Nightmare with Parcelforce UPS at UK Customs

Muju79

Muju79

http://muju.tumblr.com/
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I've finally managed to get myself a nice horror story about Customs, with UK Customs no less.

Sent a camera via EMS from Japan to Alan Starkie @ Cameraworks-uk last month, together with all required (and suggested) CN23 copies in a clear plastic bag attached on the side of the box.
It arrived in UK Customs on July 27...and it's still there in the hands of Parcelforce@UPS.
On arrival, they decided to ignore the attached documents and to request Alan a C160 form. He sent it promptly, but never made it to Parcelforce who did not bother to update the tracking info or notify. After seeing that nothing was happening, I started sending emails and making a long series of international phone calls.
Parcelforce@UPS can only be contacted via email. They never replied to Alan's request of a new C160 form, nor to my requests of answering his emails...until they replied "sorry but we're sending your parcel back to Japan because the 28-days limit to clear the Customs have expired".
This was last Thursday. As of today, I still have no idea where my parcel is, and when is it going to be sent back. The online tracking info are still stuck at July 27. Brilliant service.

Morale: if you're sending something to UK, don't use your national post service but use FedEx/DHL etc instead, they seem to go through smoothly and avoid somehow these bullies/criminals at Parcelforce@UPS.

I hope I'll get my camera back at some point...absolutely infuriating and frustrating.
 
had 2 similar issues with UPS and customs, luckily not important or expensive stuff, in both cases i gave a sh.. and left the packages at customs and they sent it back. Hope you get your camera back soon. GL.

Jürgen
 
Ugh. As to DHL, don’t use them for items going into the US, they extort money from the recipient before delivering.
 
Good luck.

I had something similar when they tried to charge me VAT and duty on a camera being returned to the UK from the US for work (my problematic Konika Hexar RF).

I had a standoff in their depot, aided by a huge (and actually sympathetic) queue behind me. I had all the paperwork, and although they iniitially refused point blank to waive the charges, in the end they backed down. still not sure if it was the queue or the law that did the trick.
 
That's terrible to hear. I had some anxiety about sending a camera to Youxin Ye from S. Korea recently via EMS. Happily, everything went smoothly. He had it within 3 days and it only spent a few hours in U.S. customs. EMS is a great service, but they have agreements with the postal services. Once it leaves their hands, it's up to the receiving country's postal service to finish the job. Looks like the U.K. end dropped the ball on this one.
 
I had a similar experience sending a lens to Alan via US Post. It all worked out, but I think it was a nightmare on his end.

Moral: Use Fedex or UPS. DHL in the US is terrible or non-existent.

Rolfe
 
rolfe said:
Moral: Use Fedex or UPS. DHL in the US is terrible or non-existent.

Rolfe
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DHL took a week and a half to ship a lens hood from Las Vegas to my house in Arizona. I have family in Las Vegas and go there a few times a year; the drive is about 5 hours so it's beyond me how it took a week and a half.
 
I see, I should have sent some food and pills instead of photographic equipment...
It seems that it's been eventually exported from UK yesterday, looking forward to receive my broken camera.

FujiLove said:
Good point.

I guess now we've reached the stage where we have to stockpile food and medicines, getting a parcel through customs is a trivial matter.
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