Problems with UK customs?
Has anyone here had problems with UK customs? A while back I ordered one Bit CharG from Toy East and that came through in a few days with no problems and no customs charges.
Last week I order a pair of Digi Q tanks another Bit CharG and a couple of accessories totalling $192.51 USD (including shipping), £124.46 GBP.
Well over a week had passed and the parcel hadn’t been delivered even though the online tracking said that it was in the UK on the 17th.
After a few phone calls I tracked the parcel down to my local parcel force depot where it was being held until customs charges were paid (although no one informed me that it was there).
When I attempted to pick it up I was shocked to find that there were charges of £219.72 GBP on it. Consisting of 33.48 import duty, 173.25 VAT!!!!!, and 13 for some sort of handling fee.
Obviously I didn’t have the cash to cover that nor did I want to, I’ve been given a customs helpline number to ring but that’s been engaged all day.
I’ve also noticed that the value of the parcel was marked as $192, surely this shouldn’t include the shipping costs?
Is this all just a mistake? Or has anyone else experienced anything like this?
Thx for any help.
|