International Tracking and Customs Fees

Exinferis · Post by **Exinferis** » 26 Sep 2015, 02:15

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, but have been lurking for many months. Usually I can find the answer to my question(s) quite easily, but this time I seem to be out of luck, so thought I'd register and ask.

I've been importing items from abroad for many years and I'm intimately familiar with International Tracking and Customs Fees. However, I noticed that recently something has changed with the system; it used to be that if an item had been through Customs and a fee applied it would tell me so on the /trackdetails page. Now that doesn't happen.

Also, when I get the Grey Card of Doom it doesn't have the tracking number on it any more, it has this generic sticker on it with a reference number only RM can use. This isn't an issue if I have only one parcel coming, but if I have a couple coming from different companies or friends I don't know if the fee is deserved or not; in my experience RM will just as happily charge a fee for a genuine gift package as for a commercial package, so I often get an unwarranted fee that has to be paid prior to delivery and which I find almost impossible to claim back!

There's also the issue of items getting a fee when there's seemingly no way they could have even been presented to Customs. For example I got a card today for an item that was sent from a friend that arrived at Heathrow at 1845 on the 23rd and left at 2020 the same evening! As I know this item is from a friend and is a gift I was expecting it to arrive yesterday morning, but I was greeted with a Grey Card of Doom instead! You can't tell me Customs personnel work past 1730, so how did this get charged? This has now happened several times and, if I'm honest, it seems somewhat fishy, especially coupled with the lack of Customs showing on tracking now.

So, can someone please explain to me what's going on? Clearly there's some new system in place, I'd just like to know why I'm not seeing Customs on my tracking details and how I'm getting fees on items that seemingly haven't seen a Customs office.

Hope someone can enlighten me!
Ex.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 26 Sep 2015, 03:36

Customs fees afaik have never shown up on the detailed tracking page. imho Royal Mail should scan an item when it goes to customs, then scan it as having cleared customs when rlewased back to Royal Mail. In deliveries, there should be a barcode for a surcharge and a barcode for a customs charge

Exinferis · Post by **Exinferis** » 26 Sep 2015, 15:39

Hi SpacePheonix, thanks for your reply.

Yes, that was exactly what I meant; the tracking always showed when an item had been presented to Customs. Now that simply doesn't happen. Here's an example:

25/09/15 05:47 AT DELIVERY OFFICE SLEAFORD PDO
25/09/15 05:44 AT DELIVERY OFFICESLEAFORD PDO SLEAFORD PDO
25/09/15 00:22 ON ITS WAY TOSLEAFORD PDO NOTTINGHAM MAIL CENTRE
24/09/15 23:27 ITEM COLLECTED NOTTINGHAM MAIL CENTRE
23/09/15 20:20 ON ITS WAY TONOTTINGHAM MAIL CENTRE HEATHROW WORLDWIDE DC
23/09/15 18:45 ARRIVED IN THE UK HEATHROW WORLDWIDE DC

Now this package is the one I referred to this morning as having come from a friend but having gotten a Customs charge. Firstly, a charge should never have been applied and secondly, the tracking doesn't show a visit to the Customs office, so when could the charge have been applied? It almost seems to me that the packages are coming through as normal, not being presented to Customs but getting an arbitrary fee once received at my local PDO (Sleaford, as you can see). It's just so weird!

Also, the card I got for that package isn't even addressed to me, my name isn't on it! What's going on there, I wonder? I'm fairly sure my mate knows my name by now!

stressed157 · Post by **stressed157** » 26 Sep 2015, 20:07

Customs charges aren't applied by royal mail, your issue is with hmrc.

Exinferis · Post by **Exinferis** » 26 Sep 2015, 20:59

stressed157 wrote:Customs charges aren't applied by royal mail, your issue is with hmrc.

I suggest you read my entire OP before posting such a glib response.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 26 Sep 2015, 21:50

Royal Mail doesn't have any say whatsoever as to what items get a customs charge. I've no idea if customs examine every item or so many at random

For example I got a card today for an item that was sent from a friend that arrived at Heathrow at 1845 on the 23rd and left at 2020 the same evening! As I know this item is from a friend and is a gift I was expecting it to arrive yesterday morning, but I was greeted with a Grey Card of Doom instead! You can't tell me Customs personnel work past 1730, so how did this get charged? This has now happened several times and, if I'm honest, it seems somewhat fishy, especially coupled with the lack of Customs showing on tracking now.

When was the item posted? Customs would most likely work in shifts, and would operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, if they didn't it would take way too long for stuff to clear customs (some stuff already seems to take a month or more to clear customs)

Exinferis · Post by **Exinferis** » 26 Sep 2015, 22:11

It was posted on the 15th of this month. There's also this tracking information from 17track:
Destination Country - Tracking Consuming: 1984 ms - Go to official website
2015-09-25 00:00

A delivery was attempted for your item with reference LK603166093HK in SLEAFORD PDO before 05:47 on 25/09/15.

Origin Country - Tracking Consuming: 6344 ms - Go to official website
2015-09-25 00:00

United Kingdom, The item (LK603166093HK) was tendered for delivery on 25-Sep-2015 without success because the addressee was not available at the time of delivery. The item is being held and the addressee is being notified.

Curiouser and curiouser.

As I said, it's not the charge I'm enquiring about, it's the tracking. I just want to get to the bottom of why it's not showing visits to Customs any more. Why has this changed? And if the tracking system hasn't changed, then someone's charging fees that aren't being paid to HMRC as they're supposed to be. There's a thought, I'll contact HMRC directly, see what details they have or recent packages.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 26 Sep 2015, 22:48

Might be worth also tweeting Royal Mail on Twitter to ask them why nothing shows for customs on the tracking

Exinferis · Post by **Exinferis** » 26 Sep 2015, 23:08

I don't have a twitter account. But thanks anyway.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 27 Sep 2015, 11:16

1 Post deleted http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... =6&t=16499" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We are more strict in here than anywhere else because this section is where a breach of RMC rules could mean a conduct case and possible dismissal for bringing Royal Mail into disrepute, more so because of the recent guide sent out by Royal Mail.

Ultimately you are responsible for what you post, not RoyalMailChat, and we can do nothing if a Manager prints of one of your comments and uses it as evidence against you. We are a public site and you should bear that in mind.

The essence of the post was correct in that HMRC work 24/7 and are the only ones responsible for raising Customs Charges, but the extraneous comments were inappropriate and frankly unwarranted. Hopefully I caught the comment before a manager did.

09phillj · Post by **09phillj** » 08 Jun 2020, 21:01

Hi everyone,

First time poster, hope this is on the right thread!

I am waiting on a parcel from the US. Royal Mail's twitter advised me that a customs charge was applied to the item today, but there's nothing at all on any tracking.

Is this normal? Tracking LH095611552US

Thanks :)

ROYALMAILCHAT