AddressPal & Lockers - An Post's Parcel Service SEE MOD WARNING FIRST POST

Spocker

Spocker wrote: »

I had a package delivered to AddressPal USA in Englishtown on the 19th Jan

Processed by An Post and tracking label issued on the 27th Jan

Got the text/email today 3rd Feb for the customs due (no tracking update)

Just adding it here for those who might search, the text on my bank statement for the customs payment was 'MLCLUS' , paid through the An Post website at https://www.anpost.com/Post-Parcels/Receiving/Pay-Customs-Charge

I got this delivered today, so 17 days from delivery to Englishtown, to arriving at my door.

Car99

Spocker wrote: »

I got this delivered today, so 17 days from delivery to Englishtown, to arriving at my door.

They're getting faster .

Fwarder

Car99 wrote: »

They're getting faster .

It's a hit n miss. I ordered 2 things from the same company 2 weeks apart. They were processed in englishtown 2 days apart.

...Ghost...

I started using AddressPal like many after brexit. My situation is a bit different, because I use to receive items for review which technically still belong to the seller or manufacturer. They could ask for the item back within 6 months. They usually don't, so i happily pay a small delivery fee for being outside of the UK.

This week, I requested to review a touch on/off lamp with usb charge ports seen here ==> https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08P1J13LH

i'm a budding engineer, so i review these things because i like inspecting and testing the items. It's a bonus that i get to keep them most of the time, but the truth is I give most of the stuff away after reviewing them. Some items you just know they wont request back....like wearables.

anpost valued the item at €35.85 which is a fair valuation. However, the items are marked as "review sample" . They charged €7.52 VAT plus their €3.50 fee on top of their €6.50 charge, total of €17.52. That's 50% on top of the value of this particular item.

My question is do i have a case to appeal considering these are review items that don't belong to me? and who to appeal to if so.

Discodog

...Ghost... wrote: »

I started using AddressPal like many after brexit. My situation is a bit different, because I use to receive items for review which technically still belong to the seller or manufacturer. They could ask for the item back within 6 months. They usually don't, so i happily pay a small delivery fee for being outside of the UK.

This week, I requested to review a touch on/off lamp with usb charge ports seen here ==> https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08P1J13LH

i'm a budding engineer, so i review these things because i like inspecting and testing the items. It's a bonus that i get to keep them most of the time, but the truth is I give most of the stuff away after reviewing them. Some items you just know they wont request back....like wearables.

anpost valued the item at €35.85 which is a fair valuation. However, the items are marked as "review sample" . They charged €7.52 VAT plus their €3.50 fee on top of their €6.50 charge, total of €17.52. That's 50% on top of the value of this particular item.

My question is do i have a case to appeal considering these are review items that don't belong to me? and who to appeal to if so.

Someone on Liveline was saying that they returned a jacket, to the UK as it was the wrong size & then got hit for duty, vat etc when the retailer sent the replacement.

whiterebel

...Ghost... wrote: »

My question is do i have a case to appeal considering these are review items that don't belong to me? and who to appeal to if so.

They are being "sold" to you, so Revenue will be looking for VAT. There is a system of bringing in product for testing etc under temporary import, but it would hardly apply here. Your best bet is to contact Revenue directly and ask them, or source them from Amazon.de or .fr

...Ghost...

whiterebel wrote: »

They are being "sold" to you, so Revenue will be looking for VAT. There is a system of bringing in product for testing etc under temporary import, but it would hardly apply here. Your best bet is to contact Revenue directly and ask them, or source them from Amazon.de or .fr

No, I get the items sent free of charge. The only reason I got charged prior to brexit was because I was using Parcel Motel.

whiterebel

...Ghost... wrote: »

No, I get the items sent free of charge. The only reason I got charged prior to brexit was because I was using Parcel Motel.

No such thing as free for Revenue.

...Ghost...

whiterebel wrote: »

No such thing as free for Revenue.

The items are sent with zero value invoices (the invoices are digital). I've been charged VAT in the past by revenue and when I provided proof that the value was less than €20 the charge was dropped.

I don't see how to do this with anpost as there is no option to provide receipts. They just open the item and charge whatever and slap a fee on top. Very blunt instrument.

Maidhci

I have been using AddressPal for some years and found the service pretty good. I have not used it since January this year as I had reservations about providing my credit card details as it would essentially give AP carte blanche in relation to any charges, duties etc. that they may consider appropriate. In the event that charges were to be incorrectly applied, I considered that it would be extremely time consuming in obtaining a refund etc. etc., given the limited customer service that AP offer. It appears from reading the posts here that this is exactly the situation that has arisen.

I emailed AP last December and asked for clarification in respect of how transactions would be handled post January and the methodology to be employed in calculating VAT, duties or other charges, where applicable and also, at what point in the delivery chain a determination would be made regarding VAT or duty liability, i.e. at Hatfield or Dublin. I also asked for confirmation that the customer invoice or proof of amount of payment, where provided in the package, would be the criterion used for valuation purposes. I also asked whether, in the unlikely event, that an invoice was not provided in the package, whether AP would email me to request copy of PayPal or other payment advice, as proof of value of goods. I also stated that my continued use of the AP service would be contingent upon a satisfactory response to my questions, as I needed some assurance regarding the methodology employed etc. etc.

I have not had a response to these questions. I wonder if more customers were to email AP with such queries, might they may eventually put more robust processes in place to avoid delays and inappropriate charges being applied etc. etc.?

TimHorton

Maidhci wrote: »

I have been using AddressPal for some years and found the service pretty good. I have not used it since January this year as I had reservations about providing my credit card details as it would essentially give AP carte blanche in relation to any charges, duties etc. that they may consider appropriate. In the event that charges were to be incorrectly applied, I considered that it would be extremely time consuming in obtaining a refund etc. etc., given the limited customer service that AP offer. It appears from reading the posts here that this is exactly the situation that has arisen.

I emailed AP last December and asked for clarification in respect of how transactions would be handled post January and the methodology to be employed in calculating VAT, duties or other charges, where applicable and also, at what point in the delivery chain a determination would be made regarding VAT or duty liability, i.e. at Hatfield or Dublin. I also asked for confirmation that the customer invoice or proof of amount of payment, where provided in the package, would be the criterion used for valuation purposes. I also asked whether, in the unlikely event, that an invoice was not provided in the package, whether AP would email me to request copy of PayPal or other payment advice, as proof of value of goods. I also stated that my continued use of the AP service would be contingent upon a satisfactory response to my questions, as I needed some assurance regarding the methodology employed etc. etc.

I have not had a response to these questions. I wonder if more customers were to email AP with such queries, might they may eventually put more robust processes in place to avoid delays and inappropriate charges being applied etc. etc.?

Such Drama !

1 .The FAQ states invoice needs to be included.

2. The automatically charge the shipping cost based on weight.

3. They send you an email with the Duty/Customs amount, You have 16 days to accept/reject this figure , If you reject they simply return the goods to the where the came from.

Its that simple !

Maidhci

TimHorton wrote: »

Such Drama !

1 .The FAQ states invoice needs to be included.

2. The automatically charge the shipping cost based on weight.

3. They send you an email with the Duty/Customs amount, You have 16 days to accept/reject this figure , If you reject they simply return the goods to the where the came from.

Its that simple !

Thank you soo soo much for these helpful comments - if it were that simple isn't it interesting that many people are having issues with being overcharged or incorrectly charged.

Maidhci

TimHorton wrote: »

Such Drama !

1 .The FAQ states invoice needs to be included.

2. The automatically charge the shipping cost based on weight.

3. They send you an email with the Duty/Customs amount, You have 16 days to accept/reject this figure , If you reject they simply return the goods to the where the came from.

Its that simple !

Thank you so so much for these helpful comments - if it were that simple isn't it interesting that many people are having issues with being overcharged or incorrectly charged.

TimHorton

Maidhci wrote: »

Thank you soo soo much for these helpful comments - if it were that simple isn't it interesting that many people are having issues with being overcharged or incorrectly charged.

NO INVOICE IN THE PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mod - Cut out the dramatics. There has been plenty of examples of paperwork being ignored in the evaluations.

Athasselabbey

BigAl81 wrote: »

Hi, does anyone know how long a typical customs dispute would take?

I've an Amazon package shipped from London to Dublin via AddressPal, but AddressPal valued the item at 61 quid instead of 16 ;(

I've an email in and got the "thanks for your email, we're very busy currently... ".

Anyone done this yet and did it take long do you know?

Thanks!!

I’m waiting almost three weeks for a refund for an overcharge of customs, I don’t understand how they’re getting away with this

AmyMay

AmyMay wrote: »

The way it was phrased that they had ‘located’ one of the items just seemed really questionable to me. It also conveniently was emailed to me just after I sent them a tweet, which went unreplied. They didn’t disclose what country it was in or how they located it. If it shows up down the line later this year that would be nice, but I’m not holding out for any miracles. I hope your parcel shows up, you seem to have more leads than I do re- the Royal Mail number and the country it is in



I’ve filed for the full value but time will tell.

Received a letter today with a Customer Service reference number for my enquiry, 8/2/21 posted on the 5th.

Doge

Just got emailed a customs charge of €8.89 from addresspal.
The item I bought from eBay UK was only €19.39 (£16.99)with free UK postage.
Going to email the invoice and dispute, I have zero tolerance for this bullsh1t personally.

larchielads

Thoie wrote: »

My item from 3rd week of November is still MIA, but they haven't admitted it's gone yet. I've been told it's in Ireland, and they've no idea as to its precise location, and they'll get to it when they get to it - no ETA. The most recent mail was phrased a lot more nicely than that though.


Did you get back the full value of the goods, or some
nominal amount that they decided on?

Dunno yet as im waiting on said cheque in the post. Said i would have it in 5-7 workin days. nothing as of today

Oat23

Doge wrote: »

Just got emailed a customs charge of €8.89 from addresspal.
The item I bought from eBay UK was only €19.39 (£16.99)with free UK postage.
Going to email the invoice and dispute, I have zero tolerance for this bullsh1t personally.

The charge is correct. Free UK postage is irrelevant.

In Revenue's eyes your item is valued at €19.39 and you paid €6.50 postage (addresspal fee). Your total was €25.89, which is over the €22 limit and you are liable to pay customs.

Doge

Oat23 wrote: »

The charge is correct. Free UK postage is irrelevant.

In Revenue's eyes your item is valued at €19.39 and you paid €6.50 postage (addresspal fee). Your total was €25.89, which is over the €22 limit and you are liable to pay customs.

One could argue that the €6.50 postage fee is partly to cover the fee of having the courier deliver it to your door within Ireland.
The cost of having it delivered to your local post office was half the amount for example.

Anyway won't be using them again if the real threshold is 22 - 6.50= €15.50 worth of goods including UK postage.

TimHorton

Doge wrote: »

One could argue that the €6.50 postage fee is partly to cover the fee of having the courier deliver it to your door within Ireland.
The cost of having it delivered to your local post office was half the amount for example.

Anyway won't be using them again if the real threshold is 22 - 6.50= €15.50 worth of goods including UK postage.

Only use Addresspal UK if its completely necessary , I am flat out ordering sub €22 stuff from Amazon , Stocking up on all sorts with no VAT to pay , I had 7 Amazon Deliveries yesterday and similar today ,

TimHorton

So I have another US Delivery just landed in NJ , The cost was $160 and it weighs 1.7 KG , Addresspal have valued the Item at $39.99 (Thank You Addresspal) and the Addresspal fee is €11.99 , So yet another massive saving on an Item that costs over €340 in Ireland....Addresspal are doing an awesome job in exceptional circumstances.


Irish Price for my Item

https://www.caulfieldindustrial.com/p/milwaukee-m12fmt-422x-12v-m12-fuel-multi-tool-1-x-20ah-and-1-x-40ah-batteries/p-h13148

el Fenomeno

agzr wrote: »

Just an update on this, got a reply the other day saying my query would be dealt with and they have backlog and so on after I'd sent an email with the invoice and so on.

Well, said package turned up this morning, no questions asked. Very strange.. but I certainly won't question it.

Which email address did you contest it with?

AmyMay

AmyMay wrote: »

Received a letter today with a Customer Service reference number for my enquiry, 8/2/21 posted on the 5th.

Well today 9/2/21 my cheque arrived by tracked express post to the full value of the missing items. They were ordered under the Post office collection AP number in November last year (arrived Hatfield in December) - just for clarification. I've been after a solution since a week or so before Christmas.

Glad to have that finally solved but went to some ridiculous lengths. Too large a sum of money personally for me to just write off, especially lately.

Won't be using the service again, I understand couriers have mishaps but I imagine reaching a solution would have been faster with other companies.

el Fenomeno

I haven't had to contest anything until now.

I had something sent to Polar Express in New Jersey. They overstated the valuation on the customs declaration - they valued at $150 instead of $78. It was a private sale between me and another PayPal user, there wouldn't be any listings on Amazon or any other store to determine a value.

I know there's been some success stories here about contesting charges when they should have been exempt - but has anyone contested a charge downwards yet? i.e. by saying you acknowledge there is customs due, but the value stated by AddressPal / Polar Express is too high?

When the text / email comes in looking for charges, do you just ignore it and email straight away? What about the 16 day period to pay?

Beric Dondarrion

TimHorton wrote: »

So I have another US Delivery just landed in NJ , The cost was $160 and it weighs 1.7 KG , Addresspal have valued the Item at $39.99 (Thank You Addresspal) and the Addresspal fee is €11.99 , So yet another massive saving on an Item that costs over €340 in Ireland....Addresspal are doing an awesome job in exceptional circumstances.


Irish Price for my Item

https://www.caulfieldindustrial.com/p/milwaukee-m12fmt-422x-12v-m12-fuel-multi-tool-1-x-20ah-and-1-x-40ah-batteries/p-h13148

The minimum addresspal fee is €15.99 for a US delivery. If I was cynical I'd say that the delivery fee you mention is not the only piece of bulls**t in your post either.....but I'm not so I won't :pac::pac:

TimHorton

Beric Dondarrion wrote: »

The minimum addresspal fee is €15.99 for a US delivery. If I was cynical I'd say that the delivery fee you mention is not the only piece of bulls**t in your post either.....but I'm not so I won't :pac::pac:

Yes fee is €15.99 - My Mistake but as I have saved Saved almost €900 over 2 orders I am not too worried about €4 !

Everything else is spot on but the service is slow but I am in no hurry.

The_Conductor

Laptop sent to Polar Express NJ 14th Jan- no update since.
Mod <SNIP> Take allegations to AddressPAl or the Gardai.
Pity- it was a nice 18.4" machine- got it cheap with no hdd, memory, battery or charger.........
Large screen laptops are like gold-dust these days, even when they're gen 3/4/5........

Rewired

theWebAdvisor wrote: »

Yes, emailed their support, now they did not come back to me till after parcel was released. E- mail their support, very much telling them books they are not allowed charge VAT or duty, include your receipt, although not needed, I think they are not looking at anything without an attachment.
If they do not remove, go to revenue site and report, they probably will once they know you know what they are doing. You can also use the customs appeal if you have paid and where charged wrongly.
Once you get, check the tariff code, would be very interested to see what it is, if its men's clothes again getting harder to believe it's an uhm accidental error.

Tarriff code was correct, did a customs appeal through An Post and they released the item.

georgewickstaff

Forget about VAT and customs, what really grinds my gears about such an expensive service is the slowness of it all. Items sitting in Heathrow for 4 days now. I have had 3 items shipped. First one over 3 weeks. Second was quicker and the last is now approaching 2 weeks tomorrow.

Ah how I miss the days of next day delivery with Motel or Wizard. If you need something in a hurry with no aggravation I would suggest you avoid Address Pal.