DABS.COM VAT issue when purchasing from Ireland

DublinWriter

I am currently at my wits end with Dabs.com regarding their complete ignorance and potentially fraudulent disregard for EU VAT laws.

I operate through an Irish registered Limited Company and I’m VAT registered in Ireland. The situation is that if you are purchasing goods from a company in the EU outside Ireland who are also VAT registered in their own country, then you do not have to pay VAT at source when purchasing the goods.

My previous supplier in the UK, Insight.com, had no problem doing this, and I was never charged VAT at source by them as I had provided them with my Irish registered VAT number to begin with.

However, I had to switch from Insight to DABS because of the limited selection that Insight now have.

And here’s where the fun starts re DABS.

After my initial couple of purchases and providing them with my Irish VAT number, they charge me UK VAT at 17%.

After putting through a call re their web site (they never list their phone numbers) I got a curt reply back saying that they have an Irish registered company and were registered for Irish VAT. Yet they fail to tell me what their Irish registered company is and what it’s VAT number is. The name of the Dabs employee was not put on the reply email.

I send a second reply through their convoluted web support system and get a reply from an individual stating that this shouldn’t have been the case and that I’ll get a refund and an amended invoice shortly. That was in September 2004 and as yet, I’ve got nothing, even after several emails to the person in question.

Back in February 2005, I’m stuck again and need to get something only available from Dabs. I order the goods, and guess what? Their invoice, from their UK operation, with their UK address and UK VAT number now has the VAT at 21% and not the UK standard rate of 17.5%!

Even if I was a regular individual in Ireland buying from them, they should be charging the UK rate (17.5%), not the Irish rate (21%).

After several emails (I still can’t get their phone number from their web site), in desperation I’ve turned to a friend of mine working in the Bureau of Fraud Investigation in an Garda Siochana. He recommended that I contact HM Customs and Excise in the UK about this ASAP.

I would warn any Irish customer, individual or others, to be very aware of this when dealing with Dabs.com

pollyantic

I've had similar problems regarding VAT with dabs.
In the end i cancelled my account and will never go near them again.
If you need a number of a pleb at Dabs, then here's the one i was dealing with.
He was completely useless though.


Gareth Rogers
Trade Sales Executive
dabs.com plc
www.dabs.com

Tel: +44 (0)870 429 3081
Fax: +44 (0)870 429 7081
Email: grogers@dabs.com

cgarvey

Copy pollyantic .. not with a barge pole would I touch them again.

Snowbat

When they charged VAT at the UK rate, I expect they were operating under Distance Sales rules (below threshold) detailed is section 5 here - an old document but still quoted as reference material on http://www.revenue.ie/revguide/vat.htm

Distance sales covers mail order sales and phone or tele sales made to persons in the State who are not registered for VAT by a supplier registered in another Member State where such supplier is responsible for delivery of the goods.

It seems to me that under this arrangement, inter-EU sales should be only to persons, not to entities registered for VAT. A phone call to Revenue should clarify the matter and your options for recovery. You may be able to lodge a complaint with HM Customs & Excise