got a 1kg textbook online that ended up coming from Turkey/Türkiye through UPS to the UK.
About a week after it was delivered I get an email saying the parcel is still in the dispatch warehouse and that they won't release it unless I pay £20 for customs charges. 
I tried to phone over the course of 3 days but couldn't get through. Emailed back instead, explaining I already had the parcel and asked if there was two- maybe the seller had accidentally sent another (this has happened before, with a different seller).
I didn't hear anything back and assumed it had been a mistake. 
A month on I get another email, more urgently asking me to pay £20 customs fees. This time I paid, but emailed again, asking for clarification but got none. 

Now, two months on from the delivery I've received two invoices; one from the end of June, one from the start of July; the earliest one is asking for £20, the second one is asking for £240 
The letters don't explain what these charges are for, it just says "charges" and quotes the tracking number/information from the Türkiye parcel. I emailed immediately, this time through their online customer service form, but haven't heard anything back and it's been 3 days.

I don't understand why the cost would be so high, if these are more customs charges. I've also never been charged customs after a parcel has been delivered. 
The letters seem legitimate, but I don't know if I should seek legal advice, or just ignore the issue since I still haven't got a response from them? 

Any advice/similar experiences would be appreciated

DullGreyGuy

RedBricksAndThings said:

Posting here for advice/shared experiences because I can't get through to UPS through phone or email
I got a 1kg textbook online that ended up coming from Turkey/Türkiye through UPS to the UK.
About a week after it was delivered I get an email saying the parcel is still in the dispatch warehouse and that they won't release it unless I pay £20 for customs charges. 
I tried to phone over the course of 3 days but couldn't get through. Emailed back instead, explaining I already had the parcel and asked if there was two- maybe the seller had accidentally sent another (this has happened before, with a different seller).
I didn't hear anything back and assumed it had been a mistake. 
A month on I get another email, more urgently asking me to pay £20 customs fees. This time I paid, but emailed again, asking for clarification but got none. 

Now, two months on from the delivery I've received two invoices; one from the end of June, one from the start of July; the earliest one is asking for £20, the second one is asking for £240 
The letters don't explain what these charges are for, it just says "charges" and quotes the tracking number/information from the Türkiye parcel. I emailed immediately, this time through their online customer service form, but haven't heard anything back and it's been 3 days.

I don't understand why the cost would be so high, if these are more customs charges. I've also never been charged customs after a parcel has been delivered. 
The letters seem legitimate, but I don't know if I should seek legal advice, or just ignore the issue since I still haven't got a response from them? 

Any advice/similar experiences would be appreciated

Odd that you think the weight of the book is relevant but not its value?

How much was the book? What was on the customs declaration as completed by the sender in terms of value, postage, insurance etc?

The law allows couriers and postal services to pay fees to achieve clearance of parcels and then reclaim those from the recipient, including a fee for doing this, despite the recipient often not being the one in contract with the courier. It's totally at the courier's discretion if they deliver first and invoice after or refuse delivery until it's been paid. Practices do vary significantly between couriers or even different services with the same courier. 

Why you have had two invoices for differing amounts is not immediately obvious but by knowing what the landed cost the sender declared makes it not too hard to work out what it should have been. Its possible the courier made an error on the first invoice and the second is a correction or perhaps the second correction is the error but all we know is its a 1kg book

libra10

You may be able to contact UPS by sending a message through their Twitter/X account.

https://x.com/UPS

I have had some success dealing with several issues through social media.

Good luck

Hoenir

Are the emails being sent from a legitimate email address? 

RedBricksAndThings

DullGreyGuy said:

RedBricksAndThings said:

Posting here for advice/shared experiences because I can't get through to UPS through phone or email
I got a 1kg textbook online that ended up coming from Turkey/Türkiye through UPS to the UK.
About a week after it was delivered I get an email saying the parcel is still in the dispatch warehouse and that they won't release it unless I pay £20 for customs charges. 
I tried to phone over the course of 3 days but couldn't get through. Emailed back instead, explaining I already had the parcel and asked if there was two- maybe the seller had accidentally sent another (this has happened before, with a different seller).
I didn't hear anything back and assumed it had been a mistake. 
A month on I get another email, more urgently asking me to pay £20 customs fees. This time I paid, but emailed again, asking for clarification but got none. 

Now, two months on from the delivery I've received two invoices; one from the end of June, one from the start of July; the earliest one is asking for £20, the second one is asking for £240 
The letters don't explain what these charges are for, it just says "charges" and quotes the tracking number/information from the Türkiye parcel. I emailed immediately, this time through their online customer service form, but haven't heard anything back and it's been 3 days.

I don't understand why the cost would be so high, if these are more customs charges. I've also never been charged customs after a parcel has been delivered. 
The letters seem legitimate, but I don't know if I should seek legal advice, or just ignore the issue since I still haven't got a response from them? 

Any advice/similar experiences would be appreciated

Odd that you think the weight of the book is relevant but not its value?

How much was the book? What was on the customs declaration as completed by the sender in terms of value, postage, insurance etc?

The law allows couriers and postal services to pay fees to achieve clearance of parcels and then reclaim those from the recipient, including a fee for doing this, despite the recipient often not being the one in contract with the courier. It's totally at the courier's discretion if they deliver first and invoice after or refuse delivery until it's been paid. Practices do vary significantly between couriers or even different services with the same courier. 

Why you have had two invoices for differing amounts is not immediately obvious but by knowing what the landed cost the sender declared makes it not too hard to work out what it should have been. Its possible the courier made an error on the first invoice and the second is a correction or perhaps the second correction is the error but all we know is its a 1kg book

Book was 33 euros. The letters I've received don't say customs, they're just invoices. The info on the back is shipment details, where the sender has put the price down. No info on insurance, postage was express saver but no price. 

I understand that, but I was taken aback by the price. I've ordered things worldwide before, I've never been landed with a bill like this for it. 
That part about the discretion of the courier makes sense- though it doesn't explain why UPS is still claiming they have my parcel (possibly another error)

This is my issue too lol; I'm stuck with a 1kg book and a hefty bill 

RedBricksAndThings

Hoenir said:

Are the emails being sent from a legitimate email address? 

Yep, definitely from UPS, and I'm assuming the letters are as well

Hoenir

RedBricksAndThings said:

Hoenir said:

Are the emails being sent from a legitimate email address? 

Yep, definitely from UPS, and I'm assuming the letters are as well

I've frequently had correspondence purporting to be from DHL.  When it isnt. No idea how the shipment details were obtained. 

Spoonie_Turtle

RedBricksAndThings said:

DullGreyGuy said:

RedBricksAndThings said:

Posting here for advice/shared experiences because I can't get through to UPS through phone or email
I got a 1kg textbook online that ended up coming from Turkey/Türkiye through UPS to the UK.
About a week after it was delivered I get an email saying the parcel is still in the dispatch warehouse and that they won't release it unless I pay £20 for customs charges. 
I tried to phone over the course of 3 days but couldn't get through. Emailed back instead, explaining I already had the parcel and asked if there was two- maybe the seller had accidentally sent another (this has happened before, with a different seller).
I didn't hear anything back and assumed it had been a mistake. 
A month on I get another email, more urgently asking me to pay £20 customs fees. This time I paid, but emailed again, asking for clarification but got none. 

Now, two months on from the delivery I've received two invoices; one from the end of June, one from the start of July; the earliest one is asking for £20, the second one is asking for £240 
The letters don't explain what these charges are for, it just says "charges" and quotes the tracking number/information from the Türkiye parcel. I emailed immediately, this time through their online customer service form, but haven't heard anything back and it's been 3 days.

I don't understand why the cost would be so high, if these are more customs charges. I've also never been charged customs after a parcel has been delivered. 
The letters seem legitimate, but I don't know if I should seek legal advice, or just ignore the issue since I still haven't got a response from them? 

Any advice/similar experiences would be appreciated

Odd that you think the weight of the book is relevant but not its value?

How much was the book? What was on the customs declaration as completed by the sender in terms of value, postage, insurance etc?

The law allows couriers and postal services to pay fees to achieve clearance of parcels and then reclaim those from the recipient, including a fee for doing this, despite the recipient often not being the one in contract with the courier. It's totally at the courier's discretion if they deliver first and invoice after or refuse delivery until it's been paid. Practices do vary significantly between couriers or even different services with the same courier. 

Why you have had two invoices for differing amounts is not immediately obvious but by knowing what the landed cost the sender declared makes it not too hard to work out what it should have been. Its possible the courier made an error on the first invoice and the second is a correction or perhaps the second correction is the error but all we know is its a 1kg book

Book was 33 euros. …

I understand that, but I was taken aback by the price. I've ordered things worldwide before, I've never been landed with a bill like this for it. 
…

This is my issue too lol; I'm stuck with a 1kg book and a hefty bill 

It's entirely possible the bulk of the amount was their standard handling fee - c.£6 import VAT would make their fee about £14 which wouldn't surprise me.  Royal Mail's fee is £8, unless it's gone up.

RFW

I don't have any great idea of what's going on here. I will add to the confusion by saying that a "text book" should not be subject to VAT.

Keep_pedalling

There should be no VAT or import duty on books.

RFW

Keep_pedalling said:

There should be no VAT or import duty on books.

Agreed. If "text book" is something slightly different, like a record book or diary it could carry VAT but from what has been written so far it doesn't seem likely.