How to fill out customs paperwork. DHL overcharging

davidom2513

Hi,

The last few orders I got with DHL, I was charged about 80% customs fees. So I vowed never to use their service again.

I ordered a few items last week for which I paid over €500, and requested that the company use UPS for shipping. However there was a mistake on their part and they sent it with DHL.

So my question is, how can I bypass DHL, and deal with Customs myself? What paperwork should I fill out? Do I have to contact DHL and tell them not to pay the customs on my behalf?

I am sick of paying way over the odds when something is delivered by DHL.

ohnonotgmail

I'm not sure you can. You can ask them i suppose but as DHL dont have any contract with you they can just ignore you. Your best option is to query the charges after the fact.

rubadub

I think I read of someone refusing to pay fedex or some courier and they were blacklisted from then on. The courier may consider this punishment but it would be handy if you could be blacklisted so companies could not use DHL to deliver to your address. I remember asking the bank to set my credit card limit to zero but they refused.

I would have all the expected charges calculated in advance of delivery.

davidom2513

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

I'm not sure you can. You can ask them i suppose but as DHL dont have any contract with you they can just ignore you. Your best option is to query the charges after the fact.

I have tried to query the charges after the fact a few times. But they have no interest in listening. I offered to send on the invoices and bank statements on what I paid. But they said it doesn't matter what I paid, because they "estimate" the value of what it would cost here to buy. And said it will be destroyed if I don't pay.

Basically bullying tactics.

rubadub wrote: »

I think I read of someone refusing to pay fedex or some courier and they were blacklisted from then on. The courier may consider this punishment but it would be handy if you could be blacklisted so companies could not use DHL to deliver to your address. I remember asking the bank to set my credit card limit to zero but they refused.

I would have all the expected charges calculated in advance of delivery.

I always have the charges calculated in advance. doesn't stop them ripping people off. Its becoming very common now for DHL to do this.

I wish I WAS blacklisted with them.

Absolute joke of a service

Kidchameleon

Im not defending DHL but shouldnt your beef be with the tax man?

rubadub

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Im not defending DHL but shouldnt your beef be with the tax man?

No, its usually the courier who messes up. The poster does not sound like they are whinging about how much VAT they have to pay.

If you search the forum you will see numerous posts about couriers charging incorrectly, it is rare to see complaints about an post doing this.

A common trick they do is if the sender does not declare the postage value they put a standard price on it which is ridiculously high. DHL packages will be covered in tracking codes etc so I have zero doubt that they can easily find what was actually paid, especially as it is to their own fecking company.

davidom2513 wrote: »

I always have the charges calculated in advance. doesn't stop them ripping people off. Its becoming very common now for DHL to do this.

People can refuse it at the door though, once they are paid its meant to be difficult to get it back from them.

davidom2513 wrote: »

I wish I WAS blacklisted with them.

It would be interesting to email them and ask if you can be blacklisted, and give the reason why. Would love to hear their reply.

davidom2513

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Im not defending DHL but shouldnt your beef be with the tax man?

No, because the tax man isn't the one overcharging me. DHL are "estimating" the cost of the goods. Which results in me paying 80% customs fees.

Every single shipping service uses invoices to calculate the customs to be paid. EXCEPT DHL.

I have no problem with any other shipping service, just them. So no, my issue is not with the tax man.

seagull

Take it up with whoever you bought from, and ask them to refund the difference between what you're charged and should have been charged, as it's their error. Alternatively, refuse delivery and ask them to resend it with the correct courier.

davidom2513

rubadub wrote: »

People can refuse it at the door though, once they are paid its meant to be difficult to get it back from them.

It would be interesting to email them and ask if you can be blacklisted, and give the reason why. Would love to hear their reply.

If you don't pay them, they threaten to destroy the goods, they aren't returned to sender.

seagull wrote: »

Take it up with whoever you bought from, and ask them to refund the difference between what you're charged and should have been charged, as it's their error. Alternatively, refuse delivery and ask them to resend it with the correct courier.

I got onto the seller, and they apologized for the mistake, and said best they can do is give me a discount on my next order. If I refuse delivery DHL threaten to destroy the goods

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

davidom2513 wrote: »

If you don't pay them, they threaten to destroy the goods, they aren't returned to sender.




I got onto the seller, and they apologized for the mistake, and said best they can do is give me a discount on my next order. If I refuse delivery DHL threaten to destroy the goods

If you refuse the good and they are destroyed, it is the seller who should carry the cost.

davidom2513

Rogelio Huge Graphite wrote: »

If you refuse the good and they are destroyed, it is the seller who should carry the cost.

Ideally, I wish that was the case, but I have already paid for the goods, so I don't think there is any chance of them refunding me if they get destroyed

intheclouds

davidom2513 wrote: »

Ideally, I wish that was the case, but I have already paid for the goods, so I don't think there is any chance of them refunding me if they get destroyed

If you dont receive the goods you can do a charge back on your credit card.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

ED E

Contact dmc@revenue.ie, organise to pay the fee directly to Revenue, then forward that invoice to DHL. They cant charge whats already paid.

Allyall

As ED_E said.
You can also query it, and have it investigated... (good luck with that).

Also you can pay the customs in the Country of the sales point using different methods. You can ask the seller to query it if you don't know how.
DHL have a subsidised agreement with the Chinese Government, so they should be able to tell you pretty quickly in China, and once you get it, you can use a different courier.
If it's a Chinese Company that you used, the chargeback battle will be long. And you may not win it, as DHL will say that you refused the goods for no reason.

DHLs sh*t excuse for overcharging is that, years ago they got ripped off by other people so now they have to rip you off.

In future, open the package while the courier is standing there and declare it damaged (send it back).
Don't buy from that same company ever again either (If it's a Chinese Company, and wasn't a mistake).

.

davidom2513

Think I'm too late to pay customs myself

Says on website:

"Customs status updated"

"Processed for clearance at SHANNON - IRELAND, REPUBLIC OF"

davidom2513

Allyall wrote: »

As ED_E said.
You can also query it, and have it investigated... (good luck with that).

Also you can pay the customs in the Country of the sales point using different methods. You can ask the seller to query it if you don't know how.
DHL have a subsidised agreement with the Chinese Government, so they should be able to tell you pretty quickly in China, and once you get it, you can use a different courier.
If it's a Chinese Company that you used, the chargeback battle will be long. And you may not win it, as DHL will say that you refused the goods for no reason.

DHLs sh*t excuse for overcharging is that, years ago they got ripped off by other people so now they have to rip you off.

In future, open the package while the courier is standing there and declare it damaged (send it back).
Don't buy from that same company ever again either (If it's a Chinese Company, and wasn't a mistake).

.

Thanks Allyall

I'll see what number they pull out of their a**e and try to charge me.

If it's ridiculous (which it will probably will be), I'll refuse it

dudara

Moved to Online Buying & Auctions

dudara

intheclouds

Cant you make a complaint about DHL to Revenue or some Ombudsman?

What is happening to the overcharged portion? Are DHL just putting it in their pocket?

satguy

DHL have been overcharging for years, they did it to me one two occasions,, now I never buy from any site that say they use DHL.

This whole VAT and Handling fee is just a scam,, stay far away from DHL ..

rubadub

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I have had Fedex do this but not DHL that I can recall.

ED E wrote: »

Contact dmc@revenue.ie, organise to pay the fee directly to Revenue, then forward that invoice to DHL. They cant charge whats already paid.

have you, or anyone else done this? any problems. I would be interested in hearing of a regular person getting stuff delivered to their house who did this but where the seller had not stated the DHL postage cost and possibly put a false value down for the item (as this is pretty likely to happen).

intheclouds wrote: »

What is happening to the overcharged portion? Are DHL just putting it in their pocket?

DHL will not be getting an excess VAT or duty you paid. They will get admin charges though. Some couriers charge the admin as a % of the amount, so if they value it high you pay more (if DHL do this). There is a maximum charge they can ask for admin. It will typically be over twice what an post would charge.

You could be below the threshold value for VAT to be collected, but if they exaggerate the shipping cost or item cost it could make you liable, which is in their interest as they now get their admin fee.

There could well be some other background reason they want to charge you as much as possible. e.g. I wondered if they get a small % of the fees for acting on behalf of revenue or something. I think it's odd that they routinely do it as it pisses people off who will actively try not to use them in future.

flutered

satguy wrote: »

DHL have been overcharging for years, they did it to me one two occasions,, now I never buy from any site that say they use DHL.

This whole VAT and Handling fee is just a scam,, stay far away from DHL ..

quite correct, if more done that they may start to wonder why, the couple of times i rang to query thrir charges i spoke with an english operator who did not give a hoot as regards my query, saying that is it pay it or loose the lot, now i check whichever carrier the seller uses, avoiding dhl like a ghandi tummy

davidom2513

flutered wrote: »

quite correct, if more done that they may start to wonder why, the couple of times i rang to query thrir charges i spoke with an english operator who did not give a hoot as regards my query, saying that is it pay it or loose the lot, now i check whichever carrier the seller uses, avoiding dhl like a ghandi tummy

Had the same thing happen to me. Rang DHL to query the overcharge, and they were only happy to inform me that they will destroy everything if I don't pay them.

I never use DHL anymore, so I was relly pi***d of when this company sent my order with DHL, after I had specifically requested UPS, and no DHL.

satguy

With An Post , they will ask for a PayPal receipt, and just send them an email, it's just so easy.
There is a fee, but it is only €6, and you pay the postman at the door.

As for that shower at DHL, I will always go out of my way not to use them.