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Customs wait for antique arriving in UK


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10 minutes ago, Paz said:

 

2 months ??? Where was the sword from. Did you track it as soon as it arrived in the UK. 

 

Thanks 

It was from the USA.

 

I tracked it from start to finish and it sat in customs high value for nearly two months. I chased it so many times but parcelforce were never any help.

FedEx are good they deliver to your door and clear customs within a few days but parcelforce have always been trouble for me.

 

27/8/2021 9:42 

Delivery Agent -CHICAGO…+Delivery Agent - CHICAGO

 

Despatched to the UK

 

28/10/20210:52SEPC IMPLIEDReceived at delivery depot

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8 minutes ago, Lareon said:

It was from the USA.

 

I tracked it from start to finish and it sat in customs high value for nearly two months. I chased it so many times but parcelforce were never any help.

FedEx are good they deliver to your door and clear customs within a few days but parcelforce have always been trouble for me.

 

27/8/2021 9:42 

Delivery Agent -CHICAGO…+Delivery Agent - CHICAGO

 

Despatched to the UK

 

28/10/20210:52SEPC IMPLIEDReceived at delivery depot

 

That's ridiculous, I've never had anything like that happen.

 

Did you get any kind of explanation from them?

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2 minutes ago, mas4t0 said:

 

That's ridiculous, I've never had anything like that happen.

 

Did you get any kind of explanation from them?

Nope. They said it was in high value storage awaiting border control. But every time I called up they basically told me to wait. Eventually I managed to get an email address to someone in parcelforce customs and they then just asked me to send another invoice and within a week it was released with its 5% tax

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Lareon said:

Nope. They said it was in high value storage awaiting border control. But every time I called up they basically told me to wait. Eventually I managed to get an email address to someone in parcelforce customs and they then just asked me to send another invoice and within a week it was released with its 5% tax

 

 

Tony was this a one off with parcelforce? 

 

Mark it seems fed ex no longer  handle or deliver swords from what I know. But aoi art of whom I've ordered my sword from( awaiting export) deal with ems  but have used fed ex in occasions due to covid.

But I beleive it will be parcelforce as usual. 

 

Tony I would have gone to their hub in person and demanded to know or collect it instead if that was an option. 

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 I am actually waiting for a parcel from Japan since Dec. 14th. It sits with the central airport customs for a week now. That makes 26 days of travel this time, and it will take more time to arrive in my hands. I never had problems like this before, so probably Christmas or COVID are to blame.

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11 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

 I am actually waiting for a parcel from Japan since Dec. 14th. It sits with the central airport customs for a week now. That makes 26 days of travel this time, and it will take more time to arrive in my hands. I never had problems like this before, so probably Christmas or COVID are to blame.

Seems like Xmas period and covid was this an antique? 

 

 

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29 minutes ago, Paz said:

Tony was this a one off with parcelforce? 

 

Mark it seems fed ex no longer  handle or deliver swords from what I know. But aoi art of whom I've ordered my sword from( awaiting export) deal with ems  but have used fed ex in occasions due to covid.

But I beleive it will be parcelforce as usual. 

 

Tony I would have gone to their hub in person and demanded to know or collect it instead if that was an option. 

 

I have a lot of problems with parcelforce in general. I live in a small village and have never received a package from them just an alert it was delivered. Usually it's with a neighbour. I find the service to be poor in general and the tracking is lacking but that's just a general complaint.

 

This was the worst I've had but I have waited over a month on average to clear for every higher value international package with parcelforce.

When this one arrived at the delivery depot I went and collected it the minute I could.

 

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12 minutes ago, Lareon said:

 

I have a lot of problems with parcelforce in general. I live in a small village and have never received a package from them just an alert it was delivered. Usually it's with a neighbour. I find the service to be poor in general and the tracking is lacking but that's just a general complaint.

 

This was the worst I've had but I have waited over a month on average to clear for every higher value international package with parcelforce.

When this one arrived at the delivery depot I went and collected it the minute I could.

 

I see. 

 

That's annoying indeed. I'm sure their are some more positive reviews. But they are the only ones now who will process antique swords. 

 

I do wonder if FedEx allow you to collect if they don't deliver.

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Paz - From experience:

 

Yes, it goes through PF in Coventry. You can't collect from there. 

 

It normally takes about 3 weeks from Japan via EMS, PF, Customs and back to PF, but it'll probably be a few days longer over Christmas / New Year.

 

Wait until the PF tracking status changes to "In delivery depot" and the location shows your local depot.  You then wait a week or so to get the letter with the customs charge, but in practice, you can ring your local depot and ask if you can pay the charge over the phone.  This takes a week off waiting for the letter and they'll schedule it for delivery the next day (note - it costs an extra tenner if you want Saturday delivery).

 

Its a waste of time contacting PF "Customer Service" if the tracking shows as "Awaiting customs clearance". 

 

You will learn the virtue of patience when dealing with PF & Customs :laughing:

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

 

 

P.S.  I'll respond to your PM this eve :thumbsup:

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I have dealt with Parcelforce numerous times. Sometimes something gets stuck in there, sometimes the postal slip gets delivered to a neighbour (who does not know me or has no idea how to give me the slip or just cannot be bothered to do so), etc. 

My recommendation is to be pro-active and keep checking with the overseas (EMS, UPS etc) reference number, which the Parcelforce online checker tool will convert automatically to the UK Parcelforce reference.

 

If you notice in the online history tracker that your parcel has been stuck in there (eg Coventry hub or London depot, etc)  for longer than 3-5 business days, I suggest you either telephone them (034485522427  or 03448004466; cannot remember which one worked for me) and clear the payment on the phone or email them (pfw-ccb@parcelforce.co.uk) to accelerate the clearance through the customs bonded warehouse. 

 

Sometimes, it might help to speak with a local depot (for me this was the London S East on 03442096101).

 

Always be pro-active: when requesting seller / sender to document items (both inside and outside the parcel, with the correct codes, with the appropriate description, with as full documentation in English as possible even if this means translating the Hozon certificate, etc) and also when dealing with Customs or Parcelforce. Do not rely on others to do the job properly and always double check everything. 

 

If you are too eager or the item - too precious, yes you can go and collect the item in person. Note: the hubs do not accept cash payments. If you are there on the spot, you could pay the fee using their card reader. When the card reader does not work (happened to me once), they ask you to call a line or speak with a colleague of theirs upstairs (using the telephone lines mentioned above, etc) and you clear the payment on the phone, then hang around in a small unsightly cold waiting room while they potter around doing their jobs behind the bulletproof screen, you and need to remind them to check their screens the item has cleared. Once, it took me 45 minutes to an hour of just hanging around there due to faulty card readers even though there were only 2-3 customers there. 

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1 minute ago, Paz said:

Thanks Michael. I will be. Something that valuable in wouldn't want lying around while I wait for them. I'd rather call them to clear the payment as soon as I can. And watch the parcel when it enters the country. 

 

they only let me clear the payment once it's been released from border control. so you have to wait until its cleared customs before you can pay

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Sorry, I forgot to say that collection from the local depot is possible (Cambs in my case), but they told me I couldn't collect from the National Hub (Coventry).  To be fair to PF though, after clearing customs, my last purchase was at the local delivery depot in less than 12 hours, so not worth the trip(for me) even if I could have collected from Coventry.

 

2 hours ago, Gakusee said:

[...] then hang around in a small unsightly cold waiting room while they potter around doing their jobs behind the bulletproof screen

 

Yes indeed! Whenever going to the Parcelforce Depot (or  the Tax office), I always make sure my phone is charged-up and that I have coffee available, so I can wile away the hours! :laughing:

 

Jon

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1 hour ago, FZ1 said:

 

Sorry, I forgot to say that collection from the local depot is possible (Cambs in my case), but they told me I couldn't collect from the National Hub (Coventry).  To be fair to PF though, after clearing customs, my last purchase was at the local delivery depot in less than 12 hours, so not worth the trip(for me) even if I could have collected from Coventry.

 

 

Yes indeed! Whenever going to the Parcelforce Depot (or  the Tax office), I always make sure my phone is charged-up and that I have coffee available, so I can wile away the hours! :laughing:

 

Jon

I had to do that at a DHL site when I ordered bogu from Japan. It was literally a warehouse freezing cold.

 

 

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