Overcharged by DHL - Possible to get refund?

Allyall

I bought an item for €80 and shipping was €14.30 with DHL.

Because the freight form wasn't filled out properly, DHL charged me €52 as they estimated how much the item might have cost to ship because of it's dimensions.
They estimated the package was over 1kg (nowhere near) and charged for that.

When I rang, they told me it's the suppliers fault for not filling out the form correctly.
The suppliers aren't very helpful at all.

Is it possible to get the refund from DHL?

MarkR

Supplier issue. You knew the price before it was shipped, and paid it. When it arrived was it smaller than you expected? The time to query the shipping charge was before you paid it I think.

Allyall

MarkR wrote: »

Supplier issue. You knew the price before it was shipped, and paid it. When it arrived was it smaller than you expected? The time to query the shipping charge was before you paid it I think.

No it wasn't smaller, it was as I expected but I wasn't there wnen it was collected. Also I wasn't sure which package it was.

According to DHL, the supplier didn't fill out ther freight forms correctly and didn't specify the shipping cost on the forms.
So they guessed an estimate for the shipping cost and charged me the VAT on that.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Contact the supplier. They have the contract with the courier not you. You should not have been charged like that. Was this within the EU?

Allyall

Allan Glamorous Speaker wrote: »

Contact the supplier. They have the contract with the courier not you. You should not have been charged like that. Was this within the EU?

No it was from the U.S. I contacted the supplier and they want me to get the forms off DHL and send them to them. They also said that they are not responsible for VAT. But this was not just VAT, it was their fault for not filling out the forms.
It could take up to 90 days.

I would have thought DHL should have contacted them (as they have an account with them) and got the price that was missing from the form. It could have saved (me) a lot of hassle.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Frankly, this sounds more like customs duty, VAT, and handling charge than just additional carriage.

Are you sure you know what you paid for? Items from the US are subject to import charges and the courier collects them on delivery.

Allyall

Allan Glamorous Speaker wrote: »

Frankly, this sounds more like customs duty, VAT, and handling charge than just additional carriage.

Are you sure you know what you paid for? Items from the US are subject to import charges and the courier collects them on delivery.

It is Duty and Handling charge, but too much.

The total of my item including shipping came to €94.30

So 23% of that is roughly €21.70 + Handling €10 = €31.70

DHL have told me that they charged €52 Duty by using their own system (Dimensions of the box was x wide and y long) and worked out that it would have cost the same as that of a > 1kg package, and added €10 handling for customs.

So there is an overcharge of ~€30.

Oryx

You get charged duty first. Then vat on the total including duty. And how do you know handling is €10?

Allyall

Oryx wrote: »

You get charged duty first. Then vat on the total including duty. And how do you know handling is €10?

I have the invoice, and the girl told me on the phone.
DHL Invoice

Other 10.00
Duty VAT Amount 52.05

SCS CHARGES AND ADMIN FEES ARE ZERO RATED FOR VAT.
*Charge "Other" indicates "Admin Fee"

Oryx

What % duty did you pay?

Allyall

Oryx wrote: »

What % duty did you pay?

That's everything on the invoice (Except for the overall charge - "you pay €62.05"). That's the way it's written.
I presume 23%.

I'm after seeing it says weight 2.5kg :eek::eek:
If they had picked it up they would know straight away it is way less than 1kg.

Oryx

Vat is 23%. Duty is another, separate charge. The rate you pay depends on the type of goods. Im not sure if it has shanged but it csn be anything from 6 to 13%

MOH

If it was a bulky though light package the 'weight' would have been calculated by volumetric weight, rather than actual weight

Allyall

MOH wrote: »

If it was a bulky though light package the 'weight' would have been calculated by volumetric weight, rather than actual weight

Yeah, that was it I think.
Annoying thing is, Supplier didn't fill out the forms properly, DHL didn't weigh it properly, yet I'm the one left jumping through hoops, ringing up, emailing etc.. trying to ammend it.
:mad::mad::mad:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

But if it is duty and vat they charged then weight is moot. What was the merchandise? Your calculations only refer to VAT and handling. You haven't mentioned Duty.

Allyall

Allan Glamorous Speaker wrote: »

But if it is duty and vat they charged then weight is moot. What was the merchandise? Your calculations only refer to VAT and handling. You haven't mentioned Duty.

They're not my calculations.
The package weighs .67kg - The DHL volumetric weight puts it at 2.5kg.

- The supplier didn't fill out the freight amount (According to DHL) so they estimated the cost of the shipment based on the volumetric weight.
The supplier apparently has an account with DHL so my shipping cost was €14.30.

DHL thought that (because the volumetric weight was 2.5kg) that I had paid a much higher shipping price, and included "Duty VAT Amount" based on that price with the item price (€80).

DHL say it is the suppliers fault for not filling out the form correctly and I am to get my money back from them.

TL;DR

Actual Total cost of items should have been = €94.30 + DHL "Duty VAT Amount" + Handling (€10)

DHL Estimate cost of items = €94.30 + the difference €xx (Volumetric weight estimate shipping cost) + DHL "Duty VAT Amount" + Handling (€10) = €156.35 is the total amount I actually paid.

Oryx

NOW I get you. I think your supplier needs to talk to dhl in the first instance to correct the initial error and allow you to move on a refund

Allyall

Oryx wrote: »

NOW I get you. I think your supplier needs to talk to dhl in the first instance to correct the initial error and allow you to move on a refund

Yeah, sorry if I made it sound more confusing. It's only when I started trying to explain it I realised I hadn't done a great job to begin with.

DHL says it happens a lot, but mainly with items from China.
The supplier wants all of the proof of what I paid DHL, but I can't see them refunding me tbh, as they are already saying "It doesn't matter what it says on the form, we have paid DHL x amount already to deliver the item."

I never thought of asking them to talk to DHL... That makes more sense, but will they be bothered enough to keep up the conversation, as it's not in either of their interests really .
I'll email that suggestion now though, as I can't see where else to go.

runawaybishop

Just refuse the package if it ever happens again.

Allyall

runawaybishop wrote: »

Just refuse the package if it ever happens again.

I wasn't there. I was/am still waiting for many other parcels. Hadn't realised it was an overcharge until too late.

I am waiting for a call from DHL today, they replied this morning.

Allyall

Getting nowhere with this due mainly to DHL.
Although I have now come to the obvious realisation that DHL are to blame.

I emailed them once for invoices. They initially fobbed me off for a day (probably to see if I'd forget about it).
I emailed them the 2nd day, and they emailed me 7 filled forms of paperwork, but only one was for the order in question and that was the invoice.
I have emailed them again today, but so far received a generic response telling me they are not available (customer care @ Dhl).

Coincidentally, the invoice for the 2nd part of the order arrived in the post this morning, but I still haven't received the one for the 1st part with the overcharge.

Allyall

Allyall wrote: »

Getting nowhere with this due mainly to DHL.
Although I have now come to the obvious realisation that DHL are to blame.

I emailed themonce for invoices. They initially fobbed me off for a day (probably to see if I'd forget about it).
I emailed them the 2nd day, and they emailed me 7 filled forms of paperwork, but only one was for the order in question and that was the invoice.
I have emailed them again today, but so far received a generic response telling me they are not available (customer care @ Dhl).

Coincidentally, the invoice for the 2nd part of the order arrived in the post this morning, but I still haven't received the one for the 1st part with the overcharge.

Phone them! Customer service: (01) 870 0790 or 1890 989 514

Allyall

Deleted User wrote: »

Phone them! Customer service: (01) 870 0790 or 1890 989 514

Yeah, sorry I had rang initially and they told me to email.
I'll ring again today. (I had forgotten about that option tbh , once I had started emailing.)

runawaybishop

Allyall wrote: »

Yeah, sorry I had rang initially and they told me to email.
I'll ring again today. (I had forgotten about that option tbh , once I had started emailing.)

Ask for a trace to be opened on your query. It'll then be tracked and visible on their reports internally so they can't leave it sitting.

Allyall

runawaybishop wrote: »

Ask for a trace to be opened on your query. It'll then be tracked and visible on their reports internally so they can't leave it sitting.

"There's nothing that will bring up unfortunately, that will be the same all the way back, that's the way the vat and shipping works."

I'm literally on phone as typing.

Off phone now.
Appparently it has nothing to do with DHL or the account holder (the supplier).
The freight charges were left blank, and so the customs "guesstimate" how much it would have cost to ship something that weight.

Two weights are taken, one real and one volumetric. The greater one is always the one used (of course).

They then add that to the Duty/VAT invoice that the end custome pays at the door, with handling charge.

:mad:

God that's annoying.

So it looks like i'm pi**ing into the wind.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

That makes little sense, as the cost of shipping in not a factor for Customs.

I think it simply boils down to VAT and Duty on merchandise bought outside the EU. It has nothing to do with the supplier or the courier.

The cost is close to what would be expected but we'd need to know what the material was in order to work out the exact rate of duty applicable.

Such are the unseen costs of buying from outside the EU.

Allyall

They forwarded me this after the phone call

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Fair enough. Rules is rules. The supplier didn't show shipping costs but I've never seen any do so. You'd probably have to ask them to.

whiterebel

Allan Glamorous Speaker wrote: »

That makes little sense, as the cost of shipping in not a factor for Customs.

I think it simply boils down to VAT and Duty on merchandise bought outside the EU. It has nothing to do with the supplier or the courier.

The cost is close to what would be expected but we'd need to know what the material was in order to work out the exact rate of duty applicable.

Such are the unseen costs of buying from outside the EU.

Of course it is. Duty is calculated on the cost of the product plus carriage. VAT is then charged on top of that. They will then charge a fee for customs clearance and outlaying the VAT/Duty. Shipping is charged on the actual weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is the greater.

Allyall

The thing I'm struggling with is that I was quoted a shipping price, by somebody who has a DHL account and (I assume) checked it before they quoted the price to me.

Then because they forgot to fill out the form and DHL didn't ring/email/fax/text/skype etc. the seller while the package was in customs getting checked for value, about the cost of shipping, I get charged duty/vat for what DHL thought might be the price (being the greater of two possibilities - by quite a large amount) for their mistakes..

whiterebel

You seem to be assuming that the shipper did everything correctly and that DHL mucked it up. If the shipper had a special deal with DHL in the USA they should have filled it out on the form, and DHL could then stand over the special arrangement on freight. As it was, customer left shipping blank, DHL in Ireland have to show shipping charges as per their tariffs, based on actual or volumetric weight, otherwise C&E will want to know why. If the shipper had done it correctly, they probably would have shown a much higher figure on the paperwork due to the size of the box. DHL could have hundreds if not thousands of shipments arriving back to their depot in the evening, and can't check every one of them to make sure the paperwork is correct. It actually sounds like the shipper is pulling a fast one with DHL, telling them it is .67kg, and not filling out the dimensions so they get away with being charged the incorrect rate.