Bl**dy UK Customs!!

[Jem]

Yipee

The laser works, thank goodness.

Oh, how I love beautiful, pure, single longitudinal mode photons .

Jem

[beamann]

Great to hear! Dispite the frustration and customs crap!

[Vidal Wolf]

wow, so customs ripped apart the packaging?
did they tear open the anti static wrapping too?
I very carefully wrapped the laser head and controller in multi layers of foam wrap,bubble wrap and finally newspaper to fill in the gaps.
The box was a little *puffy* from all the layers of packaging I used.
I have worked in the repair department of the company Im at for 5 + years,and ive seen all the possible combinations of material packaging/wrapping. Alot of the time its great packaging,but there's the jackwagons that decide to throw an item in a box,and add literally 5 packing peanuts and nothing else, then ship it UPS. It gets here broken worse than ever, knobs missing, toroid transformers ripped from circuit boards,rolling around inside damaging the rest of the equipment on the circuit board.
My point is, if it ships, don't be a dip and ship it without adequate packaging material.
I pack it so it wont get broken. =).
As far as declaring whats inside to customs... ALWAYS declare what you have in the box. say its a laser, not a light source, not an illuminator,not a photonic emitter in green...
Im glad it made the trip there safely.

enjoy your photonic emitter in green! =)

[Jem]

As far as declaring whats inside to customs... ALWAYS declare what you have in the box. say its a laser, not a light source, not an illuminator,not a photonic emitter in green...
Im glad it made the trip there safely.

No... As long as you are not lying it won't be a problem. The very mention of the word 'Laser' is starting to scare the crap out of Customs, and I don't want the stuff I buy being treated like a common pointer!

[QUAZAR]

I find that using "commercial sample" on the customs label to be quite effective.

It is also technically true.

[beamann]

I find that using "commercial sample" on the customs label to be quite effective.

It is also technically true.

@ QUAZAR,
I am not shure how "FREE SAMPLE " or "COMMERCIAL SAMPLE" meet the customs requirements on labeling the contents of a package being shipped to the U.S. from a forien supplyer. Dose this realy work for you? I have not exported outside of the U.S. only imported from supplyers. Do to the reduction of income (economy dip) I have been considering exporting out side the U.S. thats why I am asking.

[Jem]

Well F*ck, F*uck, F*ckity, F*ck, F*ck, F*ck!!!!

I'm just in the process of having a laser returned from the USA, it was sent there for repair by a well know uber laser person. On the return parcel the sender had put 'repaired item' on the Customs declaration. I've just been informed that I have to pay bl**dy Customs £110 before Parcelfarce will even contemplate delivery.

I rang Customs and tried to explain to one of their mindless robotic dummies that there shouldn't have been any charges applied as it was a repaired item and I have the original export receipt to prove it. They wouldn't even discuss it, just kept repeating my options in a monotone emotionless voice...

Seems my only options are...

1. Pay the charges and get my parcel. Then write to HM Customs and try to argue my case. Expected timescale 6 to 8 weeks if i'm lucky , depending on the officer dealing with my 'case' I may get some of the money back.

2. Don't pay the charges and ask for the package reassessing, in which case it will be returned to HM Customs. Expected timescale 6 to 8 weeks. Yeah, like i'm gonna trust Customs with another expensive laser after the last fiasco

Obviously i've had to take option 1 and the laser should be with me on Thursday. Problem is that i've now got to set about getting my money back off Customs. That's gonna be like trying to get blood out of a stone.

Am I p*ssed off... Just a little bit . Talk about unlucky. If I fell into a barrel of tits i'd come out sucking my thumb!

Jem

[White-Light]

You want to contact some of the papers Jem.

Can't remember which ones but I'm sure an online search would find articles, there's a real shit storm about Customs and Excise being arrogant at the moment.

[Jem]

What really p*sses me off is that this drone is probably getting paid a bl**dy fortune to spew out this mindless drivel. Not only that, he'll continue to get paid a fortune even when he retires to tellytubby land with his gold plated, index linked pension.

Bah, all I can hope is that he's one of the casualties of the first swathe of Civil Service cuts. It's about time some of these numpties lost their jobs.

Sorry, haven't calmed down yet. I'm just about to assume the 'lotus' position, take a deep breath and hommmmmmmmmmmmmm....

[Jem]

O.K. Time for an update.

I submitted my claim to the UK Border Agency at the International Hub in Coventry on 5th October 2010.

For future reference their address is:

UK Border Agency
Coventry International Hub
Siskin Parkway West
Coventry
CV3 4HX

I decided today that I had waited long enough and set about trying to find a telephone number that would get me directly through to the Hub. That proved impossible, the only number I could find was a discontinued one. So, in desperation I rang Parcel Force's Managing Director's Office on 01908 - 687249. I found this number by doing a google search and someone had put it in a forum post, so I repeat it here for future convenience. Anyway, a nice chap did a trace on my parcel and gave me a new number for the Intl. Hub, he also informed me that Custom's had recently changed their number but not informed anyone.

So, I rang the number for the Intl. Hub 08456 004781. I spoke to someone (Glenda) and she checked my tracking number and found my claim. Apparently i've been allowed a full refund of the duty and VAT. However, apparently they cannot refund the Parcelforce handling fee as this is not their responsibility. It seems I will have to claim for that seperately once I receive the details of how to claim from Customs.

However, they seemingly have a backlog of claims and it could be at least 30 days before I receive a letter telling me that my claim has been processed. Apparently my refund cheque should be sent out some time after that. I then of course have to set about getting the actual handling fee back from Parcelforce.

What a bl**dy fiasco

I'll update again once I have the cheque.

Jem