[nosferatu]

The shop is fantastic and Ryan sends the goodies straightaway but UK buyers need to be wary of the thieving, lazy scumbags at Royal Mail.
I ordered from the shop on the 9th and my parcel was customs cleared the next day in the UK! It took Royal Mail a further 3 days to deliver it 128 miles to my local sorting office where it has sat ever since.

Unfortunately, I got charged £7 VAT on the stuff I ordered. This I don't mind paying as that is the law and was expected but what really got my goat is that Royal Mail charged an £8 handling fee. I had to track the parcel down and collect, it would still be there come Halloween if I hadn't chased it. Royal Mail are thieves and have told them so vocally and in a letter of complaint demanding an apology and a refund. The parcel took less than 24 hours to travel 3,500 miles(amazing!) and then a further 7 days to travel 128 miles. Craptacula Royal Mail!

I actually thought the parcel had been nicked by a light fingered postie (as has happened numerous times in the past), little did I realise that the thieves operate at corporate level these days too. Apparently, they are doing this a LOT at the moment, it helps maximise profits by charging for doing nothing, so be wary.

Anyway, the wait was worth it. Love the T shirts, the mystic Saral Paper and the 3 types of light, oh and not forgetting DC. Lovely surprise. Fantastic. "Did you see her eyes? Ash, I'm scared. What's wrong with her?"

[paddy_babe]

thats terrible!
Is there always a VAT fee and handling fee and where do we end up paying that (I'll be ordering from ryans shop soon and just want to be prepared).

Royal Mail have messed around with a lot recently, I only today received an ebay item I ordered 2/3 weeks ago!

[nosferatu]

I've never been charged with ZP stuff before. Twice for things for stuff on eBay from America but when you consider the number of times I haven't been charged, that's not bad. It says, "Goods purchased and imported into the EU with a value over £18(for VAT purposes)......are subject to customs charges." It's only VAT so its not that much really. It's having to pay Royal Mail for a handling charge that is lousy.

I am waiting for a DVD photo presentation that was sent Special delivery and has gone missing in the post and today we have had an envelope with "DO NOT BEND" all over it, folded and pushed through the letterbox.

The man at the counter told me that the Royal Mail and customs are cracking down a bit as it is easy money to be made. In the past they would only do it on very expensive parcels but now it has swung the other way, if they can charge you they will. They normally post a card through your letterbox saying that there is a parcel ready to collect but requires a surcharge

[nosferatu]

Customer services tell me that the £8 handling fee is a standard set charge, whether your VAT charge is 1 penny or £100. It's fixed. If you won't pay, you don't get your parcel.......and they don't do refunds.

I did ask her to clarify and justify the handling charge but she started to waffle and the excuses were extremely poor, so I hung up

[purple1worm]

You're not alone. A few months ago I ordered some jewelry making supplies. I paid the company 15$ shiping, 8$ handling fee . I expected to pay duty. But when the package came I paid an additional 35$ for both duty and shiping (from the border). How ridicilous!! Now I stick to companies with less shiping charges,or order from within Canada!!

[paddy_babe]

I think its bad especially with the strikes.
I once caught the postman putting in those leaflet things through the door, I opened the door and said "no I'm in" and he just said "oh" and went to get the package... he hadnt even brought it to the door!!

[nosferatu]

This afternoon I have had a delivery by ParcelForce. A1 size black card, ten sheets in a thick cardboard tube. The tube has obviously been stood on at some point and the card is now useless due to the massive crease through the middle. At £2 a sheet, I'm not happy.

If anything else delivered over the next few days is torn, battered, charged for etc I think I will be turning a little bit green from my usual, mild mannered Dr David Banner self. I now understand why seemingly normal people go off their heads, buy a gun and head off down to the local post office for a spot of target practice.

I'm sure most people who work for the post office are extremely hard working, dedicated individuals but as an organisation, they suck.

[GUS]

My actual "round" posties are wonderful & the service delivered to ourselves is thoroughly wortj the bottles of their favourite tipples we hand out at xmas...

Management has totally screwed up the RM. (we hear about it every other day)
Perhaps ryan could put deliveries to gift & 5 cents under the maximum allowance? as the handling fee of £8.00 is unjustifiable.
It seems cheeky to ask but necessary, Nos, they are actually obliged to deliver for that £8.00 ..but the wording is duplicitous & implies that it has to be collected, this is completely incorrect.

(we got caught out once like this & had to trawl down to cambridge to find out! ..since then if it happens pay it over the phone & sit back, or they are getting a double bubble)!

[matspud]

I have had loads of parcels with the charge on it. The blighters also are really lazy so if the value is given in $ they dont convert it to £ and charge the VAT on the $ value eg $150 would be £100 roughly so should be charged for tax on £100 but they tax it @ £150. I have also been charged for items under £18 . I object to the handling charge most as , in general, you have to go and collect the parcel and pay at the same time although you can supposedly pay on the phone or online. What annoys me more is when it doesn't go to the local handling ofice and I have to drive to the parcelforce depot in Perth nearly 30 miles away.

NOw i'm on a rolll......... a couple of christmases ago I ordered and item from ebay that was sent special delivery fordelivery before 1pm the following day. While I was tracking the parcel i noticed that I had supposedly signed for the package at 10am. I phoned and they said it had been delivered and they had a signature to prove it. "Not mine" I said "so where did they deliver it to and what name?" "Can't say til the driver gets back" came the reply. Off I went on a hunt of all the houses in my area that started the same as mine ... nothing. At 3pm the postie arrived with the parcel. I told him what had happened " how can they have a signature from you when I am just delivering it?"came the reply. Works out that if the item isn't delivered on time they have to refund the cost so , knowing there was no way they could make it in time, they marked it as signed and said the signature woulld not be available until the driver returned to the depot, by which time they would have obtained the correct signature. What a con

By the way my regular postie is a gem

And don't get me started about UPS although that is really driver dependent and they have some great drivers as well as some truly terrible ones

[S.A.M]

That sucks Nos and how annoying that it managed to cross the Atlantic in 24 hrs for it to be "lost" and take so long to reach you, then you have to pay extra for the privilege. I'd be feeling pretty angry right now too.

Would ordering smaller packages from Ryan help avoid import tax? If it's a big (expensive) order split it in to two or more separate orders, perhaps that would work?
I know that anything imported over £18 you have to pay VAT and if it's a gift between two people it's £36, that should help if you want to know potential order limits ( Royal Mail on import tax ).

[nosferatu]

I'll do as SAM suggests and split the orders in future. Like I said I have no objection to paying the tax but there is no way I am paying that fee. I intend to send bulky Christmas cards to all the directors of Royal Mail with the words important documents on the envelope....with no stamps on. Then they can trapse down to the post office and have to pay .

[paddy_babe]

ohh I am cross at RM!
Today I had to go to the post office to change some euros and instead of waiting for my partner to wake up and drive me (he works nights so not really fair) I decided to walk to my local PO. (kinda far but I was planning on walking slow). I finally get up there (2miles) and they tell me that they cant change euros (even though they had many signs up saying currency change etc). I ask for directions to the next PO and walk there...
on the way I ask for directions (a postie) and he points me in a completely different direction to the people in the office (even he commented it was the longer way!)
7 and a half months pregnant walking 7/8 miles instead of 2.

THEN I find out that the oringinal PO I was at DOES change euros!!!
ughhhhhhh.

Also some of the packages are in such a state when they reach us!

[monstermash]

Ive been having loads of trouble with royal mail recently. For me at least it seems that all of a sudden they have become really crap. Three different things ive bought have been "lost" in the post. lost my a**, nicked more like. Also, im now having to hunt down something that has been re-sent to me cause no one was in to sign for it at the other end. RM have definately gone downhill, no doubt about it.

[Tkaraoke]

Sounds like they should change the name to "ROYAL PAIN"!

[SaneInsideInsanity]

I think its bad especially with the strikes.
I once caught the postman putting in those leaflet things through the door, I opened the door and said "no I'm in" and he just said "oh" and went to get the package... he hadnt even brought it to the door!!

They do that here too don;t worry , i was sitting on my front sets having a ciggie and a post truck came up with a sorry we missed you parcel pickup slip in his had (my pickup location is 10 min walk from my house but with very eradicate hours) He hands me the slip. I same sort of thing...Uh but im here you didn't miss me, turns out he didn't even have the parcel on his truck it was being sent right to the depot for pickup when it was suppose to be a delivery when i asked why he said it was their policy not to delivery valuables in my area in case of robbery....it was 2 dvd's from the movie club.... 2 weeks later had a different guy leave a package on my steps....also canada post with no signature i found it getting home from work which speaking of valuables was worth quite a lot more then the movies....grrrr

So you're not alone over there. I feel for you on the charges though