Parcel gone missing from doorstep

Okell

Aylesbury_Duck said:

RomfordNavy said:

savergrant said:

How did you pay for the item? You may have some comeback.

Was paid for by credit card so I could try that route if all else fails.  However I think that Royal Mail should be responsible for this; they should have required a signature for something of this value.

...  Your consumer rights sit with the retailer.  It may well be that RM has been negligent and/or has failed to carry out their customer's instructions, but that's not your concern.  If they have, then it's the retailer's job to sort that out...

I doubt that a retailer in Ukraine is going to be concerned about the (non) application of UK consumer protection legislation and I doubt they'll be chasing it up with RM anytime soon...

sheramber said:

... As it is valued over £135 then customs payment would be due. Not having been asked for any payment raises the question if the parcel has, in fact, been delivered. 

That's what I don't understand.  Import duty/customs charges should have been payable and it doesn't make sense that delivery would have been made (or attempted) if the OP hadn't been asked to pay them.

Grumpy_chap

Okell said:

sheramber said:

... As it is valued over £135 then customs payment would be due. Not having been asked for any payment raises the question if the parcel has, in fact, been delivered. 

That's what I don't understand.  Import duty/customs charges should have been payable and it doesn't make sense that delivery would have been made (or attempted) if the OP hadn't been asked to pay them.

Perhaps the declared value was less than £135?
That could even be truthful if the OP paid £xx (above £135) but the sender declared their core cost value not sales value.

RomfordNavy

sheramber said:

What has the retailer said about it?

Have they confirmed when they sent it?  

As it is valued over £135 then customs payment would be due. Not having been asked for any payment raises the question if the parcel has, in fact, been delivered. 

Retailer considers it is not their problem as parcel was delivered.  They have now emailed me a picture showing that it was delivered on 2nd August.

Shame they didn't email me at the time saying that it had been delivered.

RomfordNavy

Grumpy_chap said:

Perhaps the declared value was less than £135?
That could even be truthful if the OP paid £xx (above £135) but the sender declared their core cost value not sales value.

I can only presume that to be the case.

Okell

RomfordNavy said:

sheramber said:

What has the retailer said about it?

Have they confirmed when they sent it?  

As it is valued over £135 then customs payment would be due. Not having been asked for any payment raises the question if the parcel has, in fact, been delivered. 

Retailer considers it is not their problem as parcel was delivered.  They have now emailed me a picture showing that it was delivered on 2nd August.

Shame they didn't email me at the time saying that it had been delivered.

For future reference, when buying online etc from a UK trader, the trader remains legally responsible for the goods until they are delivered into your "physical possession" - or that of a person nominated by you.  This is covered by s29 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Obviously* leaving something unattended in your garden or on your doorstep does not count as being delivered into your physical possession, and if it goes AWOL you will have a claim against the seller - not the courier.

But as a consumer you will find it virtually impossible to enforce this legal protection when you buy from an overseas based trader as the sale is probably subject to that country's consumer protection legislation (if it has any) and not UK law.  And even if you did win a court case in the UK, how will you enforce it in the Ukraine?

This is something you need to be particularly wary of when thinking of buying from anywhere outside the UK.  EU countries have similar consumer protection legislation to the UK, but you still have the problem of forcing an overseas seller to comply with whatever the legislation is.

Be particulalry careful when buying from outside the EU - particularly from the US and the far east.


*Some people here think it's not obvious.  What can you say?

RomfordNavy

At the moment I am having trouble getting the seller to send me an invoice for the goods, which I have asked for in the hope that I may then be able to make a claim against Royal Mail for not asking for a signature.

sheramber

RomfordNavy said:

At the moment I am having trouble getting the seller to send me an invoice for the goods, which I have asked for in the hope that I may then be able to make a claim against Royal Mail for not asking for a signature.

Did the sender use a service that required a signature?

If not, then Royal Mail have no need to get one. 

If  they did not declare the true cost  on the customs form  you might have problems claiming for the true cost, assuming you have a valid claim. 

Declaring the true cost may lead to a customs charge. 

RomfordNavy

sheramber said:

Did the sender use a service that required a signature?

If not, then Royal Mail have no need to get one. 

If  they did not declare the true cost  on the customs form  you might have problems claiming for the true cost, assuming you have a valid claim. 

Declaring the true cost may lead to a customs charge. 

Package was sent from Ukraine so don't know what arrangement Ukrainian post has with the Royal Mail and therefore whether they should have obtained a signature, how would I find this out?

If I made a claim how would HMRC get to know whether there was a customs charge or not.

Grumpy_chap

RomfordNavy said:

Package was sent from Ukraine so don't know what arrangement Ukrainian post has with the Royal Mail and therefore whether they should have obtained a signature, how would I find this out?

You would ask the sender what service level they paid for.

savergrant

Grumpy_chap said:

RomfordNavy said:

Package was sent from Ukraine so don't know what arrangement Ukrainian post has with the Royal Mail and therefore whether they should have obtained a signature, how would I find this out?

You would ask the sender what service level they paid for.

I don't think "left on doorstep' is consistent with any royal mail level of service.