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

Spoonie_Turtle

In general, import VAT is charged for goods worth below £135, and above £135 the order is subject to customs duty as well as import VAT.

But obviously if the goods are (or should be) zero-rated then one would think no VAT should be payable.  I didn't realise books were but in that case I also don't know what's going on.  And even if it were for import VAT, one would assume the invoice should have details of each charge.

(For reference: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/zero-rating-books-and-printed-matter-for-vat-notice-70110 )

pinkshoes

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

Are you sure this isn't a  coincidental scam email? As it's only 33 Euros then there should be no customs charge at all.

If all these invoices are via email, then it could be a scam.