No wonder people are leaving this moneygrabbing island in record numbers.I just had a letter explaining that a $50 part I bought from US Ebay had been stopped by customs, and it was time to bend over for them and their Parcelforce buddies.
Because the parcel was sent priority and wasn't declared a 'gift', customs added £12.50 VAT (value added tax). Parcelforce then added their own £13.50 'clearance fee'. That's a $40 fee to release my $50 part. When I asked what the fees were for, I got into this conversation:
Me: "So, this isn't a customs charge?"
PF: "No, we are charged directly by customs and pass the fee on to you."
Me: "But what are they charging for? There is no import duty, is there?"
PF: "No, this is an administration fee for us to pay your customs charges directly then release the parcel to you."
Me: "That's a lot of money to do that."
PF: "Because the parcel was sent priority, we charge more because the parcel has to be released quicker."
Me: "But the sender has already paid a premium to get it here quicker. I'm just paying that premium again to you, for doing absolutely nothing. Why can't I just pay customs directly and avoid your fee – and this delay? You're already being paid to deliver the parcel priority as part of the fee paid in the States. This is just a scam, isn't it?"
PF: "I understand what you're saying, it is a high charge... but... but... our hands are tied."
'I was only following orders'. The undermining phrase of many a destroyed society.
Fuck 'em all.
10 comments:
Believe me, I know what you mean. Here in Belgium it's the same shit.
Recently payed 110 euros taxes and custom fees on a package worth 150 euros.
I think it's whole EU problem. Shipping cost USA->PL makes buying there pointless...
I hate this, every chance the excise get they will grift you. And Parcelforce nicking an extra fiver is just taking the piss they have already charged you for handling in the shipping fee. And you pay the excise a percentage of the shipping fee as well as the price of the item. They're just nicking money willy-nilly. Fucking handling charges.... Bah!
I also hate when the seller gets all precious and won't doctor your invoice then charges you a handling fee on top for just putting the thing in a fucking box!
Not only expensive, but it took a full year for me to receive some shit from the UK to Indonesia. One year!
To cap it all....what's that game called where you knock on someones door and then leg it?
Oh yeah, it's 'Parcelforce'!!
Same story here in Canada. By the time the parts on your doorstep You've payed 4 times the by it now price.
I heart Parcelforce x
Fuck 'em we say. Swindlin' bastards, all money is originally generated by somebody at the bottom of the heap making something. It's the sole purpose in life of these type of people to wring every last drop and more from the bloke making something.
Having already paid for the shipping it's,
Sorry Sir, can't deliver it there, out of our zone.
Sorry Sir, We can only leave it at the address on the package.
Sorry Sir, we don't deliver on a Saturday.
Sorry Sir, only open for collection between 8 and 10 on a Saturday.
But they got the bits.....
Who's fucking who?
When I was living in Italy I sent my one of my cameras to the US for a modfication. It was already paid for and sent back no charges. Italian Customs via DHL ripped me off 250 euros to get my own camera back....no explanation, just a shrug of the shoulders....fuckers. Wonderful thing the EU.
i used to work at parcelforces national depot, and a few times actually saw parcels that were going to me coming over from the international depot... you weren't allowed to take them though, cos it counted as theft.
there's nothing more dissapointing than having seen your parcel/loading it onto the lorry yourself, then it turning up days later and being stung for all their handling costs... good old parcelforce!
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