DHL - Dick Turpin is alive and well

[CNC Paul]

I was to receive an urgent warranty upgrade for one of my machines from the USA. DHL were to ship it from wilmington North Carolina to Gatwick, they sent it to East Midlands airport UK yesterday to I thought I would receive it today. I checked the tracking this morning and found they had sent it to Liepzig and then Frankfurt and then back to Heathrow :evil:

I then get a call from DHL asking how I was going to pay the 17.5% vat and 3% duty on $800 plus about £50 fee's..... I told them they were warranty replacements as shown on the documentation, I was told the only way around it was to send the old one's back to the USA at a cost of $450, by now the steam was coming out of my ears while I await clarification from the USA end.

I do not think that DHL know what a carbon footprint is .. So I would like to give them one up the A*se.


I think I need to lie down in a dark room for a while 8)

 

[joiner_sim]

The company I work for brought a 5 head cutting planer/ moulder a couple of years ago. It was the first machine of its kind in the UK. Straight from China. Parts and everything else take forever to arrive at such a cost!!!!! No wonder it was the first in the UK!

 

[kevinr]

DHL seem to make a lot of effort on the VAT/Duty front.

I'm not sure if they get watched harder by Customs and Excise or if they like the income from the fees part of the job. Years ago I received some software free for the cost of the shipping. DHL still claimed the VAT on the shipping (a few pounds only) AND their minimum collection fee of £10. On two separate shipments!

From that experience I'd suspect they'd claim the VAT and Duty even if you are eligable to get the items free. Given that the items are already "caught" for VAT it might be worth phoning Customs & Excise and asking what rules apply to warranty parts.

 

[Freetochat]

It's not only DHL who are highway robbers the Post Office are the same. In error, I left my satnav in a hire car in the US which was found by the hire company and returned to me. The post office wouldn't release the parcel until I paid about £90 in cash (no cards accepted) for VAT, Import Duty and a Handling charge. I am appealling the charge as no duty was due, but eight months on and I haven't receieved my refund.

 

[CNC Paul]

Last year I had to pay DHL £3005.00 Duty and VAT etc on an import....
Cash only, No Visa or debit card.

Paul

 

[Woody Alan]

I thought there were two declarations to be made on the export form one for value of goods and one for taxation and declaration of why no tax. I had a replacement part from woodcraft sent via either DHL or FED ex and nothing to pay it atated something to that effect. I think the fault may lie with whoever sent the part. But it is all a right pain in the proverbial, whatever the reason.

Alan

 

[wizer]

What gets me is the extra handling charge?? Surely they were paid to handle it in the first place!!

Also with ParcelFarce, when they receive the parcel, they send you a letter about the charges, which can take upto a week! RING ME, I'll come down today! grrr (yep, I have a parcel there atm)

 

[Freetochat]

I thought there were two declarations to be made on the export form one for value of goods and one for taxation and declaration of why no tax. I had a replacement part from woodcraft sent via either DHL or FED ex and nothing to pay it atated something to that effect. I think the fault may lie with whoever sent the part. But it is all a right pain in the proverbial, whatever the reason.

Alan

You are correct, however, the options listed are restrictive and it then becomes a matter for the HM Customs agents (ie DHL etc) as to how it is interpreted. You then have either to pay and claim back or decline for a ruling and if there is any delay the parcel is returned to the sender and that becomes a whole new problem.

 

[RodN]

Also beware DHL.

I have had this happen four timesnow, and only with DHL. They deliver, and then send an invoice for duty and VAT later, and are totally disorganised.

1. You may get the invoice and pay
2. You may not get an invoice, and many months later get a demand from a collecting agency.
3. You may get an invoice and pay, and then many months later get a demand from a collecting agency for non payment.

Their record keeping and administration is pathetic.

Rod

 

[CNC Paul]

I thought there were two declarations to be made on the export form one for value of goods and one for taxation and declaration of why no tax. I had a replacement part from woodcraft sent via either DHL or FED ex and nothing to pay it atated something to that effect. I think the fault may lie with whoever sent the part. But it is all a right pain in the proverbial, whatever the reason.

Alan

Alan,
On the original tracking information it stated they were warranty replacement.

This is from HMRC (Dick Turpins assistant).....All replacements are regarded as importations of new goods and are chargeable with VAT in accordance with the normal valuation rules. This applies whether or not any duty relief can be claimed.


Paul

 

[Woody Alan]

Paul

Fair enough you have my sympathy.

I have absolutely no doubt they make it as hard as possible, my wife has worked in export all over the world and had to deal with the RPA and it's a nightmare. I was obviously lucky someone complied.

Extract:-

Under international postal agreements the
customs duty
excise duty
import VAT
and must be paid whether:

you purchase the goods or receive them as a gift;
the goods are new or used (including antiques)
the goods are for your private use or for sale
top ^2.3 Are import duties and import VAT always payable?
No. Customs duty is waived if the amount of duty is less than £7.

Import VAT is not payable on:

commercial consignments eg goods purchased over the internet with an intrinsic value not exceeding £18, but this does not include alcohol, tobacco products, perfume or toilet waters
gifts, excluding alcohol, tobacco, perfumes and toilet waters, with a value not exceeding £36 and which comply with the rules shown in paragraph 2.4.
There are a number of other circumstances where relief from some or all customs charges may be available. (but we keep that secret for some unknown reason/ couldn't be bothered to be helpful perhaps?) ring for further advice etc

Which as we know is absolute cop out, why should you have to go through these hoops.

Ohhh because it's government [non political bias comment] etc that's where the hoops are stored.

Alan

 

[LarryS.]

It's not only DHL who are highway robbers the Post Office are the same. In error, I left my satnav in a hire car in the US which was found by the hire company and returned to me. The post office wouldn't release the parcel until I paid about £90 in cash (no cards accepted) for VAT, Import Duty and a Handling charge. I am appealling the charge as no duty was due, but eight months on and I haven't receieved my refund.

As I understand it when a parcel comes in from abroad it goes through Customs & Excise before being handed to the Post Office, the C&I apply any charges they say need to be paid and then the Post Office are legally obliged to collect them. So as the old saying goes 'don't shoot the messenger'

 

[Woody Alan]

So as the old saying goes 'don't shoot the messenger'

Yes up to a point, but I think they are taking the ... by holding the package haostage and charging you and still not delivering it and you have to collect it. I don't think that's any service at all when they could call and take a payment and the deliver...it is after all what they do isn't it? apparently not!

Alan

Who has had to go through this many times, including having been told that I need a credit card for identification but... they won't accept it for payment.

 

[CWatters]

Sounds like the sender got the customs declaration wrong. They should have checked what words are needed to get it through without charge. Something like "Goods returned under warranty, zero value" I forget exactly as I haven't done it for 10 years.

DHL only collect what they have to by law and they are entitled to charge a fee for the collection service. You can argue the sender should have paid this.

Most other carriers do something similar. I've had the the post office turn up and demand I pay import duties COD.

Aside: I lived in Belgium for 7 years and discovered that UK companies were very reluctant to export to Europe despite no duty issues. On the otherhand I found it easy to order from companies in Germany (items frequently sent COD!) and from Spain and Italy. Sometimes I found that UK companies had only negotiated the rights to sell a product in the UK, where as German companies (for example) had the rights to sell in all European countries.

I also discovered many europeans think that they will have to pay import duty if they buy from the UK. They confuse non-membership of the Euro with non-membership of the EEC. The UK appears to be missing out on the single market.