Trouble with customs

[The Mitch]

Hey all!

Following problem:

I ordered a nice Jackson from USA.

It was shipped 3 weeks ago and arrived at german customs 2 weeks ago.
So far so good... so what?!

They told me to show them bank wire transfer documents to proof the value o the guitar.
- I faxed them all I had to proof the value of the guitar, so they could calculate all that import tax/fees BS.

Today I saw on dhl website that the box is deliverd... Well... I don't have the guitar...

I called dhl today and they said it is still in customs in a city called Speyer here in Germany and it will probably be sent back to USA!

I said WFT?!

Problem could have been that the value stated at the documents in the box does not match the value stated on the bank wire documents...

AND, the sender wrote his actual name on the box instead the name of his company like stated on the bank papers...

My question now is:
Are they allowd to sent it back to USA without telling/asking me?

Any thougts?

[Jayster]

Wow Mitch ,

What a shitty situation ,maybe you could contact the seller and have him fax the support documentation to dhl ?I would certainly try to exhaust some options before waiting for a guitar to travel around the world!!!

Are they allowed to ? probably ,but as a business they should be interested in finding a low cost solution.

Good luck
Jay

[The Mitch]

I already did all kind of stuff to solve the problems, even wrote a letter to clear things up.

Now I can't reach anyone in charge while it is weekend.
And I hope they didn't sent it back yet...

Good gawd, this really pisses me of!
This is a fucking custom shop Jackson which means many $

[AK47]

I am not saying you did this but I sell to buyers in Europe all the time and one thing I will no longer do is declare the value lower than what it really is.

I have heard of people getting screwed really bad in Europe because customs has gotten really hot on the people trying to avoid VAT taxes by declaring the value low or gift.

Also if you dont like it make sure to vote for politicians that will repeal the VAT.Also I dont know if you guys vote so maybe Coup or a Kaiser needs to get shot for things to change?

[Rsmacker]

Get your arse over to the Customs shed and ask them who you have to blow to get your guitar, seriously.

Customs will have no interest in sending it back to the USA, they couldn't give a flying fuck. Their business is to collect taxes and prevent you from importing a guitar covered in Tiger Scrotum and with Panda teeth inlays. In the case of the latter, you lose the guitar, they impound it and destroy it. In the case of the former, they hold on to it until they get their pound of flesh..........or they destroy it. Once something is in the clutches of any Customs office, it doesn't get returned, they are not a post office with a mission to ensure everyone gets stuff that is posted to them.

SO, you need to find out from Customs, not fucking DHL, a company renowned for employing the hard-of-thinking, what exactly the problem is, what is the hold-up, how much you owe, if any.
Once again, Customs shouldn't really give a toss what name is in the sender box, so long as it's not Mr Bin Laden. They are interested in the value, so they can collect their tax. Even if the sender has tried to do you a favour and put a lower value on it, that's not your problem, you haven't tried to pull one over on them. You can show them the money transfer receipt, that's what you paid - you should pay the duty on that.

Dealing with Customs face to face on things like this really does depend on the impression you create. Act like a stroppy cunt, and they will think "Fuck him and the guitar". Be polite, honest, and don't try to be clever, the bloke behind the counter only wants an easy life at work, he will be happier to sort things out if you aren't an arsehole.

If the place is too far away to zoom down there, get on the phone, speak to a supervisor, and take names, maybe ask for calls to be logged. Be polite, but be firm and FFS don't lose your temper or wail about how much your guitar means to you. Be business-like and determined to sort it out, and you should get somewhere.

Good luck!

PS. No matter the outcome at Customs, even if it appears to be a no-go, remember that they may say it is not their problem, but behind the scenes they may be doing something. Govt depts, especially Customs, who think they are something special, don't like to think they are doing something because a scrote member of the public has asked/told them too. They like to think they do things when they want to, and they never admit to mistakes.

At the same time, speak to someone with authority at DHL. Not a depot manager, not a customer service op, but someone important. Get the name of the highest person you can and ask for him direct. When you get stalled by the minions, take their names and make sure they know that you will be following up in writing to the Head Honcho detailing who has been helpful and who has been an obstructive cunt. Nobody wants to go on the cunt list, everyone wants to be on the brown-nosey arse-lick helpful employee list, this is most helpful!

[Jayster]

a guitar covered in Tiger Scrotum and with Panda teeth inlays.

[AK47]

I would just threaten to shoot the Kaiser if they wont release it. Remind them of what happened last time the Kaiser got shot.

[The Mitch]

+1 on rsmaker...

I talked to some persons in charge over at customs and cleard up everything by faxing all kind of fucking documents.
This was a week ago...

Then they sent it to another customs dept. in order to proof things once again.

According to DHL the guitar is still there and waits to be sent back to NY.

[AK47]

So did you try to avoid taxes by declaring it a lower value than insuring it for actual value?

On Ebay I have European bidders calling me lazy and stupid all the time because I refuse to do this.

I did do this at one time but EU customs is cracking down on this so I refuse to do it now because of situations like this.

[The Mitch]

I would just threaten to shoot the Kaiser if they wont release it. Remind them of what happened last time the Kaiser got shot.

:ROTF:

The only german guy they call the "Kaiser" is a dude called "Franz Beckenbauer", but he's a fucking soccer-god here and has nothing to do with politics.

[The Mitch]

So did you try to avoid taxes by declaring it a lower value than insuring it for actual value?

On Ebay I have European bidders calling me lazy and stupid all the time because I refuse to do this.

I did do this at one time but EU customs is cracking down on this so I refuse to do it now because of situations like this.

No because I know that customs ignores the value stated on the box.
But the prices are mixed up tho on boxes' docs and bank wire papers because of shipping costs etc.. + They probably got confused by the sender's and the name of his company on different papers.

But as I said, I already talked to another customs dept about that sh** and they believed me.

Now the other dept is making trouble

[shadowcat]

Damn that sucks...

I had problems with customs too when I got my JacksonStars RRJ1B from Hong Kong (bought from a JCF member). It was because there was no invoice, just the value declared on the box.
But at least the guitar went to the customs dept. in Hamburg and I got some forms from DHL to fill out.
I printed out the PM with the price, got my bank account printout, and went there in person to get my package. Got it resolved without further problems.
I'm VERY glad I didn't try the lower cost thingy!

Good luck!

[The Mitch]

DHL told me 5 minutes ago that they have no information about the guitar to be sent back...

[wilkinsi]

If the amount on the receipt is drastically different from the amount declared, I can see why they'd wanna fuck you over. To declare a lower amount is a criminal offence as Rsmacker found out and nearly lost his Snakeskin guitar (he was lucky to get fined.. then taxed on that too).

[gotwtt]

there thieves