Customs at Langley HWDC

Eastbound5 · Post by **Eastbound5** » 03 Apr 2017, 10:38

Are items taking a long time to clear Langley customs? I have a package from Cameroon that arrived on the 28th. I have called Royal Mail on numerous occasions and told to be patient as there is a backlog. Then I spoke to a very rude person on the phone on Saturday who said that I'll get it when I get it, and the tracking numbers are no use, I'll know when it arrives. Up until then Royal Mail accept no responsibility for it.

I know this is a piece of string question, but how long should I expect to wait? I have bought from this guy loads of times, never any problem. The longest it has taken to get through Langley is 7 days, so if it isn't here tomorrow then I can only suspect a backlog or loss.

Can anyone offer any advice?

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 03 Apr 2017, 14:15

Yes there are always delays. Customs randomly select batches of mail to undergo deeper checks, if you are unlucky enough to have an item in that batch then the delays can be quite extensive.

Royal Mail won't accept responsibility, nor should they to be honest. The items are off loaded from the aircraft straight into Customs, if customs decide to hold them there is nothing Royal Mail can do as it is NOT in their possession or control, its in HM Customs. This means Royal Mail can't scan them for tracking purposes (and Customs don't scan) and they can't give you an estimation of when it will arrive.

Although the above is tough to take, it is sadly the current state of things.

Eastbound5 · Post by **Eastbound5** » 04 Apr 2017, 07:36

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:Yes there are always delays. Customs randomly select batches of mail to undergo deeper checks, if you are unlucky enough to have an item in that batch then the delays can be quite extensive.

Royal Mail won't accept responsibility, nor should they to be honest. The items are off loaded from the aircraft straight into Customs, if customs decide to hold them there is nothing Royal Mail can do as it is NOT in their possession or control, its in HM Customs. This means Royal Mail can't scan them for tracking purposes (and Customs don't scan) and they can't give you an estimation of when it will arrive.

Although the above is tough to take, it is sadly the current state of things.

Yeah, friends have told me this is the case, and that there are more random batches being taken in the wake of the London attack. Oh well. Tough, yes, but I'll have to just take it. Maybe it will turn up one day.

CornyAgain · Post by **CornyAgain** » 03 Oct 2017, 12:46

Eastbound5 wrote:
TrueBlueTerrier wrote:Yes there are always delays. Customs randomly select batches of mail to undergo deeper checks, if you are unlucky enough to have an item in that batch then the delays can be quite extensive.

Royal Mail won't accept responsibility, nor should they to be honest. The items are off loaded from the aircraft straight into Customs, if customs decide to hold them there is nothing Royal Mail can do as it is NOT in their possession or control, its in HM Customs. This means Royal Mail can't scan them for tracking purposes (and Customs don't scan) and they can't give you an estimation of when it will arrive.

Although the above is tough to take, it is sadly the current state of things.

The excuses don't make sense though. In my case an item from Poland has been waiting a week - for what?

It can't have been "off loaded from the aircraft straight into Customs" - it was scanned and logged as arriving. But there's no further news, no logging of progress within Langley or dispatch via RM to me. There's no need for customs checks, of course, from inside the EU.

So the inescapable conclusion is just that Langley is a mess. There's no excuse for this.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 03 Oct 2017, 14:23

CornyAgain wrote:There's no need for customs checks, of course, from inside the EU.

So the inescapable conclusion is just that Langley is a mess. There's no excuse for this.

Incorrect. There are no Tax implications, but there are legal, safety and import regulations that need to be applied/considered and thats what the checks are for.

We aren't giving excuses because we aren't and we don't represent Royal Mail. If you don't like our responses or insights then, by all means, go the official route with your query.

Agata Sendek · Post by **Agata Sendek** » 21 Jul 2018, 19:03

Hi.
I want to block package That I was send From Poland. The baye is a crook and I don't have my money so I want to block The package and make resend to my? Is it possible?
The no. of package is RR176016122PL and she came today in Langley HWDC.
Please help me.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 21 Jul 2018, 19:26

Agata Sendek wrote:Hi.
I want to block package That I was send From Poland. The baye is a crook and I don't have my money so I want to block The package and make resend to my? Is it possible?
The no. of package is RR176016122PL and she came today in Langley HWDC.
Please help me.

We're not allowed to block the delivery of any item

creativepreneur · Post by **creativepreneur** » 30 Jul 2018, 10:15

I have a parcel coming from Singapore that is still stuck in Langley (or lost??) It arrived there on July 21st and I'm guessing I will never get it. The tracking still says 'We've got it' The real pain is not being able to speak to anyone about it. My local PO just says it's probably lost and shrugs their shoulders.

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 30 Jul 2018, 12:56

It probably isn’t lost, just gone for extra checks. A week spent there isn’t unusual at all.

david007 · Post by **david007** » 01 Aug 2018, 19:27

Hi Snaggletooth, I always assumed that once an item showed up on Royal Mail tracking("WE'VE GOT IT") then it had cleared all the necessary checks by customs and was now ready to be delivered. Am I incorrect in thinking this?

Also does anyone know that when USPS send a parcel to the UK from America, do they scan the parcel individually before they hand it to customs or do they scan the container that the parcels were transported in and then pass the container to customs. The reason I ask is because a friend of mine has had a parcel depart San Francisco airport on the 29th and hasn't shown up as arriving at London yet. From my own past experiences, I know that whenever a parcel from America lands at Heathrow it shows on USPS tracking as "DEPARTED LONDON". In this instance this hasn't happened.

Thanks in advance.

JohnDoeSan · Post by **JohnDoeSan** » 02 Aug 2018, 15:53

creativepreneur wrote:I have a parcel coming from Singapore that is still stuck in Langley (or lost??) It arrived there on July 21st and I'm guessing I will never get it. The tracking still says 'We've got it' The real pain is not being able to speak to anyone about it. My local PO just says it's probably lost and shrugs their shoulders.

I am in the exact same situation, only difference being my parcel (from Singapore too) arrived on the 23rd in HWDC. I mean, you'd think even an extensive check couldn't take more than 2 hours, I mean they don't study the parcel for days trying to figure out what's inside... It doesn't make sense. I'm extremely frustrated and confused as to why such slow sorting practices are still accepted in this time and age. It's not like the parcel came from the Moon... And having no way of actually contacting anyone at HWDC is beyond me... At this point I'm extremely disappointed with the system.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 02 Aug 2018, 16:07

As posted before HWDC are not in possession of it - customs are - and they aren't responsible to Royal Mail.

As soon a Customs release any item then it enters the processing system for Royal Mail and can be at your local office within 24 hours. At that point, it is either delivered or a grey card is raised if there are charges outstanding.

I can't say this enough times. The delay is with customs not Royal Mail.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 02 Aug 2018, 16:10

david007 wrote:Hi Snaggletooth, I always assumed that once an item showed up on Royal Mail tracking("WE'VE GOT IT") then it had cleared all the necessary checks by customs and was now ready to be delivered. Am I incorrect in thinking this?

Also does anyone know that when USPS send a parcel to the UK from America, do they scan the parcel individually before they hand it to customs or do they scan the container that the parcels were transported in and then pass the container to customs. The reason I ask is because a friend of mine has had a parcel depart San Francisco airport on the 29th and hasn't shown up as arriving at London yet. From my own past experiences, I know that whenever a parcel from America lands at Heathrow it shows on USPS tracking as "DEPARTED LONDON". In this instance this hasn't happened.

Thanks in advance.

How or what USPS scan, unfortunately, we can't tell you, but they are the only firm that does scan parcels as a matter of routine when unloading, before handing them over to customs. Some other national carriers do scan sometimes, but it appears a bit hit and miss

JohnDoeSan · Post by **JohnDoeSan** » 02 Aug 2018, 16:32

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
david007 wrote:Hi Snaggletooth, I always assumed that once an item showed up on Royal Mail tracking("WE'VE GOT IT") then it had cleared all the necessary checks by customs and was now ready to be delivered. Am I incorrect in thinking this?

Also does anyone know that when USPS send a parcel to the UK from America, do they scan the parcel individually before they hand it to customs or do they scan the container that the parcels were transported in and then pass the container to customs. The reason I ask is because a friend of mine has had a parcel depart San Francisco airport on the 29th and hasn't shown up as arriving at London yet. From my own past experiences, I know that whenever a parcel from America lands at Heathrow it shows on USPS tracking as "DEPARTED LONDON". In this instance this hasn't happened.

Thanks in advance.
How or what USPS scan, unfortunately, we can't tell you, but they are the only firm that does scan parcels as a matter of routine when unloading, before handing them over to customs. Some other national carriers do scan sometimes, but it appears a bit hit and miss

I'm sure that anyone who is waiting for their parcels/letters to be cleared by customs would agree even to have the said packages/letters opened and visually inspected if it would mean accelerating the clearance process. I mean, with all the technology we have at out disposal, clearing an item shouldn't take such unbelievably long time. Scan it through x-ray, ok... Problem? Take it in your hand, open it, check it, see that it's ok, reseal it, give it to RM to deliver it, asking for TAX payment or not. Easy... If the package/letter is not eligible for clearance, notify the receiver/sender and instruct them on what needs to be done. Why is it that hard? Efficiency is required from any service, why does this slow customs process is still allowed to function? And why is it so hard to contact somebody within customs? Why does it have to be such a black hole this whole ordeal?

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 02 Aug 2018, 16:39

The simple answer is its a Government Department and as with most of them these days they are undermanned, under pressure, under funded and they have to follow the processes laid down by the government with no deviation. All of that makes it inefficent for people waiting to receive items, but it does raise revenue for the exchequer.

As to the other whys, as HMRC isn't part of Royal Mail I can't answer for them, I can only state my opinion as I have above.

Royal Mail (as in HWDC) are caught between a Rock (HMRC) and a hard place (customers) they do their best but have to answer to both masters.

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