I had two boxes posted from the USA....... not only would they not deliver them to my house as they said there was duty to pay so I had a 60 mile round trip.. The boxes got split up in Transit so they charged me £8 for each box... the website is about as much use as a bucket of water in a storm........ they held me to ransom till they got the money and would not give me any info or help at all. the duty was £12 the charge was £16 quite amazing......

I went to the Parcelforce Romford depot yesterday and collected my parcel from S Korea. The parcel arrived last Saturday and only been released on 11th Mar (Thursday) from the custom.

As the depot is very far away from where I live, I had to collect during the weekend (Saturday). So, I went there without my letter, but with the correspondences (emails) from Parcelforce telling me that there is a £27.16 charges (without breakdown). I showed them the email and paid the charges, without knowing that there is a Handling Fee of £13.50.

I have paid the charges under the circumstances that they said they won't be able to release the parcel to me. At the same time, I am rather angry that I paid for the delivery charge (Express 24) which I do not received, and on top of that a handling charges that I do not see the logical side of it.

I have submitted of what happened to BBC Watchdog and I would like to see someone put a stop on the handling charges to our parcels.

I don't know if I will ever get my £13.50 back with a complaint letter to Parcelforce, but I very much doubt it as I think they will just ignore the complaint letter and put in the bin.

Hi

I can see that prior to track and trace, the courier companies would have had a valid trading reason for these practises. Where a parcel had been stopped by HMCE for customs duty they would have had to either do this or send a letter by normal mail to the customer informing them that HMCE had seized the goods pending payment of duty with all the ensuing delay and problems etc.

Prior to track and trace, there was no easy way for the customer to be aware that HMCE had seized the goods pending payment of duty. Because of these circumstances it would have seemed quite reasonable for the customer to accept that the courier company was doing them a favour in actually paying the duty and charging a fee for the convenience they were giving the customer to get their goods quickly.

Today, via track and trace this no longer applies. Track and trace is one of the main selling features of all the major courier companies. Because of it, there is now no longer a valid reason why the customer cannot be shown a message that HMCE have seized the goods pending payment of duty, and for the companies to display an option to give the customer the facility to pay either that duty themselves or authorise the company to pay it and incur the companies additional charge for doing so.

The courier companies are relying on a law and tradition that has built up due to circumstances which have now been completely changed by their own actions i.e. their tack and trace facility has completely changed things, and the law should be changed to reflect this.

I disagree with you when you say that it is the responsibility of the seller to inform the customer at the point of sale of additional unspecified charges which courier companies may charge. They offer their customers the courier companies’ rates for pickup and delivery of the goods to the specified destination address.

Everyone accepts that Customs may intervene legally and everyone would accept that they would have pay any additional customs charge incurred on the way. Everyone would also accept and agree that when you pay your postage, it is for pickup of your goods from its origin and delivery to the specified address, and this what the courier companies by accepting your money have agreed to do.

If my case goes to court, this is what I shall fight on.

Thanks for this thread which has been very helpful

I would tend to agree. However I think they would argue that the person you purchased from should state these facts as it is the person you purchased from who pays for the delivery. Not you. You are only paying the person to send it. They are paying the delivery company to send it on to you. You are not dealing with the delivery company directly until it gets to your end. They would probably argue that you need to deal with the person who paid for the delivery. That being the originating person.

Hi

I have been reading this because I have the same problem re the delivery of a package from US via Fedex International mail.

I contacted Fedex who stated that they have paid these on my behalf and therefore I should pay the invoice that they sent me.

My personal feeling is that this handling charge is not specified or implied in the terms and conditions and neither did I authorise them to pay anything on my behalf.

I accept the customs and excise charge as everyone knows that this is a risk with imported goods.

It seems to be that there is an implied condition that the cost of pickup and handling and delivery is included in the price of postage when a customer pays the postal charge for any item to be delivered whether it be from overseas or locally, and hence any additional handling fee which the carrier subsequently chooses to impose without the customers explicit consent is therfore illegal. ANY additional optional charges should be clearly specified at the point of sale and the customer given the option to pay for them himself or allow the carrier to pay and reimburse them afterwards. I would have thought that this is the point that should be fought on in the courts.

I can accept that customs and excise have a right to charge excise before they release the package, but that after this has been paid, the charge for picking up and finally delivering the package to the customer has already been paid.

I also think that, with track and trace, when a package is stopped by Customs for unpaid duties, the carrier should show this via the track and trace facility and then display an option to the customer to pay the duites or not.

It is a liberty taken by Fedex etc to pay these duties and then AUTOMATICALLy impose an additional charge of any size THEY decide without the my consent.

Today I received a £8 "Clearance Fee" invoice (i.e., a ransom demand) from Parcelforce for a package I had ordered from the US. After reading about this Fee here and on other consumer forums, I decided to try to dispute or otherwise avoid paying it.

But to make a long story short, I went to the London depot on Royal College Street to collect the package and told them I refused to pay the Clearance Fee. They told me that I was required to pay it, and I politely said that I didn't think I was legally obligated to. They caved immediately: the service rep simply went around back, fetched my package, and charged me only the customs fee. I got the original invoice back with a big "PAID" stamp on it, with no inidication that only part of the invoice was paid, so I assume they won't be trying to collect their Clearance Fee from me at a future date.

So that's pretty much it; I got out of paying the Clearance Fee with almost no argument from them whatsoever. I would like to think that Parcelforce's immediate and quiet refusal to pursue the matter can be taken as evidence that they know they don't have a leg to stand on.

Note: This post has been moderated. Please ensure you read the moneysupermarket.com Content & Community Standards before posting. Thanks.

Contact these people and threaten them with the small claims if your parcel is not released:

Head of legal External Email: mandy.talbot @royalmail.com Phone: 020 72 50 2145

Her PA: dawn.hawkins@royalmail.com

Another person in that office: marilyn.drawwater@royalmail.com

If she is not in that London office at the time contact her PA or the other lady (not a solicitor) in that office.

Hello guys,
Thanks for your support. It seems I have overpowered Royal Mail as well.

I phoned Royal Mail Chairman's Office (02072502888) yesterday and spoke with Din Sanderson. I explained him all the situation and he admitted that I should be able to pay VAT separetely from the clearance charge. Mr Sanderson put down all my personal details and issued me a reference number for my complaint (1/1251238943).

Now I am expecting a phone call from the Delivery Office on Monday and should be able to collect my parcels without paying the clearance charge.

By the way Royal Mail still have got to answer my written complaint which I filed a couple of days earlier.

OK. As I wrote in a previous post. What I had to do was go to the depot where my package was being held and tell them that I would only pay the delivery fee. There seems to be no other way to do it since their systems do not allow them to split fees over the phone. In person and at the depot they can split fees and I had no problem from PO staff in doing so. I must say that ALL the PO people I have talked to, either in person or by phone, have been helpful and very understanding. I get the impression they are just as p'd off as we are! After all they can be 'customers' like the rest of us. As an update to my issue, I told the PO staff that they, or the tax people, could of course send me a bill for what might be considered the outstanding amount but guess what - nothing. Mind you they have years to get to you, maybe even land it on your sons and daughters after you've gone. So keep all the paperwork and write a refusal to pay into your will! One thing I am serious about is retaining all receipts & agreements for any items you buy or contracts you enter into. Believe me when I say that when it comes to sorting anything out it is crucial that you have all information available. Furthermore you'll find things will move very much quicker. Having a portfolio of all transactions and a record of converations will aid you whether you end up having to go to the Small Claims Court or a tribunal.

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. The Royal Mail fee due is at least £24. I received only two notes but in fact they hold three of my parcels so the fee could be about £30. As they don't separate a Customs charge from a Clearance fee I don't know the exact amount.

By the way I phoned up Royal Mail Customer Services (08457 740 740/01752387112) and filed a formal complaint (1/1248911668). Despite the advisor was very friendly he admitted there is very little he can do to release my parcels.
He promised though that my enquiry will be looked into.

I also contacted Consumer Direct afterwards and told them about my progress. They noted everything down and recommended me to file a written complaint to the Royal Mail through their website as well.
I am going to phone Royal Mail chairman's office (02072502888) tomorrow.
We shall see what we shall see.

How much is the Royal Mail fee?
Just remind them of Parcel Force's decision (part of Royal Mail) and let them sweat it out. Call the Police otherwise - I'll be happy to supply a copy of Royal Mail's pleading to the court which admits they can't hold on to a letter or parcel at any branch (PF or RM) if the VAT is paid. Whether the extra fee is fair or not doesn't even come into the equation.

The problem is they will delay your parcels in future even after this. This is an angle I'm about to get them on.

Hello guys,
Firstly I want to thank you all for the utterly useful information amassed in this thread over two years.
I receive parcels from USA regularly and quite annoyed by Parcelforce clearance charge and the way it's being collected.
Inspired by your experience I decided to have a go at Parcelforce and share result of my efforts with you.

First of all I phoned London North West Depot (0844 209 6102) and told them I want to pay VAT for three of my parcels separetely from Parcelforce clearance fee. No surprise I was refused flatly. Moreover, the assistant I spoke to refused to provide his full name and Managing Director's Office phone number.

Having googled MD office's telephone number (0190 868 7249) I phoned them up and had a conversation with Lorrain Larkman. I explained her that bundling up 2 charges together is illegal and as soon as I pay VAT my parcels must be released. Judging by her reaction I can say she was fully aware of the problem but kept insisting that they have right to demand full payment first and it's well-established bussiness practice.

My next phone call was made to Consumer Direct (08454 04 05 06). The assistant I spoke to (Brian) confirmed that practice employed by Parcelforce is illegal, he also registered my complaint (CDN229976). I was also advised to call MD office again and make a formal complaint and demand its reference number.

Armed with the advice I gave another ring to the MD office and was very lucky to get connected with Lynn Gawthorpe.
Initially she also was reluctant to accept my point of view. However, as soon as I explained that it's not the amount of the clearance fee I question but the way it's being collected she agreed to call the depot and tell them to split up the bill.

Soon afterwards I received a phone call from London North West Depot and they took payment for the Customs charges (VAT) only. And though my quest turned up to be a success I have to admit that this is more like lucky escape than steady tendency. I am very surprised that assistants within Managing Director's Office at ParcelForce have contrary visions of the same situation and I doubt that problem would have been sorted unless I spoke to Lynn Gawthorpe.

However, it's not the end of my postal problems. I am having exactly same problem with the Royal Mail which holds another two of my parcels at Wood Green Delivery Office. The delivery cards clearly state "There's a Customs charge". In fact part of the charge is a clearance fee. I have visited the delivery office today asking to accept payment of VAT only and got a refusal despite them technically being able to split up the invoice.
Does anybody have any ideas who I can contact to persuade Royal Mail to accept payment of VAT only?
I am going to call Royal Mail Customer Services (08457 740 740) but afraid it's not going to be enough to get things moving. Please advise.
Many thanks

Unfortunately once again Royal Mail legal services have sent me a cheque for the full amount of the small claim. They are quite understandbly, like with bank charges in the early days, scared of this issue going before a court, even one which will have no bearing on other customers other than they may choose to follow a similar course of action.

In summary:

Despite what I have noted as Royal Mail operators writing or speaking, they have confirmed in their court pleadings that you do not have to pay the £8 or £13.50 to have your parcel delivered. They will invoice their portion of their customs fees later. I advise you to pay the actual customs owing.

Several people have taken them to court for this including me twice, and they have paid. Even if they don't charge you, a debt invoice from them for the £8 or £13.50 is sufficient for you to sue them to "cancel" the debt. In reality, it may end up that you are £8 or £13.50 better off since do not under any circumstances pay this fee. There's not a lot you can do about this as otherwise they will send your debt to debt collectors. I am actually still waiting on clarification they have cancelled it. My claim also including telephone call costs to phone their head office and 0845 number to get my parcel delivered.

See first page - I think it is my seventh post but it is this one - Thu, Sep 27 2007, 6:15 PM

If you have any queries, I suggest you start phoning and writing to the apropriate agencies instead of bothering me about stuff I have already covered.

Cracked Chap:I do see your point about about the Duty being paid and not actually due anymore but I'm afraid this is covered by a separate charter with HMRC and Royal Mail.

Please provide proof of said charter.