Posted in: Comics | Tagged: books, Charge, Comics, customs, entertainment, parcelforce, quantum and woody, uk, valiant, vat

Fighting With Parcelforce, Customs And UK The Border Service Over Quantum And Woody (UPDATE)

Forgive me if I am a little self indulgent here. But in the UK, our sales tax, VAT, is zero rated for books. Which is great, it means that books, magazines, comics can be imported from abroad and sold without paying import or sales taxes, which even after shipping fees across the world, means that American comics don't cost as much as they otherwise might.

Which is great when everyone realises this.

Currently, Valiant Entertainment are trying to send me the Quantum And Woody Omnibus. Super, I'm down with that, excellent.

Except someone at UK Border Control doesn't realise that graphic novels, written on the outside, means books. So the parcel delivery system Parcelforce have been ordered to make a charge of £8.27 VAT for Inland Revenue. And they themselves have added an £8 charge as a clearance fee.

Now you should be able to call them up and get this cleared, point out that the goods in question are zero rated for VAT. And I do. But Parcelforce, even though that they can see the parcel contains books, because it says so, can't remove the fees, I have to talk to Customs about that. So I do. Each time struggling half an hour to get through automated calling system that suck your very soul. And Customs tell me that they can't do anything either, they have to speak to Border Control. Who don't seem to keep normal working hours (starting at 10am, finishing at 2pm) and then never answering the phone after that. Oh and I can't actually call them direct, I have to be passed through by Customs. Who have also emailed Border Control on behalf of me – but no one has replied.

So I am stuck in limbo between public and private bodies, neither of which seem willing to help. I would pay the £16.27, I really would, but it's become a principle now.

If anyone working at Border Controls, Customs or Parcelforce would actually like to do anything, the tracking number is EC148494166GB.

Until then I'll keep bashing my head on the desk while listening to crackly studio musak.

#firstworldproblems #nerdworldproblems I know, but still…

UPDATE: An employee of Parcelforce gets in touch after reading this article. Apparently, even though the employees of Parcelforce I spoke tosaid they could do nothing, this employee of Parcelforce coud. With one phonecall, he called Customs, get everything cleared up and the parcel will be delivered tomorrow. The power of the internet, folks…

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