You should write "return to manufacturer for repair" or similar on the invoice (which you will need to create regardless) and if possible on the shipping label too. As a business they should be able to figure it out. There's no way you would get billed for VAT because you're not even in the country. If anything Smyth would have to pay it until they can sort it out.
Yeah, the return for repair option is what I used when filling everything out. I also mentioned it again under the item description. There's also an electronic export information form that needed to be filed, and under "reason for export" the code used was TE, which is an item being shipped out of the US for repairs (not sold), before being shipped back.
The "sorting out" is what I am stuck on, because they can simply refuse the package due to the charges and then it would be sent back. So I'm sitting here waiting for some kind of verification from James before I can proceed.
edit: Funny/not funny aside, I ended up going to my local UPS store since I couldn't get anything from James, and even the manager of thirteen years was having issues figuring out how to ship this back (this is even before any Duty Tax/VAT) and spent a good two hours trying to help. He had to get involved when the initial clerk that tried to help me kept getting stuck. The initial clerk even kept asking me if I had the correct address, saying that it did not look legitimate to her, and she was asking me if I was being scammed. Clearly it was an address that was used before, because that's where my unit shipped from, and I even told her she could easily look it up online.
In the end, after the manager talked with some other representatives on the phone, he said that they had everything sorted and that they were ready to go, then left the building. I still had a few questions, but he left up the finalization to the clerk that was originally trying to help me that was way out of her depth. She ended up messing up the commercial invoice, so I just ended up telling her that I was sorry, but that I'd have to refuse for now until I can get more information.
Once I can get the above issue settled, it will have cost me $245 to ship it back ($575 in the store) for doing it myself, and doing it better than those who
should know what to do.
edit2: Oh, the power of complaining on a forum. James just replied LOL.
And yes you both of us should not be paying any import tax, as this unit is being returned for repair under warranty.
Please make them aware of this. If they need the original quotation I can provide this.