TNT and CONTROL ACCOUNT

nemo888 · 13 June 2019 at 8:18PM

Hi Guys.

Looking for a bit of advice if poss...

Over the last year I have been receiving letters from TNT Express UK ltd asking for payment of around £70. The letters just started arriving out of the blue and were a mystery to me as I do not do any business with TNT .
My name was spelled incorrectly on all the letters and they claimed my account could be affected unless I paid promptly ( i don't have an account with TNT!).
None of the letters explained why I owed them the amount they were requesting
I put it down to phishing so ignored them.

However this morning I have received a letter from ControlAccount ( who I believe are a reputable company) acting on behalf of TNT claiming I have not paid for import duty's paid on my behalf.
Now I do receive stock from over seas but always deal with Royal Mail / Parcel Force. Never with TNT and I have no record of any delivery's from them.

The question I have is where do I stand with this?
If TNT / Control account claim I owe them for services rendered will they have to provide documentation and proof before the proceed with any claim?
Can I demand to see proof I owe this money? What rights do I have?

Many thanks for taking the time to read and thank you in advance any help!

All the best,
Nemo

Willing2Learn · 13 June 2019 at 8:35PM

If you have no knowledge of the debt, and say you do not have an account with TNT, then you should send ControlAccount a 'proveit' letter. The onus will then be on them to provide evidence of the account and associated debt.

And welcome to the forum

nemo888 · 13 June 2019 at 9:10PM

Hi Willing
Thank you for the reply, thats perfect, just what I was looking for! You think its best sent as a letter or would an email do?

Thanks again

sourcrates · 13 June 2019 at 10:35PM

Letter is the recommended way.

Occasionally goods from overseas are delivered without the import duty being paid on them, it is supposed to be paid before the parcel is released.

Sometimes this does not happen, I had a similar letter once from a courier company, I questioned why I had not been billed prior to delivery, I got no response, and never heard from them again.

MEM62 · 14 June 2019 at 10:07AM

Control Account collect debts for TNT and I am also aware of the acting for DHL so maybe they have a specialism in the parcels industry.

It is common when shipments are sent by parcels carriers that they clear customs without any prior contact or instruction from you and then demand any import duties and taxes that they have deemed to be due. (I'm not sure how the express industry gets away with this because any other broker must take instructions from the imported before making a customs entry on their behalf but it seems to be common practice)

I would contact TNT and ask them for details of the shipment that these charges relate to. They should at least be able to give you a copy of the shipping documents and POD (Proof of Delivery)

TNT and CONTROL ACCOUNT

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