AFRA and UK Customs

Yup, I see what you mean - looks like a booboo!

It is possible to get your money back. I managed in the past with a sale from India. Keep persevering.

I posted a letter same day so will let you know how things turn out as for ringing the department forget it, and it's just as hard to find a claim form (well for me it is ).

I had this with customs too. I was asked for VAT and tax on $1250 for an item that was noted as $12.50. They missed the very faint decimal point. It was a vietnam era boonie hat. Get the customs number and ring them. Explain the HKD thing and they will revue the charges and get the new amount sorted for you to pay. I had to email them copies of the invoice and ebay auction. They will inform the carrier, who will inform you. Stay on their backs about it though.

Good news I got a letter today and they are refunding me £70.82

You should charge them interest + an administration fee.

Good news I got a letter today and they are refunding me £70.82

That's more like it. Did they offer an explanation?

Good news I got a letter today and they are refunding me £70.82

That's more like it. Did they offer an explanation?

No just an explanation of how they should have worked it out in the first place

Fuckin Parcel Farce - Vat on items from HK fair enough, but Parcelforce Clearance fee of £13.50 - for what?

There are some things in this word that seem to be "legal crime". The Parcelforce handling fee is one of them. The huge spread between "we buy" and "we sell" at currency exchanges is another one. Inheritance tax is another: Earn money, pay tax. Buy stuff with that taxed money, pay more tax. Have the bare-faced cheek to die and give your double-taxed stuff away? Pay more tax

Heh, just re-started reading my pile of 'News Review' magazines. 1939. To raise money for the war effort (measured in millions of pounds not billions as we seem to these days - why does everything the government do cost so much money?) the income tax was doubled to 1s 6d in the pound. That's 3.5% to 7.5%! We are milked dry these days.

Update on this Customs issue.

It would seem that UKBA (Customs to you and I) have changed the goalposts every so slightly on the importation of RIFs. BUT
They neglected to tell anyone about it. In the months since this thread appeared we at AFRA have had quite a number of calls from UKBA mainly at their Coventry Hub, asking us for verification of members - To accompany this verification they were requesting a copy of our insurance certificate.......

Now - only two forms of insurance require (and usually have) a certificate by law - one of these is motor insurance..... Insurance such as ours has a Policy schedule with details of cover and limits of liability (as obtainable on your personal details page at AFRA)

So we duly supplied this schedule and it was initially rejected as they continued to ask for a certificate. A dialogue was started with UKBA and we quickly established that this was the case. Schedule now accepted. It emerged in the dialogue that they (UKBA) are looking to compile a list of "recognised" bodies who's members have a defence to import RIFs. I am pleased to inform you that AFRA is now on that list. Alongisde at present - UKARA. ( I didn't have the heart to point out to them that the members of UKARA are the vendors and the persons with the numbers on the database are their customers........ different can of wriggly things which we ain't opening)

As a result of our communications with UKBA we are now in contact with them with a view to giving them some form of monitored and restricted access to our database to allow them to verify a person's current membership status when importing a RIF. They are very interested in this as it will speed up the process of shipping the RIF on and reduce their workload by cutting down the time taken to carry out their investigation.

Not bragging it off - just passing information on to the section of our membership to whom this is most important - AFRA IS working behind the scenes all the time to make things better for you.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks for that PD

I hope it doesn't mean any problems for us in future if our membership lapses, not that I am suggesting any conspiracy (NOW WOULD I)

Update on this Customs issue.

It would seem that UKBA (Customs to you and I) have changed the goalposts every so slightly on the importation of RIFs. BUT
They neglected to tell anyone about it. In the months since this thread appeared we at AFRA have had quite a number of calls from UKBA mainly at their Coventry Hub, asking us for verification of members - To accompany this verification they were requesting a copy of our insurance certificate.......

Now - only two forms of insurance require (and usually have) a certificate by law - one of these is motor insurance..... Insurance such as ours has a Policy schedule with details of cover and limits of liability (as obtainable on your personal details page at AFRA)

So we duly supplied this schedule and it was initially rejected as they continued to ask for a certificate. A dialogue was started with UKBA and we quickly established that this was the case. Schedule now accepted. It emerged in the dialogue that they (UKBA) are looking to compile a list of "recognised" bodies who's members have a defence to import RIFs. I am pleased to inform you that AFRA is now on that list. Alongisde at present - UKARA. ( I didn't have the heart to point out to them that the members of UKARA are the vendors and the persons with the numbers on the database are their customers........ different can of wriggly things which we ain't opening)

As a result of our communications with UKBA we are now in contact with them with a view to giving them some form of monitored and restricted access to our database to allow them to verify a person's current membership status when importing a RIF. They are very interested in this as it will speed up the process of shipping the RIF on and reduce their workload by cutting down the time taken to carry out their investigation.

Not bragging it off - just passing information on to the section of our membership to whom this is most important - AFRA IS working behind the scenes all the time to make things better for you.

Merry Christmas.

Good Work PD. If I said M60 would you scream...

As a foot note to this, prior to AFRA sorting this out, It took me 2 month of daily phoning and jumping through every hoop UKBA could think of to get my M60 sent to me. So a big thanks to PD and AFRA for this.

I've just ordered a Ppsh41 and 2 mags. Lets see how we get on?

Very nice work there Paul, congrats to you and the AFRA team

And Merry Xmas to the lot of you!

Update on this Customs issue.

Not sure what you're doing behind the scenes, but it works fantastically!

I got the vendors to put a covering note on the outside of the box with my AFRA details and giving my defence to purchase RIF's. My sten was only at the UKBA for a day before being approved and sent on to be delivered. At this time of year, that can't be beaten!

thanks again for all your hard work behind the scenes, PD!

Though not even an AFRA member, I recognise and congratulate the sterling work and dedication that you, PD (and your associates), are doing for both the re-enactment and airsoft scene. Top notch!

It seems that Parcel Force have just taken delivery of a wacking great shipment of Mighty Fail. I have a RIF on an Express 24 delivery which has been "Awaiting Customs Clearance" since 23:26 on monday night, and Karl and PD expecting the call to verify my defence to import. I rang UK Customs at Coventry yesterday, to see if there was a problem, as nothing had changed. Spoke to a very nice lady, who told me that although they'd received my email with documents sent just in case the sender had omitted them by accident, they didn't have the parcel, it was still with Poocal Faeces. So I rang Partial Farts, who told me that customs had it, and that's about as helpful as they got. I had a feeling I was interrupting someones chat about Justin Beiber or the like. So I called customs again and spoke to the same lady, who told me that if they'd had it, it would be cleared by now, because they take less Pot Noodle breaks and play less Snap than the morons at Pringle Factors. Also, most of UK Customs have english as a first language and can read and write all joined up and that. As of 11:08 today, it is still "Awaiting Customs Clearance", although neither Pert Flanges or UK customs have it, or know where it is. It seems that it's very difficult for Poncy Flakes to get a parcel the full 20 yards across the inside of the same building to UK Customs

BaggyPants

Watch they don't charge you double for this sterling service