Author Topic: DHL ripoff  (Read 7651 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline olkipukki

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 790
  • Country: 00
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #25 on: October 18, 2018, 01:07:11 pm »
I say they often don't care if there was shipping cost in the invoice. They just take the whole figure written and slap their own shipping on top. Have you ever seen "statistical value" in customs declaration from which taxes are then calculated. Basically means they can shit on your invoice as they wish.
Did you import these 7kg PCBs for hobby (very unlikely, but who knows!) or business?
If latest, you didn't pay any custom duties and paid VAT (21% right? aka 90.75) that you can claim back, isn't?
 

Offline olkipukki

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 790
  • Country: 00
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #26 on: October 18, 2018, 01:17:45 pm »
"Yes, Macbeth, we at DHL/FedEx/UPS have got our crack team of customs brokers onto the case. We have determined you owe HMRC £6 in VAT. For our magnanimous service you didn't even ask for, we now invoice you £25 + £6 = £31"
As far as I know, that's apply to UK Royal Mail as well, who will happy to meet you in their collection office with open arms and accept extra VAT service charge £13, for example, for stuff imported from US...
 

Offline bd139

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 23017
  • Country: gb
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #27 on: October 18, 2018, 01:20:26 pm »
Royal Mail charge £8 + VAT. You can pay it online and they deliver next day so at least they're doing a half arsed service for the money.
 

Offline SiliconWizard

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 14297
  • Country: fr
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #28 on: October 19, 2018, 12:12:38 am »
This is why I tend to go with suppliers who lie on the customs declaration.

COMMERCIAL SAMPLES $7

Written on the 5kg box of shite :-DD

This is common practice, but obviously businesses that ship a lot via a private shipping company they have negotiated deals with don't want to risk getting in trouble for lying too often on declarations and ending up getting a bad reputation. Some packages ARE opened by customs. When you send tens of thousands of packages a year, it's bound to happen on quite a few of them.
 

Offline hagster

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 394
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #29 on: October 19, 2018, 05:47:58 am »
9 out of 10 of my ALLPCB orders skip through without any customs charge. Occasionally i need to pay something, but never that much. The last time it was just £18 on a £90 order.

I dont begrudge it as it seems criminal that so much stuff from china escapes taxation in entirety. Mainly because the sender lies on the declaration.
 

Offline bloguetronicaTopic starter

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • !
  • Posts: 354
  • Country: pt
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #30 on: October 23, 2018, 11:30:47 am »
9 out of 10 of my ALLPCB orders skip through without any customs charge. Occasionally i need to pay something, but never that much. The last time it was just £18 on a £90 order.

I dont begrudge it as it seems criminal that so much stuff from china escapes taxation in entirety. Mainly because the sender lies on the declaration.
Did you use DHL? Or was it via post? I would bet you didn't use DHL.

Kind regards, Samuel Lourenço
 

Offline Macbeth

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2571
  • Country: gb
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #31 on: October 26, 2018, 09:13:53 pm »
9 out of 10 of my ALLPCB orders skip through without any customs charge. Occasionally i need to pay something, but never that much. The last time it was just £18 on a £90 order.

I dont begrudge it as it seems criminal that so much stuff from china escapes taxation in entirety. Mainly because the sender lies on the declaration.

I've had loads of stuff from China that is totally declared get through. The HMRC do not target anything from China - but they hate USA and Israel in my experience. Never use Parcelfarce in the UK (this will be "Express" airmail) - always just use regular airmail. Unlike proper couriers who actually deliver goods quickly, but then send stupid invoices later, the likes of Parcelfarce and Royal Mail will illegally* hold your goods to ransom and demand you pay their ludicrous fees and taxes before they release the goods for delivery.

The Parcelfarce demand is by LETTER POST so delays your fantastic 24/48 hour delivery by almost a week with the back and forth for them to release it. Parcelfarce WILL ALWAYS QUARANTINE YOUR GOODS then demand £13 + an absurd VAT calculation.

Never ever use any express postal union service into the UK, the regular postal first class airmail will actually get the goods to you quicker. They may not come into the airport quicker, once they are here they pretty much tend to be delivered within the normal post and without all the customs bollocks. Worst case is the fee is £8.

Of course if you really need stuff quick then commercial couriers it is - they will not hold your stuff to ransom but will invoice you.

* It was always considered a serious, even capital offence to interfere with the distribution of the Royal Mail in the UK. When the RM was privatised I believe parliament amended the laws that actually allows them to hold your goods to ransom. Commercial couriers do not have this privilege.
 

Offline MrMobodies

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 1906
  • Country: gb
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #32 on: October 27, 2018, 11:00:45 am »
I don't like DHL after my experiences.
I try make sure when I order to avoid DHL and ParcelFarce if possible.

I call it "Deliveries Held Late"
One phone call and they said they were bending over backwards to help me.
When my order did arrive all the drives got smashed up on one occasion.
After the parcel was picked up to return they lost it but I got my money back either ways.

On another like frequently with Parcelfarce they insisted I wasn't in and that they did arrive but my camera showed no van arrived on the street at said times.
 

Online iMo

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 4672
  • Country: nr
  • It's important to try new things..
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #33 on: November 14, 2018, 01:33:49 pm »
At AllPCB I want to order a few small pcbs.
The DHL or HK shipping cost shows "Free".
The "PCB Cost" shows $18, and the "Subtotal" shows $18.
Any hint how the final invoice looks like? Do they add something tho the "Subtotal"? Not to overshoot the custom/VAT free limit..
« Last Edit: November 14, 2018, 01:35:54 pm by imo »
 

Offline Wilksey

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 1329
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #34 on: November 14, 2018, 07:32:36 pm »
DHL or Dick Head Logistics as I called them in an email to them are rip off merchants, tried to tell me that I have to pay VAT on something because the seller put the price down wrong, I told them to send it back to them I am not paying, now they keep trying to send me letters with invoices, the VAT is £6, their charge is an extra £11 for "admin" - bollocks, I ain't paying it, I did also use the words extortion and daylight robbery.

Interestingly the tracking number says it's delivered signed for by next door - completely different name to next door - who have confirmed they have not signed or accepted anything and that the DHL driver did indeed call in but said that unless payment was made he couldn't leave it with them, which is fair enough and they certainly didn't pay it.

Useless much?!  They kept threatening to send the package back, so I said carry on, I saved myself £2 by getting the PCB's elsewhere without customs charges.
 

Offline nihtila

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 74
  • Country: scotland
  • A Finn in Scotland. Audio Apps Engineer and Maker.
    • nihtila.com DIY audio electronics
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #35 on: November 16, 2018, 12:17:52 pm »
To the UK users:

I tried to understand if there are ways to avoid the DHL fees which they say is because they need to pay the VAT and crap to HMRC before getting the money from you. Apparently the way is to have a Deferment Account with HMRC so that they can charge you there. Can you get this account as a private person or sole trader, or is it only for companies? It kinda mentions only business use, but it's not that clear if you're a sole trader..

When I lived in Finland, DHL had an option to declare the goods yourself, in which case it took a day or two longer but you did not need to pay the extra fees. I think it was also possible to create an account with DHL there to smooth the operation. (But otherwise dealing with DHL there was equally miserable).
http://nihtila.com - Vegan DIY audio electronics, does not contain snake oil
 

Online iMo

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 4672
  • Country: nr
  • It's important to try new things..
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #36 on: November 16, 2018, 04:59:57 pm »
There are import limits (ie. 15pounds in UK, 22E in EU) and in the moment you overshoot it, the DHL immediately jumps on the VAT/Custom/Processing Fees wagon.
You cannot avoid that, as the legal import limits for every state in the world are implemented (and regularly updated) in DHL's IT systems (including daily exchange rates).

The other question is, what are the "shipment cost".
AllPCB claims "Free DHL worldwide shipping" but that is just a marketing slogan. They will discount you $25 in the final calculation, as they "cover $25 shipment cost" (until you reach some parcel weight, then you start to pay from $11 up) with each shipment with DHL or HK.

For example, with 5 small pcbs you get a Total $18, and you will see "Shipment cost ($25): $0.0" written in their web ordering app. As I've been asking you above, I would be interested to know what you will find on the invoice attached to the parcel (as the shipment cost adds to the total for custom purposes).

AllPCB will also tell you, that DHL "may charge you with additional fees" in case your location is "remote". Now, what does it mean "remote" for DHL?? Therefore, even you are below the 15pounds/22E limit on the final invoice, DHL may charge "remote location fee" and you are well over the legal limit, thus they start to process you happily with all that lovely vat/custom/processing fees.

« Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 05:49:53 pm by imo »
 

Offline frozenfrogz

  • Frequent Contributor
  • **
  • Posts: 936
  • Country: de
  • Having fun with Arduino and Raspberry Pi
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #37 on: November 24, 2018, 10:55:42 pm »
Recently I also had to deal with that "service fee". Basically they wanted 12.50 € + VAT for handling 19.75 € of VAT on an import I made.
I wrote an email explaining that I need to have them provide me with more specific information about what real costs are involved by handling said amount.
The first reply was a generic reply TLDR: "you need to pay because that is what the invoice says"
Then I explained, that usually the cost for a non-interest-bearing monetary bond you would have to supply for a deferment account is about 1 % interest on the deferred amount per year and that I do not see the connection to the amount I was charged.
Got the exact same answer like before.
Send the exact same email as before.
New answer(?): "costs on deferment accounts are opportunity costs"
I sincerely thanked them for supplying me with an irrelevant, but true fact to my initial question and provided an irrelevant but true fact in return, asking to please provide the information I requested.

At that point they just gave up and told me they could not provide that information "for internal security policy related reasons", but would detract the fee out of good will this time. I was set to waste as much of their time and money as possible before paying the requested amount but this outcome is fine for me too. :)

Sometimes, being the customer from hell can be very soothing.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2018, 10:58:19 pm by frozenfrogz »
He’s like a trained ape. Without the training.
 

Online iMo

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 4672
  • Country: nr
  • It's important to try new things..
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #38 on: November 25, 2018, 10:57:58 am »
DHL has "the charging fees" for delivering a piece of paper hardwired in its DNA :)

The DHL's founder started his great business with transporting customs documents between San Francisco harbor and Honolulu harbor in his attache case (traveled nonstop in a regular passenger airliner), such the documents arrived at customs offices before the freight, thus enabled the goods to pass through customs with less delay.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2018, 11:02:19 am by imo »
 

Offline chickenHeadKnob

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 1054
  • Country: ca
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #39 on: November 25, 2018, 04:20:46 pm »
DHL has "the charging fees" for delivering a piece of paper hardwired in its DNA :)

The DHL's founder started his great business with transporting customs documents between San Francisco harbor and Honolulu harbor in his attache case (traveled nonstop in a regular passenger airliner), such the documents arrived at customs offices before the freight, thus enabled the goods to pass through customs with less delay.

What customs exists between honolulu and san franscisco? both are US cities. Maybe you meant Hong Kong?

edit: OK answering my own question, it seems there was a business opportunity in fast airmail of documents between the cities not in "international" trade between the two. That does explain the love for additional handling fees.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2018, 04:47:06 pm by chickenHeadKnob »
 

Online iMo

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 4672
  • Country: nr
  • It's important to try new things..
Re: DHL ripoff
« Reply #40 on: November 25, 2018, 05:13:19 pm »
The DHL founder started with an express delivery of a document called "Original bill of lading" related to the ship cargo between SF<->Honolulu.. The standard postal service was slow and the purchasers of the goods shipped were happy to have the document in their hands sooner (the carrier will release the goods only to the party who holds the original bill of lading), as for example, based on the document they were able to sell the goods to somebody else long before their cargo arrived to the destination port.
« Last Edit: November 25, 2018, 05:34:34 pm by imo »
 
The following users thanked this post: chickenHeadKnob


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf