Unexpected Customs Charges

[HollyBlue85]

I am just looking for some advice really. I've had a letter stating that I owe £50 in Customs Charges, yet there was no mention of this charge on the website that I bought the item from.

I've contacted the company and the response that I received is that this charge is my problem. Yet had I known about this charge I wouldn't have brought this item.

Any advice?

Did the website pretend it was UK-based? If not then they’re right, it’s not their problem.

Customs fees are legally the responsibility of the recipient - the person importing the item. If it was clear that it was coming from overseas there's nothing you can do.

If it purported to be coming from the UK you might have some kind of claim against the seller but it would be hard to enforce for obvious reasons, if they are not based in this country.

It is your problem, it’s not up to them to figure out customs charges for every country they send goods to. This is always a factor when ordering expensive goods from abroad.

It is this www.indiegogo.com/projects/quieton-3-the-smallest-anc-earbuds-for-sleeping#/

This quite clearly shows that they are in Finland. Imports from the EU now attract taxes & handling fees.

Yep the website is within the EU, so anything now from the EU to U.K. will incur custom charges unfortunately, same the other way U.K. to EU.

Lesson learnt. Thanks all for your help.

Bloody Brexit!

I think you just have to suck it up, unfortunately. My idiot husband bought some hair bands from America. Cost us £28 for a bit of elastic. Nothing we could do about it.

@Mumoftwoinprimary

Bloody Brexit!

Yes, quite. It was one of those things I used to point out to Brexiteers in the run-up to the referendum, but no, it wouldn't happen, it was project fear ...

I used to buy loads of collectables from France and Germany that you can't get over here. Arrived in a couple of days, no problem. Now, once you add the import charges it costs a fortune, takes twice as long and you have to fanny around making the payment.

Pah!

@stingofthebutterfly

I think you just have to suck it up, unfortunately. My idiot husband bought some hair bands from America. Cost us £28 for a bit of elastic. Nothing we could do about it.

That would not have been unexpected though? The USA was never in the EU.