Parcel sat at HWDC

[Camerade]

Hi Folks,

I wonder if anyone can help me? I ordered a lens from Russia on the 16th October. The seller dispatched the item the following day and it showed up on the Russian Post site on the 19th. It took just 4 days to clear customs and be exported. 2 days later it arrived in the UK at the blackhole that seems to be GBLALA Langley. There has been no update for 12 days. No letter from HMRC informing of any issue or duties payable, etc.

What I don't get is that I ordered a lens hood for the lens from HK 6 days after ordering the lens. That has arrived without issue. I also ordered a cheap travel tripod from China, which arrived today and only took 11 days to turn up. Is the fact that the lens came from Russia the issue, with the ongoing sanctions etc? If there were a customs backlog, why is stuff I ordered a couple of weeks after the lens, from further afield, making it through to me but the lens isn't?

It's really stressing me out as I originally ordered the lens from Hong Kong. The seller took my money and said it was dispatched the following day. I waited two weeks and contacted the seller. They informed me that it was out of stock! So they refunded me and I ordered it from Russia. I had ordered it specifically for the Autumn leaves but now they have all but disappeared. I am leaving for Canada in the next few weeks and wanted to take the lens with me on holiday and am becoming increasingly worried this isn't going to happen. Is there no way to contact HMRC Langley and find out what the problem is? I keep checking the http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; page but it just says the same thing "25/10/14 18:27 RECEIVED IN UK HEATHROW WORLDWIDE DC"

I appreciate that this isn't an official site but any help would be gratefully received as I'm pulling my hair out here!

[Camerade]

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since the parcel was scanned into HWDC. Nothing has arrived. No grey docket or letter of any kind to say there is a problem or duties payable. I've contacted the sender and they assure me that this is perfectly normal and said the lens is still in customs and there won't be any update until it is released by them. After reading numerous threads on here and other places, I informed them that HWDC is often the last time a parcel is scanned upon arrival into the UK. Royal Mail CS cannot tell me if the lens is in customs, or has made it's way out and has been subsequently lost. What annoys the hell out of me is that they won't even investigate the matter because I am the recipient and not the sender, so I have to go through the rigmarole of getting the Russian sender to contact Russia Post, to contact Royal Mail.

I've had 4 items arrive from China and Hong Kong since ordering the lens and all have arrived without issue. The last one took just 9 days from ordering to delivery. Some of the tracking numbers still show the items as being at HWDC. You'd think that it would be in the Royal Mail's own financial interests to ensure these tracked items are properly scanned and marked as delivered when they are delivered, since the current system is clearly open to abuse from unscrupulous individuals who receive goods and still make a claim, but I digress.

Personally, I think the parcel from Russia is a write off. Either defaced/damaged, lost or stolen. Now I have to wait another 5 days before I can get eBay involved and attempt to get my money back or get the sender to send a replacement lens. I just want the latter but, I'm apprehensive about another one going missing as a result. It's 4 weeks today since I ordered the damn thing. To say I'm fed up is an understatement.

[SpacePhoenix]

What part of the UK is it going to?

Does the lens contain any sort of gas inside of it?

[Camerade]

Hi SpacePhoenix,

Postal area is DA12 / Northwest Kent. Nope, no gas or anything of that nature. Just metal and glass. Not even any electronics. I can't see there being any reason at all for it being seized/delayed or even needing to be opened by HMRC if they x-rayed it. It's totally ruined all my plans for autumn portraits so I will have to wait a whole year to use it specifically for that. It might actually have arrived by then but, I won't hold my breath!

[Camerade]

Had another international parcel arrive, this time from the USA. That took 12 days from date of purchase. That makes 5 international parcels in total since ordering the lens from Russia. 23 days now since it was checked into HWDC Langley. Still no grey docket or any form of contact. Would you guys think it is pretty safe to say that the parcel has cleared GBLALA and has subsequently been lost by RM? Fed up waiting for the damn thing. The seller has apparently contacted Russia Post to start an investigation but said this can take a very long time. Having already waited 32 days for the parcel to be delivered, I'm not prepared to wait much longer and certainly not going to wait longer than my refund period expiry date. Think I'll give it until Thursday when I can get eBay involved and just get a refund. So hacked off!

[Camerade]

Hi folks. Still no parcel or any form of contact from RM/HRMC. I was wondering how long does RM consider an undelivered parcel lost for recorded mail? Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since being tracked at HWDC and 37 days since I ordered the lens from Russia. The damn seller wants me to wait another 10 days which I can't do, due to flying to Canada soon. He's telling me that these delays are normal for UK delivery (he's talking BS as I have looked at the feedback and a few people who have bought the same lens from him in the UK around the same time have already left positive feedback, probably close to 2 weeks ago). He also keeps telling me I need to contact UK customs and for about the forth time, I've told him that is impossible to do. Every other international parcel from China, Hong Kong and the U.S. has arrived without issue about 12 days from date of ordering. I've been extremely patient with the whole thing up to now and I don't think I'm being unreasonable in asking for a refund considering the length of time that has already passed. Nobody can tell me where the parcel is and since it is not a prohibited item I see no reason why it would be seized by customs. It's either had the label defaced or been lost/stolen after leaving HWDC In my opinion.

[SpacePhoenix]

Hi folks. Still no parcel or any form of contact from RM/HRMC. I was wondering how long does RM consider an undelivered parcel lost for recorded mail? Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since being tracked at HWDC and 37 days since I ordered the lens from Russia. The damn seller wants me to wait another 10 days which I can't do, due to flying to Canada soon. He's telling me that these delays are normal for UK delivery (he's talking BS as I have looked at the feedback and a few people who have bought the same lens from him in the UK around the same time have already left positive feedback, probably close to 2 weeks ago). He also keeps telling me I need to contact UK customs and for about the forth time, I've told him that is impossible to do. Every other international parcel from China, Hong Kong and the U.S. has arrived without issue about 12 days from date of ordering. I've been extremely patient with the whole thing up to now and I don't think I'm being unreasonable in asking for a refund considering the length of time that has already passed. Nobody can tell me where the parcel is and since it is not a prohibited item I see no reason why it would be seized by customs. It's either had the label defaced or been lost/stolen after leaving HWDC In my opinion.

It's not unusual for things to get stuck at customs for over a month

[Camerade]

I finally got eBay involved. After reviewing the case, they concluded that the seller did not provide a valid tracking number, as there was no evidence the one provided was for my address and it was still showing as being in transit after 5 weeks. Whether it was indeed a cloned tracking number or not, from another buyer in the UK who purchased another item around the same time, I cannot say for sure. The seller has relatively good feedback so I would be surprised, but I suppose it's not impossible. I had another international parcel arrive yesterday, making that 6 since I ordered the lens, so it doesn't make much sense that the lens would be delayed for so long, at least to my mind.

Ebay refunded me the money but I wish I just had the damn lens, as now I'll have to try and order it elsewhere!