Post office

[Scarlett]

I'm annoyed with the post office.

Order xmas prezzie from the US on 5th December (advised by merchant that 12th Dec is the last order date for xmas delivery)

Wait for a week...

Wait for another week...

And another...

Christmas comes and goes.

Get in to office for a quick stop just before new year to find a letter from customs at the post office advising me that they have impounded my parcel pending VAT! I owe them £4.68 in VAT and an extra £4 for the costs of doing this ?!?! WTF ?

I've tried to ring them to find out if I can send the money and have it delivered to the original address but its been engaged every time I try (Obviously some jobsworth at the post office/customs office has had a busy pre-Christmas period.)

My main problem is that having already paid to have it delivered to the address specified, I now have to pay another £4 for the privilige of being charged VAT!and for the privilige of having my parcel stopped in a sorting office 20 miles from where I live!

Also since this MUST have been picked up at point of entry why didn't I get the letter until after christmas. It sat for three weeks in the postal system and then they decided to let me know that it wasn't coming in time.

Any suggestions (well suggestions that don't involve tar and feathers, I've already looked at those) I would like some compensation as they have not exactly rushed themselves to get this to me and I cannot for the life of me work out how they can justify charging £4 for someone to look at my parcel and go hmm this needs VAT charging then impounding it.

p.s. I also called them just before Christmas to ask if there was any way that I might be able to pick the parcel up before christmas (before I found out that it had been impounded) The lady at the other end first checked to see If I had any tracking on it and then proceded to blaim UPS (who bring it over the Atlantic) the merchant and then basically told me that there was nothing that could be done. All the way through this, she showed no sympathy and couldn't wait to get me off the phone. I know that there was probably not much that she could do but...

[Bifta]

I'm wondering why the post office were involved? Would UPS not ship it directly to your door or are they not available in the UK?

[Scarlett]

I'm wondering why the post office were involved? Would UPS not ship it directly to your door or are they not available in the UK?

It's the way that the US vender keeps the cost of shipping down.

UPS bring it over the Atlantic and then drop it in the postbox over here and the postoffice deliver it the rest of the way.

The result is a $8 delivery charge rather than a $40 delivery charge.

[Bifta]

Ah, I see. I tend to never order anything from the USA as there's normally little chance of getting anything back from Customs if it's siezed :(

[SMHarman]

It's the way that the US vender keeps the cost of shipping down.

UPS bring it over the Atlantic and then drop it in the postbox over here and the postoffice deliver it the rest of the way.

The result is a $8 delivery charge rather than a $40 delivery charge.

UPS or USPS? United Parcel Service or US Postal Service.

Its a fact of life that any parcel coming from the US and valued at over about £20 can have VAT and Import duty applied to the price (+shipping). The collection agent can charge a fee for this. UPS and FedEx charge between £7 and £10.

I think your parcel was sent by USPS. UPS as the shipper and importer would not be allowed to drop this stuff into the postal system without importing it and assesing it for VAT. The USPS/Royal Mail and Parcel Force are so snowed under with parcels that they can only get to assessing one in ten crates of US shipments, this time you were unlucky.

You should be able to leave an envelope pinned to your mail box with a cheque in it and get the post office to redeliver, you can pay the postie directly.

[peachey]

I'm annoyed with the post office.



I just heard they are axing 1 out of every 3 post offices this year


oh dear!

[Gogogo]

I'm annoyed with the post office.Order xmas prezzie from the US on 5th December (advised by merchant that 12th Dec is the last order date for xmas delivery) Wait for a week...Wait for another week...And another...
Christmas comes and goes.

I know this doesn't help you, but, you did leave a rather tight margin for your goods to arrive at the address you wanted. Always best to order very early. Also I think your dispute lies with UPS and Customs and Excise rather than the Post Office.

Reading your post, I think the activities of Custom and Excise is at fault. You can hardly blame the Post Office or its staff. Remember Christmas period is a very busy period for the Post Office. But you should have your enquiries treated with respect.

You need to speak to a supervisor at Royal Mail sorting office or Parcel Force depot. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the local postal delivery person knows who you could speak to.

And UPS, why should the Post Office deliver something that's not gone through the system but provided by a foreign private concern. Surely, they need to collect some revenue for the expense of handling your item.

[Scarlett]

I know this doesn't help you, but, you did leave a rather tight margin for your goods to arrive at the address you wanted. Always best to order very early. Also I think your dispute lies with UPS and Customs and Excise rather than the Post Office.

Reading your post, I think the activities of Custom and Excise is at fault. You can hardly blame the Post Office or its staff. Remember Christmas period is a very busy period for the Post Office. But you should have your enquiries treated with respect.

You need to speak to a supervisor at Royal Mail sorting office or Parcel Force depot. Sometimes, if you are lucky, the local postal delivery person knows who you could speak to.

And UPS, why should the Post Office deliver something that's not gone through the system but provided by a foreign private concern. Surely, they need to collect some revenue for the expense of handling your item.

Okay, Well the stuff I've previously ordered from them has only ever taken 2 weeks to reach me and since the guideline from the post office regarding last xmas delivery stated 12th December I assumed that It would arrive in time.

As for the revenue cut, when I said the UPS drop it in the postage on this side, they put the postage on it here so royal mail have been paid to deliver it.

I will try and call them again later to see if I can just send the payment and have it delivered.

[SMHarman]

Okay, Well the stuff I've previously ordered from them has only ever taken 2 weeks to reach me and since the guideline from the post office regarding last xmas delivery stated 12th December I assumed that It would arrive in time.

As for the revenue cut, when I said the UPS drop it in the postage on this side, they put the postage on it here so royal mail have been paid to deliver it.

I will try and call them again later to see if I can just send the payment and have it delivered.

But how can UPS a private company import goods and not be the tax collector. This makes no sense.

UPS must be the importer as they are bringing it past customs and into the UK mail system.

Hey ho, vat and duties happen, its just a matter of sorting out payment and this looks as if it has not happened well this time.

[Graham]

Get in to office for a quick stop just before new year to find a letter from customs at the post office advising me that they have impounded my parcel pending VAT!

If the office address was the delivery address then C&E were right to send it there.

I owe them £4.68 in VAT and an extra £4 for the costs of doing this ?!?! WTF ?

This is just another way that VAT is unfair (cf the other thread!). The goods were sourced from outside the UK, they were manufactured outside the UK, the materials most probably came from outside the UK, so what right do HM government have to say "well, had you bought them *in* this country, we'd have got our cut of VAT, so we're going to grab it anyway!"

Also since this MUST have been picked up at point of entry why didn't I get the letter until after christmas. It sat for three weeks in the postal system and then they decided to let me know that it wasn't coming in time.

The wheels of Customs and Excise grind exceeding slow, but exceeding fine...! The thing is that most of the time you're more likely than not to get away *without* having to pay Duty etc because C&E are so overworked that most small value parcels go through "on the nod". Unfortunately this time you were unlucky and yours was one they picked to slap the Duty on :(

I would like some compensation as they have not exactly rushed themselves to get this to me and I cannot for the life of me work out how they can justify charging £4 for someone to look at my parcel and go hmm this needs VAT charging then impounding it.

Unfortunately these charges are just a fact of life and there's nothing you can do about it! Some importers charge a *ten pound* "administration fee" for bringing in a parcel and assessing it for customs, but it's perfectly legal as they are "providing a service" even though you may not have been aware that such a service was present in the contract terms.

[Xaccers]

You have to be very careful with ordering from abroad.
If the value is over a certain limit you get hammered with duty and VAT
Couriers are able to pay the charge if they wish, and add an admin fee on top, then come after you for the money.
Nothing illegal or against the book has happened to you, you've just ordered something that was too expensive and got picked up by C&E
Oh the daft thing is, the shipping costs are also included in the value of the goods when it comes to the duty limit.
I guess that's to keep the money rolling in even if people split their orders up

[Scarlett]

I know I'm unlucky this time as I managed to get the other 2 orders ive made before with no problems (they were ordered some time ago and were slightly smaller).

Someone in my office said that its down to whoever is on duty at the time it comes through and despite what any courier company might say, you are the one liable for the VAT. You might pay them (the courier company) to pay it on your behalf but ultiumatly, your the one they're going after if it doesn't get paid.

As for the admin charge, that appears to be from the post office for the 'service' of impounding my package and sending me a letter to 'bend my arm' on behalf of HM Tax office.

Oh yes the office address was correct as there is never anyone at home to receive parcels so I have it all sent to work.

[Shaun]

Ring the number below and ask for the Directors office, they are really helpful and nothing like the mongs you get on the 0845 number.

Name: Post Office Headquarters
Royal Mail Headquarters

Tel: (020) 7250 2888
Address: Royal Mail House 148
Old St
London
EC1V 9HQ