Customs in the UK are dire. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 11:32:31 am
content: Got a package today that was declared on a tracking site as having entered the UK on the 25 august !. I had already told the seller they may be lost but gladly i could tell him they have arrived, what was it, 100 LED's.Why are customs so slow to release things here.

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 11:37:59 am
content: It's not only the UK. Stuff from China needs days to weeks to get though German customs - even though it's just passed through without opening/checking it anyway. I've seen like everything from 6 days to >6 weeks.I'd assume the amount of small packages that arrives every day is just so gigantic that every minor glitch leads to a major delay for the next weeks.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 11:43:31 am
content: I've a package that according to a tracking site has been stuck in Langley since the 2nd, but the fact it's actually arrived in Langley was only added to the site yesterday :/

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 11:56:42 am
content: If your flag was American I would ask if the Criminals In Action had it.....

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 12:23:49 pm
content: I had stuff stay stuck for months. The one missing one might actually turn up one day, but as I ordered in March.........

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 12:25:34 pm
content: Quote from: Deathwish on September 19, 2015, 11:56:42 amProbably are writing the new firmware for it, as it is going to a "person of interest", who got on the list by being able to add one plus one and consistently came up with an answer of two.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 12:31:39 pm
content: Sometimes it helps if the sender declares the right value and adds an invoice. That way a package doesn't get flagged and put in the slow queue.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 01:01:13 pm
content: Quote from: Deathwish on September 19, 2015, 11:56:42 amLangley where Heathrow World Distribution Centre is lol.Quote from: SeanB on September 19, 2015, 12:25:34 pmOh I've been made well aware before that 'the powers that be' know of my anti theocratic and republican leanings. Given our form of government that's not a very popular stance with those in charge...

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 01:24:37 pm
content: A few weeks or even months is nothing comparing to this:http://mashable.com/2015/09/18/late-delivery-australia/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link#iqhTqhUs.ZkT

author: continuo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 02:38:56 pm
content: Quote from: 0xdeadbeef on September 19, 2015, 11:37:59 amI'm a little bit of a Banggood aficionado and order a lot of bling from them. One thing I found out is if you use their "Priority Direct Mail", they send the items via Netherland Post and this is usually really quick, in the order of +/- 10 days or so. Standard mail may take up to 8 weeks

author: fivefish
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 04:49:50 pm
content: I'm sorry, but sending packages to UK feels like sometimes sending a package to a black hole. I dread it!You never know if the buyer will get his paid for package, or if it will get "lost"... even though there's a TRACKING NUMBER!You follow the tracking #, goes through customs, goes through local post office... so it looks fine.UK Customer contacts me, asks where his package is.I tell him according to tracking # it's in your local post office. Didn't you get it? It's been there since 4 weeks ago.Customer goes to his local post office... asks same question "Where's my package?"Post: You didn't claim it, we returned it to sender.Customer: You didn't inform me I have a package waiting here to be claimed.Of course, there is no Tracking Number when it's "returned to sender."Package lost.... customer didn't get it, so rightfully I had to refund customer's money, and I'm out of cost of good by several hundred dollars.I can't claim insurance for "lost package" because tracking# showed it arrived at post office and delivered.What a fucking system.It doesn't happen everytime, but it's more than usual compared to other countries (which is zero problems)... Everytime, it's a UK customer's shipment I have a problem with. I just dread sending a big expensive package to UK. Doesn't matter if it has a tracking #, it still manages to get lost.