Uk Customs charged me £58 for my Imod 5.5 80gb

[chukwe]

I fuming. I don't know what to say.

 

[Henry Flower]

What's the problem? If you import something, you pay duty and tax on it. If you buy something in the shops the duty and tax are just included in the price, but you still end up paying it.

 

[StevieDvd]

I presume that includes the admin fee charged by the postal carrier, so aside from that is the charge correct? Allowing for vat & customs on the price (including the shipping).

 

[chukwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Henry Flower /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's the problem? If you import something, you pay duty and tax on it. If you buy something in the shops the duty and tax are just included in the price, but you still end up paying it.

When I ordered my Tomahawk & Trifle.fi from US, Customs didn't charge any fee. So why are they charging now? Is Imod chargeable & the rest not?

 

[StevieDvd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chukwe /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I ordered my Tomahawk & Trifle.fi from US, Customs didn't charge any fee. So why are they charging now? Is Imod chargeable & the rest not?

You were lucky those times, that's all.

 

[subfocus]

Unfortunate , but only to be expected if Customs do nab it . Just out of interest, did this include a £20 fee for collection from the G.P.O ?

 

[Quaddy]

that sucks big time!!!!!

i got my imod and alo cable from vinnie over a week ago+

and didnt pay a penny for getting into the uk, i was expecting to pay about 40 quid and was prepared to pay it too, but amazingly nothing.

i arranged it with vinnie to declare the item as an under warranty repair, thus avoiding treating it like a new imported item. after all, its kind of true, this is a second hand item, shipping out to be modified or depending on how you look at it 'repaired' from what apple did to it

i may have to shoot an email over to dr xin and get him to apply that method to the reference, i already asked him to declare as gift, but this under warranty repair gig seems to go under the radar more in terms of applying charges.

"Let me tell you how it will be;
There's one for you, nineteen for me.
'Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman."

 

[dr.morton]

Quote:

You were lucky those times, that's all.

That sums it up. It is always amusing that so many people ordering stuff from around the world do not know that they are facing custom fees.

To avoid the fees of the postal carriers at least in Germany I can ask the seller to mark the stuff as "self custom declaration" (or whatever the correct term would be). I will then have to collect my stuff directly from customs but end up with no service fees.

 

[subfocus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chukwe /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I ordered my Tomahawk & Trifle.fi from US, Customs didn't charge any fee. So why are they charging now? Is Imod chargeable & the rest not?

I read in the press recently that UK customs are also trying to clamp down on the huge amount of brand new (cheaper) Ipods that get imported (usually as gifts) that avoid customs duty , VAT etc .

 

[malcolm.mcintyre]

I'm afraid "warranty" repair work won't save you from Customs if they have a mind to charge. I was caught when my Etymotics had to go back to US for a new cable (in the days days before a UK importer). When I questioned the hefty duty taken by UK Customs was told words to the effect of; "we don't want repair work going out of the UK".

 

[dr.morton]

Quote:

i arranged it with vinnie to declare the item as an under warranty repair, thus avoiding treating it like a new imported item. after all, its kind of true, this is a second hand item, shipping out to be modifiedor depending on how you look at it 'repaired' from what apple did to it i may have to shoot an email over to dr xin and get him to apply than method to the reference, i already asked him to declare as gift, but this under warranty repair gig seems to go under the radar more in terms of applying charges.

This only works if custom is sleeping! You usually have to prove that you actually did send the item for repair. There are custom sheets for that and you will have to fill in a reference number and a proove that you already owned it.
My guess is that you just got lucky or they had too much to do. That happens all the time but I would not count on it. Remember that you will be in deep legal trouble if they find out that something was manipulated!

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dr.morton /img/forum/go_quote.gif To avoid the fees of the postal carriers at least in Germany I can ask the seller to mark the stuff as "self custom declaration" (or whatever the correct term would be). I will then have to collect my stuff directly from customs but end up with no service fees.

wow - that is sneaky, very good, would never have thought of that, only deal is here in the uk, i think i am right in assuming, that our customs in dover is the only customs, certainly the main one, it would cost me more than ANY fee to drive there myself, not to mention the entire day. LOL - you must live right next to customs or something, or they have local customs in germany???

 

[dr.morton]

Quote:

When I questioned the hefty duty taken by UK Customs was told words to the effect of; "we don't want repair work going out of the UK

I am no expert on British case law but this statement sounds like ******** to me. If you already own something they have no right in charging you again. If I could prove my ownership I would take my goods and tell them to go and try to sue me. They have no right in keeping something that is mine.

 

[dr.morton]

Quote:

wow - that is sneaky, very good, would never have thought of that, only deal is here in the uk, i think i am right in assuming, that our customs in dover is the only customs, certainly the main one, it would cost me more than ANY fee to drive there myself, not to mention the entire day. LOL - you must live right next to customs or something, or they have local customs in germany???

Usually you have customs in most cities. Most international airmail stuff enters from Frankfurt but is then forwarded to the regional offices. Everything else would be too difficult. Imagine the contents has to be inspected by the new owner or payment documents have to be shown.

 

[Quaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dr.morton /img/forum/go_quote.gif This only works if custom is sleeping! You usually have to prove that you actually did send the item for repair. There are custom sheets for that and you will have to fill in a reference number and a proove that you already owned it. My guess is that you just got lucky or they had too much to do. That happens all the time but I would not count on it. Remember that you will be in deep legal trouble if they find out that something was manipulated!

whoa this is getting to deep for me

deep legal trouble?? - i doubt that sincerely, for claiming it was a repair, for all intense and purpose it was a repair/modified.

after all its not a new ipod is it i was importing!!!

but, one big but, i am not claiming to have gotten away scott free just yet, i have been bitten once with a new ipod i bought from apple uk, website, i recieved it, and did have to pay circa 50 pounds, but this demand from TNT came through 2 mths after the event.

i paid TNT, then got onto apple and said i wasnt happy with the fact tha i had purposely bought the item from their UK website, based in london, and it had come via france, they asked me to provide TNT's documention which i duly did, and i must say i was mightily impressed with the personal service i was given by a lady from apple uk (oooh err missus) - she personally credited my card with the full fees and apologised for the situation and said TNT should never have charged me, it seems she was more annoyed at their little secret of how apple uk sales get sent from across the pond, sometimes.