Well Amazon kindly sent me an email today (below) , wow I get half my money back. Thank you United Parcel Service for well bugger all basically.
It wasn't exactly an amazing shopping experience, so to sum up, I ordered summit on 17th June and after nearly 2 months of messing me about I get half my money back.
My thanks go to:
Turkish Tax/Customs (making up the rules as they go along)
United Parcel Service (words are not enough to say what I think of these muppets)
Ace Photo Digital (unhelpful, their customer service moto should be "it's your problem, deal with it")
EF
is the saga finished ?
and who knows and who gives a monkeys left testicle anyway ?
Refund confirmation for Ace Photo Digital order #xxx
From: Amazon.com (payments-messages@amazon.com)
Sent: 06 August 2008 19:32:14
Reply-to: Amazon.com (custservice@acephotodigital.com)
To: ef@hotmail.com (ef@hotmail.com)
Cc: payments-mail@amazon.com (payments-mail@amazon.com)
Greetings from Amazon.com.
We are writing to confirm that we have processed your refund in theamount of £74.79 for your Order #xxx from Ace Photo Digital.
This refund is for the following item(s):
Item: E-reader 6IN Portable Silver E-book Approx 170 Pix/inch
Reason for refund: Customer return
Your refund is being credited as follows: Visa Credit Card [ending with xx000]: £74.79
Total refund for this order: £74.79
Have questions about our refund policy?Visit our Help section for more information: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/537794
Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com. Sincerely, Amazon.com Customer Servicewww.amazon.com
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
United Parcel Service, latest!
Well, it seems that the saga may be overaccording to the United Parcel Service shipping thigie.
Looks like the parcel is going back to sender, probably losing me $200 plus on shipping plus customs fees for an item I never received, haha thanks UPS!
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 17/07/2008 19:00 RETURNED TO SHIPPER
So, wherever you are, remember, use any alternative possible, even putting your parcel in a big bottle and chucking it in the sea, because I am sure it will get there quicker than United Parcel Service.
I think they should be renamed due to the trade description act, to UPN, United Parcel NonService
Looks like the parcel is going back to sender, probably losing me $200 plus on shipping plus customs fees for an item I never received, haha thanks UPS!
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 17/07/2008 19:00 RETURNED TO SHIPPER
So, wherever you are, remember, use any alternative possible, even putting your parcel in a big bottle and chucking it in the sea, because I am sure it will get there quicker than United Parcel Service.
I think they should be renamed due to the trade description act, to UPN, United Parcel NonService
Monday, July 14, 2008
United Parcel Service tracking
IT is back in Istanbul, probably was pining away in the states... You can't make this stuff up even if you tried!
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 14/07/2008 8:54 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 14/07/2008 8:54 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Last email to United Parcel Service
Dear Mr İşteal / Molly Ellis,
Can you please send the item back to the USA as inexpensively as possible.
I will not wish to be contacted from this week onwards because I am moving to thailand to live and need to concentrate on packing etc.
I am sorry we could not come to some sort of agreement but I have wasted too much of my time and effort in an attempt to resolve this problem.
I do not want to recieve telephone calls or emails from UPS any more as I have had enough, I about as fed up and hacked off as you can get.
Thank you
EF
p.s the blog of this stupid saga can be found at http://rottenrottenservice.blogspot.com/
Can you please send the item back to the USA as inexpensively as possible.
I will not wish to be contacted from this week onwards because I am moving to thailand to live and need to concentrate on packing etc.
I am sorry we could not come to some sort of agreement but I have wasted too much of my time and effort in an attempt to resolve this problem.
I do not want to recieve telephone calls or emails from UPS any more as I have had enough, I about as fed up and hacked off as you can get.
Thank you
EF
p.s the blog of this stupid saga can be found at http://rottenrottenservice.blogspot.com/
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Email from Ace Photo Digital
I had an email last week I should have published on the blog, but here it is.
Customer Service (custservice@acephotodigital.com)
Sent: 08 July 2008 18:16:21
Reply-to: Customer Service (custservice@acephotodigital.com)
To: ef@hotmail.com
Hi, Unfortunately United Parcel Service would not budge with the shipping costs. We have argued with them for a week regarding this. To return this package they were charging us with Custom and Duty charges which you we required to pay as well as $200.00 for shipping, this is more then the package was worth. They abandoned the package because you did not want it and we would not pay that amount to have it returned. I believe they are still holding it at their location until they decide what should be done. This package will not be coming back to us. If you still want to receive it, you can contact them however there is nothing more that can be done on our end that will help with this package. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Thank you,Nikki/ Acephotodigital
Customer Service (custservice@acephotodigital.com)
Sent: 08 July 2008 18:16:21
Reply-to: Customer Service (custservice@acephotodigital.com)
To: ef@hotmail.com
Hi, Unfortunately United Parcel Service would not budge with the shipping costs. We have argued with them for a week regarding this. To return this package they were charging us with Custom and Duty charges which you we required to pay as well as $200.00 for shipping, this is more then the package was worth. They abandoned the package because you did not want it and we would not pay that amount to have it returned. I believe they are still holding it at their location until they decide what should be done. This package will not be coming back to us. If you still want to receive it, you can contact them however there is nothing more that can be done on our end that will help with this package. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Thank you,Nikki/ Acephotodigital
Reply to United Parcel Service Istanbul's email
Dear Mr İşteal
Thank you for your email but I am extremely sorry that answers nothing for me, it contains no details, no costs, no breakdowns and no real information.
1. What are CIF charges ?
2. What is the percentage tax charge on imported items ? Are they different for electronic items.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION
3. Is my item excempt , it is for educational purposes, it is not a game, a computer etc, it's purposes is to read books loaded on the device. I do not know if this applies but:
Quote: Imports of machinery and equipment for projects introducing new and competitive technology and imports of products utilized in training, education and research, are exempt from customs duty.
This is from the government web site, address:
http://www.turkishembassy.org/
index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=233&Itemid=282
****** I do not know if this law/rule applies to personal use. But then again customs are stating this item is classed as for commerical use then it does not matter, i.e I can argue as it is classed as a commerical import, then I can state it is for commercial educational purposes ******
4. If the low limit is 100 EUR does that mean that tax is not charged on the first 100EUR or is it ?
5. Are you charging me tax on the TOTAL cost (this seemed to be the case when I was told the value of the shipment was some $400 i.e inclusive of carriage) as the actual cost of the shipment is only $279.
6. Will KDV be applied to the total bill i.e am I going to get taxed twice in effect ?
7. Please list all charges to be applied as approximately as possible as %.
8. Can you please show me a goverment web site where these charges are listed so I can verify these for myself or if you have documentation from the ministry of trade outlining these costs can you send me them, I have turkish friends who can translate these , thank you.
9. How is the holding fee calculated ie. by LB per day etc ?
10. "Customs law and regulations , the low value limit is 100EUR
which means the non-commercial shipments declared under this value , can be released by the customs as low value shipments without formal entries. Of course there are also physical inspections on the packages and determined by
the type of commodities , quantities etc, the customs authorities have the right to hold any shipment for a formal entry."
a. This is for personal use only, the item is going to a private individual for personal use you are stating that customs have no other way to differentiate between commerial and private use apart from the 100EUR limit and anything over and beyond this is classed as commercial ?
b. Type of commodities, Point 3, this is for educational purposes, maybe customs thought it was a game, computer or video player ?
Yes I know they are a lot of questions, but I have lived in many countries and do not know of one which wants to charge in excess of 100% fees to import an item into the country, that is why I want a breakdown of the costs and yes it does feel like I am being ripped off, it is all very well stating this is the law but when the law is so skewed there is something wrong.
Mr İşteal could you please copy Molly Ellis on the reply.
Mr İşteal / Molly, if the case**** is that personal items are taxed so much and so many different charges are levied could you please arrange for the package to be returned as inexpensively as possible to the sender because as I stated before I am unwilling to pay such dispraportionate cost compared to the original value of the item , that excludes notary/translation fees.
Also Ace Photo Digital informed me that UPS quoted $200 to return the package back to the sender.
Also as a side issue Mr İşteal do you know where I can locate the email for the minister of trade for turkey ?
**** If the customs charges etc are over 100 YTL this would be the case as I would also have to pay 120-170 YTL for notary/translation fees for the Power of Attorney. ****
EF
Thank you for your email but I am extremely sorry that answers nothing for me, it contains no details, no costs, no breakdowns and no real information.
1. What are CIF charges ?
2. What is the percentage tax charge on imported items ? Are they different for electronic items.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION
3. Is my item excempt , it is for educational purposes, it is not a game, a computer etc, it's purposes is to read books loaded on the device. I do not know if this applies but:
Quote: Imports of machinery and equipment for projects introducing new and competitive technology and imports of products utilized in training, education and research, are exempt from customs duty.
This is from the government web site, address:
http://www.turkishembassy.org/
index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=233&Itemid=282
****** I do not know if this law/rule applies to personal use. But then again customs are stating this item is classed as for commerical use then it does not matter, i.e I can argue as it is classed as a commerical import, then I can state it is for commercial educational purposes ******
4. If the low limit is 100 EUR does that mean that tax is not charged on the first 100EUR or is it ?
5. Are you charging me tax on the TOTAL cost (this seemed to be the case when I was told the value of the shipment was some $400 i.e inclusive of carriage) as the actual cost of the shipment is only $279.
6. Will KDV be applied to the total bill i.e am I going to get taxed twice in effect ?
7. Please list all charges to be applied as approximately as possible as %.
8. Can you please show me a goverment web site where these charges are listed so I can verify these for myself or if you have documentation from the ministry of trade outlining these costs can you send me them, I have turkish friends who can translate these , thank you.
9. How is the holding fee calculated ie. by LB per day etc ?
10. "Customs law and regulations , the low value limit is 100EUR
which means the non-commercial shipments declared under this value , can be released by the customs as low value shipments without formal entries. Of course there are also physical inspections on the packages and determined by
the type of commodities , quantities etc, the customs authorities have the right to hold any shipment for a formal entry."
a. This is for personal use only, the item is going to a private individual for personal use you are stating that customs have no other way to differentiate between commerial and private use apart from the 100EUR limit and anything over and beyond this is classed as commercial ?
b. Type of commodities, Point 3, this is for educational purposes, maybe customs thought it was a game, computer or video player ?
Yes I know they are a lot of questions, but I have lived in many countries and do not know of one which wants to charge in excess of 100% fees to import an item into the country, that is why I want a breakdown of the costs and yes it does feel like I am being ripped off, it is all very well stating this is the law but when the law is so skewed there is something wrong.
Mr İşteal could you please copy Molly Ellis on the reply.
Mr İşteal / Molly, if the case**** is that personal items are taxed so much and so many different charges are levied could you please arrange for the package to be returned as inexpensively as possible to the sender because as I stated before I am unwilling to pay such dispraportionate cost compared to the original value of the item , that excludes notary/translation fees.
Also Ace Photo Digital informed me that UPS quoted $200 to return the package back to the sender.
Also as a side issue Mr İşteal do you know where I can locate the email for the minister of trade for turkey ?
**** If the customs charges etc are over 100 YTL this would be the case as I would also have to pay 120-170 YTL for notary/translation fees for the Power of Attorney. ****
EF
Email from United Parcel Service Istanbul
HuseyinIsteal@ups.com.tr
Sent: 11 July 2008 10:42:45
To: ef@hotmail.com
Dear Mr F,
The shipment sent from ACE PHOTO AND DIGITAL under the UPS tracking number 1ZR265V10471499357 was
held as a formal entry due to the high value. As per Turkish Customs law and regulations , the low value limit is 100EUR
which means the non-commercial shipments declared under this value , can be released by the customs as low value
shipments without formal entries. Of course there are also physical inspections on the packages and determined by
the type of commodities , quantities etc, the customs authorities have the right to hold any shipment for a formal entry.
I know that providing a notarized power of attorney has a cost as you will have to pay a fee to the notary ; what is more
if you are not able to speak Turkish , you will need an authorised translator but without a notarized power of attorney we are
not allowed to submit a clearance declaration to the customs on behalf of you. Power of attorney is given once and is valid
untill the expire date ; 1 day to 5 years. Unfortunately there is not an alternate option that will allow us to submit customs a
clearance declaration on behalf of a customer without a power of attorney.
The reason of your being given approximate charges for clearance is that , the total customs charges are certain only on the
day of clearance. Duty is paid on CIF value of the goods and VAT on all expenses and determined by the exchange rates on the
day of clearance, there can be little differences on the duties and taxes also the storage fees may show differences.
You were informed about these charges during your telephone conversation with our customer service staff upon your wanting
to know.It was just to make you have an idea about the approximate costs for clearance. After your giving final decision about
accepting the shipment or giving a power of attorney , the clearance process would start. Even we had your power of attorney , we
would still inform you about the exact charges and get your confirmation in advance (you could either pay by a bank transfer or at delivery)
so you do not have to worry about being charged much more than you were informed.
If we have a power of attorney from a customer in file , we certainly inform the customer about the arrival , get authorisation to
start clearance and then another confirmation for the payment of the customs charges as our having a power of attorney from a customer,
does not mean that the customer has to accept every shipment sent to her/him and pay the charges. Customers have the right
to refuse the shipments or the charges.
I would also like to correct your thought about the Turkish Customs officers' charging what they think and without any official guidelines.
The rates are not flexible ; every item has a customs tariff number (GTIP) and the duty / tax rates , import regulations , additional
documents / permits / approvals if any etc are all according to the the law and regulations the customs tariff numbers refer to.
After determining the harmonized cutoms tariff numbers and providing the required information like payment for the value of the goods
etc , it takes minutes to calculate the exact charges.
Customs has a computerized system ; we first send the declaration to the customs system through EDI system then the paperwork
is sent to the customs office for the approval of the officer , the declaration is then transferred to a line (red,blue,yellow ) and then
by paying the customs charges the shipment is released. Determined by the line, a physical inspection might be needed before release.
For example ; the customs tariff number of the commodity sent to you is 8471.30.00 , subject to 18% VAT , requires CE standards and
the importer needs to provide service warranty and maintenance certificate. ( As it is only one and for personal use , an exemption
letter could be provided )
We have a very new notice (No 2008/65) of Ataturk Airport Customs Directorate about the clearance of the goods sent to private individuals as
gifts or for their/families own use and not having commercial values or not in commercial quantities which will enable us clear such goods exempt
from some regularions like CE and with a fixed tax rate , without VAT. We will still need power of attorneys from the receivers.
I hope the explanation above answers all your questions. I would like to inform you that we are ready to give any assitance on clearance of the shipment
so please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions. But I hope you also understand us and our being liable to follow the clearance process
according to the existing law and regulations. Without a power of attorney , we will not be able to clear the shipment. The sender was also informed about the
reason of shipment's being undeliverable but UPS in US has not received shipper's instructions yet. I would like to speak with you about all these details,the clearance and power of attorney so that we can clear and deliver the shipment instead of its' being seized by the customs but I haven't had a chance to contact you since yestarday morning as the telephone number we have in our files (02526134664) is not being answered. When you receive this e-mail if you let know an
alternate telephone number or give me a call , I hope we can find the optimum solution.
Thanks
Sincerely,
Hüseyin İşteal
Sent: 11 July 2008 10:42:45
To: ef@hotmail.com
Dear Mr F,
The shipment sent from ACE PHOTO AND DIGITAL under the UPS tracking number 1ZR265V10471499357 was
held as a formal entry due to the high value. As per Turkish Customs law and regulations , the low value limit is 100EUR
which means the non-commercial shipments declared under this value , can be released by the customs as low value
shipments without formal entries. Of course there are also physical inspections on the packages and determined by
the type of commodities , quantities etc, the customs authorities have the right to hold any shipment for a formal entry.
I know that providing a notarized power of attorney has a cost as you will have to pay a fee to the notary ; what is more
if you are not able to speak Turkish , you will need an authorised translator but without a notarized power of attorney we are
not allowed to submit a clearance declaration to the customs on behalf of you. Power of attorney is given once and is valid
untill the expire date ; 1 day to 5 years. Unfortunately there is not an alternate option that will allow us to submit customs a
clearance declaration on behalf of a customer without a power of attorney.
The reason of your being given approximate charges for clearance is that , the total customs charges are certain only on the
day of clearance. Duty is paid on CIF value of the goods and VAT on all expenses and determined by the exchange rates on the
day of clearance, there can be little differences on the duties and taxes also the storage fees may show differences.
You were informed about these charges during your telephone conversation with our customer service staff upon your wanting
to know.It was just to make you have an idea about the approximate costs for clearance. After your giving final decision about
accepting the shipment or giving a power of attorney , the clearance process would start. Even we had your power of attorney , we
would still inform you about the exact charges and get your confirmation in advance (you could either pay by a bank transfer or at delivery)
so you do not have to worry about being charged much more than you were informed.
If we have a power of attorney from a customer in file , we certainly inform the customer about the arrival , get authorisation to
start clearance and then another confirmation for the payment of the customs charges as our having a power of attorney from a customer,
does not mean that the customer has to accept every shipment sent to her/him and pay the charges. Customers have the right
to refuse the shipments or the charges.
I would also like to correct your thought about the Turkish Customs officers' charging what they think and without any official guidelines.
The rates are not flexible ; every item has a customs tariff number (GTIP) and the duty / tax rates , import regulations , additional
documents / permits / approvals if any etc are all according to the the law and regulations the customs tariff numbers refer to.
After determining the harmonized cutoms tariff numbers and providing the required information like payment for the value of the goods
etc , it takes minutes to calculate the exact charges.
Customs has a computerized system ; we first send the declaration to the customs system through EDI system then the paperwork
is sent to the customs office for the approval of the officer , the declaration is then transferred to a line (red,blue,yellow ) and then
by paying the customs charges the shipment is released. Determined by the line, a physical inspection might be needed before release.
For example ; the customs tariff number of the commodity sent to you is 8471.30.00 , subject to 18% VAT , requires CE standards and
the importer needs to provide service warranty and maintenance certificate. ( As it is only one and for personal use , an exemption
letter could be provided )
We have a very new notice (No 2008/65) of Ataturk Airport Customs Directorate about the clearance of the goods sent to private individuals as
gifts or for their/families own use and not having commercial values or not in commercial quantities which will enable us clear such goods exempt
from some regularions like CE and with a fixed tax rate , without VAT. We will still need power of attorneys from the receivers.
I hope the explanation above answers all your questions. I would like to inform you that we are ready to give any assitance on clearance of the shipment
so please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions. But I hope you also understand us and our being liable to follow the clearance process
according to the existing law and regulations. Without a power of attorney , we will not be able to clear the shipment. The sender was also informed about the
reason of shipment's being undeliverable but UPS in US has not received shipper's instructions yet. I would like to speak with you about all these details,the clearance and power of attorney so that we can clear and deliver the shipment instead of its' being seized by the customs but I haven't had a chance to contact you since yestarday morning as the telephone number we have in our files (02526134664) is not being answered. When you receive this e-mail if you let know an
alternate telephone number or give me a call , I hope we can find the optimum solution.
Thanks
Sincerely,
Hüseyin İşteal
Latest United Parcel Service tracking
Just more of the same unfortunately
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 11/07/2008 13:59 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 11/07/2008 13:59 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Talking with Molly
Molly Ellis from United Parcel Service called today. She was very apologetic for all my woes and wanted to know why I was asked to a letter of attorney by UPS Istanbul. I told her I was informed by them that any package over 100 Euro's needed a notarised letter of attourney. I also said I was still confused by the fact that UPS Istanbul still couldn't provide me with a breakdown of the customs costs.
She was thankful for the extra information and said that I would get a phone call from someone from UPS on Monday (probably a senior manager at UPS Istanbul) and also this problem was being investigated. Again I questioned why I had to pay effectively twice for an item.
EF
She was thankful for the extra information and said that I would get a phone call from someone from UPS on Monday (probably a senior manager at UPS Istanbul) and also this problem was being investigated. Again I questioned why I had to pay effectively twice for an item.
EF
United Parcel Service reply
The same day I sent the email I had a reply, from a Miss Molly Ellis, so here's the reply.
Mr. F,
My name is Molly Ellis; I am a Customer Relations Manager at the Corporate Office of UPS. I am contacting you on behalf of Alan Gershenhorn in regard to the email he received from you this afternoon. I would like to assure you that we have initiated an investigation and, if you would like to provide your telephone number and the most convenient time of day to reach you, I will have Senior Management contact you to provide additional follow up. Please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience. I apologize for the hardship you have experienced and appreciate your bringing this to our attention.
Sincerely,
Molly Ellis
UPS Corporate Customer Relations
mollyellis@ups.com
Mr. F,
My name is Molly Ellis; I am a Customer Relations Manager at the Corporate Office of UPS. I am contacting you on behalf of Alan Gershenhorn in regard to the email he received from you this afternoon. I would like to assure you that we have initiated an investigation and, if you would like to provide your telephone number and the most convenient time of day to reach you, I will have Senior Management contact you to provide additional follow up. Please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience. I apologize for the hardship you have experienced and appreciate your bringing this to our attention.
Sincerely,
Molly Ellis
UPS Corporate Customer Relations
mollyellis@ups.com
I send an email to the United Parcel Service big boys
Yesterday I had had enough, so I sent an email to the big boys at UPS Corporate HQ to see if I could get any sort of resolution to this fiasco.
I sent this email to the following:
Michael L Eskew, Chairman & CEO - MLEskew@ups.com
James P. (Jim) Kelly, Director - JKelly@ups.com
David Abney, President, UPS International - DAbney@ups.com
Jim Winestock, Senior Vice President of US Operations - jwinestock@ups.com
Kurt Kuehn, Worldwide Sales and Marketing - KKuehn@ups.com
Allen E Hill, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary - AHill@ups.com
John McDevitt, Strategic Integration - JMcDevitt@ups.com
Alan Gershenhorn AGershenhorn@ups.com
Christine Owens COwens@ups.com
Teri McClure TMcclure@ups.com
The email:
I would like to express my deep frustration and annoyance at the UPS agents in Istanbul in their inflexibility and inability to help with a package being shipped via UPS.
On the 17th June I bought an electronic book reader from Ace Photo Digital for GBP 148.87 ($279) shipping was GBP 59.20.
So far I think it has gone-to Turkey/USA about 6 times it is now stuck in limbo because I am refusing to accept ownership.
This is due to UPS Istanbul stating the following.
a.They say approximate charges for item are in the region of 350-400 Turkish lire ($286-$327) but they cannot give me an exact figure until they receive,
a power of attorney letter, this is for various charges - holding fee, customs duty, stamp duty etc.
b.They want a power of attorney letter from me giving them permission to import the electronic book reader.
For me to give them a power of attorney letter which the will provide I need to get it notarized, this will cost me between 100-150 Turkish lire
($81-$122) plus translator fees, I cannot sign the document until it has been translated for me because it would not be legal, this will cost
me an additional 40-60 Turkish lire.
The main problem I have is that in giving UPS a notarized letter of attorney I leave myself open to any and all charges they wish to place upon me and by law I would have to pay them.
The other problem I have is that customs fees are flexible in regards who is being charged and by whom. In other words unfortunately in Turkey customs
officers will charge what they think they can because there seems to be no official guidelines, there is a long history of problems with customs and excessive and inappropriate taxes levied.
I now have become so frustrated with the matter than I have asked Ace Photo Digital to recall the package and have it sent back to them as inexpensively
as possible, but UPS Istanbul are now asking $200 for the package to be returned, in effect I have lost most of my money and do not even have the
electronic book reader to show for my troubles.
I hope you can try and understand my predicament and if possible give me some assistance to resolve it.
The UPS tracking number is xxx.
Many thanks
EF
I sent this email to the following:
Michael L Eskew, Chairman & CEO - MLEskew@ups.com
James P. (Jim) Kelly, Director - JKelly@ups.com
David Abney, President, UPS International - DAbney@ups.com
Jim Winestock, Senior Vice President of US Operations - jwinestock@ups.com
Kurt Kuehn, Worldwide Sales and Marketing - KKuehn@ups.com
Allen E Hill, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary - AHill@ups.com
John McDevitt, Strategic Integration - JMcDevitt@ups.com
Alan Gershenhorn AGershenhorn@ups.com
Christine Owens COwens@ups.com
Teri McClure TMcclure@ups.com
The email:
I would like to express my deep frustration and annoyance at the UPS agents in Istanbul in their inflexibility and inability to help with a package being shipped via UPS.
On the 17th June I bought an electronic book reader from Ace Photo Digital for GBP 148.87 ($279) shipping was GBP 59.20.
So far I think it has gone-to Turkey/USA about 6 times it is now stuck in limbo because I am refusing to accept ownership.
This is due to UPS Istanbul stating the following.
a.They say approximate charges for item are in the region of 350-400 Turkish lire ($286-$327) but they cannot give me an exact figure until they receive,
a power of attorney letter, this is for various charges - holding fee, customs duty, stamp duty etc.
b.They want a power of attorney letter from me giving them permission to import the electronic book reader.
For me to give them a power of attorney letter which the will provide I need to get it notarized, this will cost me between 100-150 Turkish lire
($81-$122) plus translator fees, I cannot sign the document until it has been translated for me because it would not be legal, this will cost
me an additional 40-60 Turkish lire.
The main problem I have is that in giving UPS a notarized letter of attorney I leave myself open to any and all charges they wish to place upon me and by law I would have to pay them.
The other problem I have is that customs fees are flexible in regards who is being charged and by whom. In other words unfortunately in Turkey customs
officers will charge what they think they can because there seems to be no official guidelines, there is a long history of problems with customs and excessive and inappropriate taxes levied.
I now have become so frustrated with the matter than I have asked Ace Photo Digital to recall the package and have it sent back to them as inexpensively
as possible, but UPS Istanbul are now asking $200 for the package to be returned, in effect I have lost most of my money and do not even have the
electronic book reader to show for my troubles.
I hope you can try and understand my predicament and if possible give me some assistance to resolve it.
The UPS tracking number is xxx.
Many thanks
EF
Monday, July 7, 2008
United Parcel Service again the package has gone AWOL
United Parcel Service tracking thingie is say it's back in the states. I feel sorry for it's contents as it must be pretty mashed up by now. I wonder if it can claim any frequent flyer miles ?
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 07/07/2008 8:00 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 07/07/2008 8:00 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Round 7, what is happening
Confused by all the mystical travels of a package I asked to be returned I sent an email to Ace Photo Digital. They still haven't gotten back to me.
UPS tracking is saying that the package has been abondened. Does this mean I get my money back .? Please tell me what is happening.
EF
UPS tracking is saying that the package has been abondened. Does this mean I get my money back .? Please tell me what is happening.
EF
Friday, July 4, 2008
United Parcel Service tracking update
I didn't check the United Parcel Service tracking thing for a few days, but yes it did get back to Istanbul, the it went back to KY in the States and now it is back in Istanbul.
I wonder if I should enter my package into the Guiness Book of Records or something ?
United Parcel Service says it has been abandoned, in other words someone in Customs or UPS is going to have a nice pressie. I doubt I will see any money back from Ace Photo Digital.
So, if you live in Turkey, don't order anything via United Parcel Service, because you will get charged 2x the cost in tax and anything they want you to pay from them and Customs :( Oh well
Jees all I wanted to do was read a few e-books and look at all the hassle I get !
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 04/07/2008 18:30 PACKAGE ABANDONED BY THE SENDER AND THE RECEIVER
04/07/2008 18:00 POWER OF ATTORNEY DOCUMENTATION IS MISSING AND IS REQUIRED FOR CLEARANCE
04/07/2008 7:53 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 03/07/2008 18:11 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
ISTANBUL,
TR 02/07/2008 10:00 THE RECEIVER DID NOT WANT THE ORDER AND REFUSED THIS DELIVERY / RETURNED TO SHIPPER
I wonder if I should enter my package into the Guiness Book of Records or something ?
United Parcel Service says it has been abandoned, in other words someone in Customs or UPS is going to have a nice pressie. I doubt I will see any money back from Ace Photo Digital.
So, if you live in Turkey, don't order anything via United Parcel Service, because you will get charged 2x the cost in tax and anything they want you to pay from them and Customs :( Oh well
Jees all I wanted to do was read a few e-books and look at all the hassle I get !
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 04/07/2008 18:30 PACKAGE ABANDONED BY THE SENDER AND THE RECEIVER
04/07/2008 18:00 POWER OF ATTORNEY DOCUMENTATION IS MISSING AND IS REQUIRED FOR CLEARANCE
04/07/2008 7:53 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 03/07/2008 18:11 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
ISTANBUL,
TR 02/07/2008 10:00 THE RECEIVER DID NOT WANT THE ORDER AND REFUSED THIS DELIVERY / RETURNED TO SHIPPER
Monday, June 30, 2008
No, this is just plain STUPID
Well, it's back in the states again, I wait for tomorrow to see if it gets back to Istanbul, again!
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 30/06/2008 16:27 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
This is better than a sitcom!
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 30/06/2008 16:27 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
This is better than a sitcom!
The Sixth Round of battle commences, cunning wit and charm pervades all!
My latest missive to APG
There are some great unanswered questions in the universe.
Why am I here?
What am I supposed to do in life?
Will my UPS package actually ever get delivered back to sender as I don't want it?
Will I ever get my money back?
"The package" sounds ominous, is back in Istanbul, after making it back as far as LOUISVILLE KY obviously the KY lubricated it all the way back to Istanbul.
I haven't had a reply from my previous emails to your good selves yet about why it's going to cost me $200 to return something I asked you guys to get sent back as INEXPENSIVELY (I hate the word cheap) as possible.
Remember you can read all about this orders high jinx at http://rottenrottenservice.blogspot.com/ after all, publicity is publicity.
Have fun
EF
There are some great unanswered questions in the universe.
Why am I here?
What am I supposed to do in life?
Will my UPS package actually ever get delivered back to sender as I don't want it?
Will I ever get my money back?
"The package" sounds ominous, is back in Istanbul, after making it back as far as LOUISVILLE KY obviously the KY lubricated it all the way back to Istanbul.
I haven't had a reply from my previous emails to your good selves yet about why it's going to cost me $200 to return something I asked you guys to get sent back as INEXPENSIVELY (I hate the word cheap) as possible.
Remember you can read all about this orders high jinx at http://rottenrottenservice.blogspot.com/ after all, publicity is publicity.
Have fun
EF
United Parcel Service Tracking!!!! Again!
So, after I've told Ace Photo Digital I don't want the package and UPS deciding that I don't want the package, guess what's happened, it's bouncing around the globe, yipee! Here is the latest tracking info, I kid you not, UPS really are shipping the package all over the world!
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 30/06/2008 11:00 POWER OF ATTORNEY DOCUMENTATION IS MISSING AND IS REQUIRED FOR CLEARANCE
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 27/06/2008 13:58 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Location Date Local Time Description
ISTANBUL,
TR 30/06/2008 11:00 POWER OF ATTORNEY DOCUMENTATION IS MISSING AND IS REQUIRED FOR CLEARANCE
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 27/06/2008 13:58 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
Thursday, June 26, 2008
5th Round email to Ace
Email I sent today, waiting for a reply, I'll send another one with this blog address.
I am sorry but you are asking me to pay $200 return shipping for a item that weighs 1.8 pounds ?
I will be contact my Visa card companies fraud department.
From the UPS tracking info it is already on its way back to you.
It has been interesting dealing with UPS and yourself, I will try my best to inform as many people as possible about this situation as possible: contacting the police in which state your company is registered and also trading standards, contacting visa fraud department and Amazon.
Thank you and best wishes
EF
I am sorry but you are asking me to pay $200 return shipping for a item that weighs 1.8 pounds ?
I will be contact my Visa card companies fraud department.
From the UPS tracking info it is already on its way back to you.
It has been interesting dealing with UPS and yourself, I will try my best to inform as many people as possible about this situation as possible: contacting the police in which state your company is registered and also trading standards, contacting visa fraud department and Amazon.
Thank you and best wishes
EF
4th Round! Yipee!
Another spat with Ace, what fun.
The email is a load of baloney as you can see if you look at the UPS shipping its already made its way back to the states. And SHOCK horror its going to cost me $200 to ship back! How does that work ?
EMAIL from them:
Hi,
While speaking with UPS they stated it will cost about $200.00 to return this package to us. That means this amount will be deducted of the $278.95 you paid for the item. I have until Friday to have the package re-called back to us. Please advise if you would like to us to tell them to send this back otherwise you still have a day to recover the package.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
N/ Acephotodigital
Email from me:
Please have the package returned to sender by least inexpensive package method (LOL LOL LOL)
1. PoA may be "free" but it needs to be notarised at an official notary office, this costs between 100-150 lire. (YEAH I GOT IT RIGHT)
2. Cost of translation, I cannot sign the PoA until it has been translated, even if I wanted to. This costs 40-60 lire.
3. As yet I have recieved no OFFICIAL breakdown of costs of customs clearance, this means whatever they want to charge me for I will have to pay if I sign PoA
4. Yes I know I will have to pay for return to sender, please send back by least inexpensive package.
5. Turkish customs make it a WELL KNOWN HABIT of charging what they want when they want. If I sign a PoA by UPS and UPS pay this on my behalf and it costs 1000 turkish lire I either pay or be taken to court, which I do not want.
> Yes I know it sounds like I am being difficult, but I do not want to pay 400 USD to clear an item I paid 279, how would you feel in my place.
Thank you
EF
The email is a load of baloney as you can see if you look at the UPS shipping its already made its way back to the states. And SHOCK horror its going to cost me $200 to ship back! How does that work ?
EMAIL from them:
Hi,
While speaking with UPS they stated it will cost about $200.00 to return this package to us. That means this amount will be deducted of the $278.95 you paid for the item. I have until Friday to have the package re-called back to us. Please advise if you would like to us to tell them to send this back otherwise you still have a day to recover the package.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
N/ Acephotodigital
Email from me:
Please have the package returned to sender by least inexpensive package method (LOL LOL LOL)
1. PoA may be "free" but it needs to be notarised at an official notary office, this costs between 100-150 lire. (YEAH I GOT IT RIGHT)
2. Cost of translation, I cannot sign the PoA until it has been translated, even if I wanted to. This costs 40-60 lire.
3. As yet I have recieved no OFFICIAL breakdown of costs of customs clearance, this means whatever they want to charge me for I will have to pay if I sign PoA
4. Yes I know I will have to pay for return to sender, please send back by least inexpensive package.
5. Turkish customs make it a WELL KNOWN HABIT of charging what they want when they want. If I sign a PoA by UPS and UPS pay this on my behalf and it costs 1000 turkish lire I either pay or be taken to court, which I do not want.
> Yes I know it sounds like I am being difficult, but I do not want to pay 400 USD to clear an item I paid 279, how would you feel in my place.
Thank you
EF
3rd Contact with Ace Photo Digital
My 3rd round in the boxing ring. Why do people not actually read what is writ ?
I keep on going on about the fact UPS has not given me a breakdown of costs and that the costs are stupid, but no one wants to listen.
Here is Ace's reply:
UPS should have a power of attorney form for you to fill out and sign and notarize. You should not have to pay to have a separate form drawn up. UPS only grants UPS the ability to clear this order through customs on your behalf.
UPS is not "scamming" you, they are trying to have the customs charges paid so that the package can be delivered.
Customs charges are assessed by your local government and Ace Photo Digital is not able to know the charges in advance and we do not collect payment for these charges.
It is urgent that this matter be resolved on your end, or the package will be returned or abandoned. If the package is returned, you will still be responsible for all charges related to the shipment of this order.
Thank you,
SL
Ace Photo Digital
My email:
SL
Regarding the power of attourney, I point blank refuse to give UPS this at all, it would mean I am liable for any charges they wish to add or create.
The overall cost of the UPS customs clearance can be broken down by this:
1. Cost of translation for PoA between 40-80 Turkish lire
2. PoA cost 100-150 Turksh lire (AGAIN I MEANT NOTARY FEE)
3. Quoted customs clearance plus any charges 350-400 Turkish lire
Now, in all honesty can you call this fair for an item that costs $279 and weighs 1.2 LBS?
I will be contacting my visa card company to see if I can claim any money back on the shipping costs because as I see it someone somewhere is trying to scam me, I cannot at all see a how a item that costs $279 would cost me so much, tax is tax and I am more than willing to pay a fair and honest price but I refuse to be scammed like this.
Thank you.
EF
I keep on going on about the fact UPS has not given me a breakdown of costs and that the costs are stupid, but no one wants to listen.
Here is Ace's reply:
UPS should have a power of attorney form for you to fill out and sign and notarize. You should not have to pay to have a separate form drawn up. UPS only grants UPS the ability to clear this order through customs on your behalf.
UPS is not "scamming" you, they are trying to have the customs charges paid so that the package can be delivered.
Customs charges are assessed by your local government and Ace Photo Digital is not able to know the charges in advance and we do not collect payment for these charges.
It is urgent that this matter be resolved on your end, or the package will be returned or abandoned. If the package is returned, you will still be responsible for all charges related to the shipment of this order.
Thank you,
SL
Ace Photo Digital
My email:
SL
Regarding the power of attourney, I point blank refuse to give UPS this at all, it would mean I am liable for any charges they wish to add or create.
The overall cost of the UPS customs clearance can be broken down by this:
1. Cost of translation for PoA between 40-80 Turkish lire
2. PoA cost 100-150 Turksh lire (AGAIN I MEANT NOTARY FEE)
3. Quoted customs clearance plus any charges 350-400 Turkish lire
Now, in all honesty can you call this fair for an item that costs $279 and weighs 1.2 LBS?
I will be contacting my visa card company to see if I can claim any money back on the shipping costs because as I see it someone somewhere is trying to scam me, I cannot at all see a how a item that costs $279 would cost me so much, tax is tax and I am more than willing to pay a fair and honest price but I refuse to be scammed like this.
Thank you.
EF
2nd Contact Ace Photo Digital
So I sent them another email, all below with comments in brackets, I was angry and made a few mistakes, which I try to explain in ()
EMAIL from them
UPS should have a power of attorney form for you to fill out and sign and notarize. You should not have to pay to have a separate form drawn up. UPS only grants UPS the ability to clear this order through customs on your behalf.
UPS is not "scamming" you, they are trying to have the customs charges paid so that the package can be delivered.
Customs charges are assessed by your local government and Ace Photo Digital is not able to know the charges in advance and we do not collect payment for these charges.
It is urgent that this matter be resolved on your end, or the package will be returned or abandoned. If the package is returned, you will still be responsible for all charges related to the shipment of this order.
Thank you,
SL
Ace Photo Digital
EMAIL from ME
Please read this and try and understand my position.
I have been in turkey 3 years and as yet haven't met a single turkish person who is not trying to rip me off by some means or other.
Regarding the power of attourney, I point blank refuse to give UPS this at all, it would mean I am liable for any charges they wish to add or create.
The overall cost of the UPS customs clearance can be broken down by this:
1. Cost of translation for PoA between 40-80 Turkish lire
2. PoA cost 100-150 Turksh lire (NOTARY COST I MEANT TO PUT)
3. Quoted customs clearance plus any charges 350-400 Turkish lire
Now, in all honesty can you call this fair for an item that costs $279 and weighs 1.2 LBS? (MY MISTAKE it is 1.8 LB)
I will be contacting my visa card company to see if I can claim any money back on the shipping costs because as I see it someone somewhere is trying to scam me, I cannot at all see a how a item that costs $279 would cost me so much, tax is tax and I am more than willing to pay a fair and honest price but I refuse to be scammed like this.
Thank you.
EF
EMAIL from them
UPS should have a power of attorney form for you to fill out and sign and notarize. You should not have to pay to have a separate form drawn up. UPS only grants UPS the ability to clear this order through customs on your behalf.
UPS is not "scamming" you, they are trying to have the customs charges paid so that the package can be delivered.
Customs charges are assessed by your local government and Ace Photo Digital is not able to know the charges in advance and we do not collect payment for these charges.
It is urgent that this matter be resolved on your end, or the package will be returned or abandoned. If the package is returned, you will still be responsible for all charges related to the shipment of this order.
Thank you,
SL
Ace Photo Digital
EMAIL from ME
Please read this and try and understand my position.
I have been in turkey 3 years and as yet haven't met a single turkish person who is not trying to rip me off by some means or other.
Regarding the power of attourney, I point blank refuse to give UPS this at all, it would mean I am liable for any charges they wish to add or create.
The overall cost of the UPS customs clearance can be broken down by this:
1. Cost of translation for PoA between 40-80 Turkish lire
2. PoA cost 100-150 Turksh lire (NOTARY COST I MEANT TO PUT)
3. Quoted customs clearance plus any charges 350-400 Turkish lire
Now, in all honesty can you call this fair for an item that costs $279 and weighs 1.2 LBS? (MY MISTAKE it is 1.8 LB)
I will be contacting my visa card company to see if I can claim any money back on the shipping costs because as I see it someone somewhere is trying to scam me, I cannot at all see a how a item that costs $279 would cost me so much, tax is tax and I am more than willing to pay a fair and honest price but I refuse to be scammed like this.
Thank you.
EF
1st Contact Ace Photo Digital
I contact Ace Photo Digital with the same message sent I sent to Amazon, here is there reply.
Very helpful.
EF,
We will attempt to contact UPS to see if there is anything that can be done to lower the charges on this shipment, but the best course of action would be for you to work with UPS and your local customs office to sort out the correct charges and pay them promptly so the package can be delivered.
Please be advised that Ace Photo Digital shipped your order as directed to the address provided. Our shipping rates and policies page states, "International customers are responsible for payment of all Customs charges, including taxes, duties, brokerage fees or handling charges."
These charges are now due on the shipment, even if you refuse to pay them. They would be deducted from any refund if the item is returned, along with shipping charges in both directions.
We will attempt to contact UPS to see if there is anything that can be done to lower the charges on this shipment, but the best course of action would be for you to work with UPS and your local customs office to sort out the correct charges and pay them promptly so the package can be delivered.
Thank you,
SL
Ace Photo Digital
Very helpful.
EF,
We will attempt to contact UPS to see if there is anything that can be done to lower the charges on this shipment, but the best course of action would be for you to work with UPS and your local customs office to sort out the correct charges and pay them promptly so the package can be delivered.
Please be advised that Ace Photo Digital shipped your order as directed to the address provided. Our shipping rates and policies page states, "International customers are responsible for payment of all Customs charges, including taxes, duties, brokerage fees or handling charges."
These charges are now due on the shipment, even if you refuse to pay them. They would be deducted from any refund if the item is returned, along with shipping charges in both directions.
We will attempt to contact UPS to see if there is anything that can be done to lower the charges on this shipment, but the best course of action would be for you to work with UPS and your local customs office to sort out the correct charges and pay them promptly so the package can be delivered.
Thank you,
SL
Ace Photo Digital
Amazon 1st Contact
After the contact with UPS I decided to contact Amazon. Here are the emails to and from them.
Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com.
I'm sorry to hear you had a problem with your order. I do understand your concern in this regard.
I have checked your order(#xxx) and found that you purchased this item "E-reader 6IN Portable Silver E-book Approx 170 Pix/inch" from one of our Amazon third party Merchant.
Because your order placed with "Ace Photo Digital we ask that you first contact the merchant to explain the situation and to make appropriate arrangements for a return or replacement in accordance with their returns policies. To contact the seller:
1. Click the "Your Account" link at the top of our web site.
2. Click "Go!" next to "open and recently shipped orders."
3. Sign in with your e-mail address and password.
4. Click "View order" next to the relevant order.
5. Click "Problem with this order?" On the next page, you'll see a button marked "Contact seller."
For more information about returning an item to a seller, please visit our Help pages:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=xxx
We do want to make sure that your order works out. If you don't receive a reply from your seller within 3 business days, or are not able to come to an agreement regarding a return, please contact Amazon.com again using the URL below:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/returns-and-refunds.html/
When we receive a report from you using the form above, we'll investigate the status of your order and take any actions available to us to resolve the problem.
Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com.
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
If yes, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-y?c=fwudbhed3341556625
If not, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-n?c=fwudbhed3341556625
Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.
To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.
Best regards,
Vinodh L.
Amazon.com Customer Service
==============================
Check your order and more: http://www.amazon.com/your-account
---- Original message: ----
---------------
06/23/08 05:34:39
Your Name:EF
Order Id: xxx
Comments:Amazon Order No: xxx
UPS Tracking: xxx
To Amazon:
Could you please cancel my order for the above item. This is due to the fact that I feel I am being forced
into a position I do not like by UPS
Apparently any order worth more than 100 EURO's is held by customs until customs clears it.
What UPS have asked for is a a power of attorney to allow them to clear it through customs, it also means
that whatever charges they ask me to pay I have to because they have a power of atorney letter.
I have been quoted a price of anywhere between 350-400 Turkish lire but cannot be given a final price
until a power of attorney has been sent.
To get a power of attorney letter in itself costs between 100-150 turkish lire plus translation fees from
english to turkish.
This would mean the item will cost me between 500-600 turkish lire or 400-490 USD on top of the original cost
of $279.
The matter also arises that this item is for educational purposes and as I understand it is excempt from
import tax, but UPS and the Turkish Customs do not wish to listen, they also will not listen when I say that
the actually price is 279 USD they keep quoting a figure of 400 USD, this is the cost of the item PLUS carriage,
I wonder why I have to pay tax on the cost of shipping the item here ?
I am sorry to have to have to ask Amazon to return the item, but I have no choice, I am unwilling to pay in effect
twice over.
Thank you
EF
I attach the email from UPS Istanbul.
Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.com.
I'm sorry to hear you had a problem with your order. I do understand your concern in this regard.
I have checked your order(#xxx) and found that you purchased this item "E-reader 6IN Portable Silver E-book Approx 170 Pix/inch" from one of our Amazon third party Merchant.
Because your order placed with "Ace Photo Digital we ask that you first contact the merchant to explain the situation and to make appropriate arrangements for a return or replacement in accordance with their returns policies. To contact the seller:
1. Click the "Your Account" link at the top of our web site.
2. Click "Go!" next to "open and recently shipped orders."
3. Sign in with your e-mail address and password.
4. Click "View order" next to the relevant order.
5. Click "Problem with this order?" On the next page, you'll see a button marked "Contact seller."
For more information about returning an item to a seller, please visit our Help pages:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=xxx
We do want to make sure that your order works out. If you don't receive a reply from your seller within 3 business days, or are not able to come to an agreement regarding a return, please contact Amazon.com again using the URL below:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/returns-and-refunds.html/
When we receive a report from you using the form above, we'll investigate the status of your order and take any actions available to us to resolve the problem.
Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com.
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
If yes, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-y?c=fwudbhed3341556625
If not, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/rsvp-n?c=fwudbhed3341556625
Please note: this e-mail was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming e-mail.
To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our web site.
Best regards,
Vinodh L.
Amazon.com Customer Service
==============================
Check your order and more: http://www.amazon.com/your-account
---- Original message: ----
---------------
06/23/08 05:34:39
Your Name:EF
Order Id: xxx
Comments:Amazon Order No: xxx
UPS Tracking: xxx
To Amazon:
Could you please cancel my order for the above item. This is due to the fact that I feel I am being forced
into a position I do not like by UPS
Apparently any order worth more than 100 EURO's is held by customs until customs clears it.
What UPS have asked for is a a power of attorney to allow them to clear it through customs, it also means
that whatever charges they ask me to pay I have to because they have a power of atorney letter.
I have been quoted a price of anywhere between 350-400 Turkish lire but cannot be given a final price
until a power of attorney has been sent.
To get a power of attorney letter in itself costs between 100-150 turkish lire plus translation fees from
english to turkish.
This would mean the item will cost me between 500-600 turkish lire or 400-490 USD on top of the original cost
of $279.
The matter also arises that this item is for educational purposes and as I understand it is excempt from
import tax, but UPS and the Turkish Customs do not wish to listen, they also will not listen when I say that
the actually price is 279 USD they keep quoting a figure of 400 USD, this is the cost of the item PLUS carriage,
I wonder why I have to pay tax on the cost of shipping the item here ?
I am sorry to have to have to ask Amazon to return the item, but I have no choice, I am unwilling to pay in effect
twice over.
Thank you
EF
I attach the email from UPS Istanbul.
United Parcel Service 1st contact
Obviously my first inkling of a problem was on the 20th of June, but I couldn't get hold of UPS until the 21st.
I spoke to one of the custom support staff who sent me an email (below).
The gist is I needed to have a NOTARISED power of attourney letter sent to UPS so they could clear the item through customs.
What this whole fiasco is about is that UPS would not give me a clear and concise breakdown of the costs involved in clearing the purchase until after they received the PoA letter, in other words they could hold me ransom to whatever charges where levied at me.
At a rough guess the customer service gentleman said the costs would be between 350-400 turkish lire, excluding the notary fee and translation fee (100-150 turkish lire and 40-60 turkish lire respectively)
Here's the email he sent me a few minutes later after the telephone call.
Dear Customer,
Formal entry required for the shipment sent from ACE PHOTO AND DIGITAL/ US under UPS tracking
number xxx due to the high value. As per Turkish customs law and regulations
the low value limit is 100 EUR which means the non commercial shipments having values below 100 EUR
can be released as low value shipments without formal entry.
In order to clear the mentioned high value shipment , a power of attorney approved by a notary and TAX number is needed. After receipt of these documents , the clearance process will be started. There will
also be customs charges such as duty , VAT , stamps fee ,storage handling etc.
If you need any other information or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us
Best Regards
I spoke to one of the custom support staff who sent me an email (below).
The gist is I needed to have a NOTARISED power of attourney letter sent to UPS so they could clear the item through customs.
What this whole fiasco is about is that UPS would not give me a clear and concise breakdown of the costs involved in clearing the purchase until after they received the PoA letter, in other words they could hold me ransom to whatever charges where levied at me.
At a rough guess the customer service gentleman said the costs would be between 350-400 turkish lire, excluding the notary fee and translation fee (100-150 turkish lire and 40-60 turkish lire respectively)
Here's the email he sent me a few minutes later after the telephone call.
Dear Customer,
Formal entry required for the shipment sent from ACE PHOTO AND DIGITAL/ US under UPS tracking
number xxx due to the high value. As per Turkish customs law and regulations
the low value limit is 100 EUR which means the non commercial shipments having values below 100 EUR
can be released as low value shipments without formal entry.
In order to clear the mentioned high value shipment , a power of attorney approved by a notary and TAX number is needed. After receipt of these documents , the clearance process will be started. There will
also be customs charges such as duty , VAT , stamps fee ,storage handling etc.
If you need any other information or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us
Best Regards
Current United Parcel Service tracking info
Your package has experienced an exception.
Type: Package
Status: Exception
See description below
Shipped To: FETHIYE, TR
Shipped/Billed On: 18/06/2008
Service: UPS SAVER
Weight: 1.80 Lb
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 26/06/2008 14:06 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
ISTANBUL,
TR 24/06/2008 10:00 THE RECEIVER DID NOT WANT THE ORDER AND REFUSED THIS DELIVERY / UPS WILL CONTACT THE SENDER AND/OR RECEIVER REGARDING THE STATUS OR DISPOSITION OF THIS PACKAGE
ISTANBUL,
TR 20/06/2008 14:28 POWER OF ATTORNEY DOCUMENTATION IS MISSING AND IS REQUIRED FOR CLEARANCE
20/06/2008 9:58 PACKAGE DATA PROCESSED BY BROKERAGE. WAITING FOR CLEARANCE
20/06/2008 7:03 ARRIVAL SCAN
KOELN (COLOGNE),
DE 20/06/2008 4:15 DEPARTURE SCAN
20/06/2008 4:13 DEPARTURE SCAN
KOELN (COLOGNE),
DE 19/06/2008 22:51 ARRIVAL SCAN
19/06/2008 21:46 ARRIVAL SCAN
PHILADELPHIA,
PA, US 19/06/2008 9:26 DEPARTURE SCAN
19/06/2008 8:48 DEPARTURE SCAN
19/06/2008 1:50 EXPORT SCAN
19/06/2008 0:46 ARRIVAL SCAN
MASPETH,
NY, US 18/06/2008 22:43 DEPARTURE SCAN
18/06/2008 21:56 DEPARTURE SCAN
18/06/2008 21:39 ORIGIN SCAN
US 18/06/2008 18:00 BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED
Type: Package
Status: Exception
See description below
Shipped To: FETHIYE, TR
Shipped/Billed On: 18/06/2008
Service: UPS SAVER
Weight: 1.80 Lb
Location Date Local Time Description
LOUISVILLE,
KY, US 26/06/2008 14:06 TRANSFER NOTIFICATION FROM SITE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY
ISTANBUL,
TR 24/06/2008 10:00 THE RECEIVER DID NOT WANT THE ORDER AND REFUSED THIS DELIVERY / UPS WILL CONTACT THE SENDER AND/OR RECEIVER REGARDING THE STATUS OR DISPOSITION OF THIS PACKAGE
ISTANBUL,
TR 20/06/2008 14:28 POWER OF ATTORNEY DOCUMENTATION IS MISSING AND IS REQUIRED FOR CLEARANCE
20/06/2008 9:58 PACKAGE DATA PROCESSED BY BROKERAGE. WAITING FOR CLEARANCE
20/06/2008 7:03 ARRIVAL SCAN
KOELN (COLOGNE),
DE 20/06/2008 4:15 DEPARTURE SCAN
20/06/2008 4:13 DEPARTURE SCAN
KOELN (COLOGNE),
DE 19/06/2008 22:51 ARRIVAL SCAN
19/06/2008 21:46 ARRIVAL SCAN
PHILADELPHIA,
PA, US 19/06/2008 9:26 DEPARTURE SCAN
19/06/2008 8:48 DEPARTURE SCAN
19/06/2008 1:50 EXPORT SCAN
19/06/2008 0:46 ARRIVAL SCAN
MASPETH,
NY, US 18/06/2008 22:43 DEPARTURE SCAN
18/06/2008 21:56 DEPARTURE SCAN
18/06/2008 21:39 ORIGIN SCAN
US 18/06/2008 18:00 BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED
Introduction
Hi,
I'd like to share my experiences with you as a customer, but first an introduction.
I an en anglish expat living in Turkey, I moved here 3 years ago. Unfortunately I had to get rid of most of my large collection of books when I moved.
Recently I had been reading about electronic book readers and wanted to purchase one, so I logged into Amazon and tried to buy a Sony PRS 505 from Ace Photo Digital these are my experiences, not yet over unfortunately leaving me around $300 poorer and without an e-book reader.
I'd like to share my experiences with you as a customer, but first an introduction.
I an en anglish expat living in Turkey, I moved here 3 years ago. Unfortunately I had to get rid of most of my large collection of books when I moved.
Recently I had been reading about electronic book readers and wanted to purchase one, so I logged into Amazon and tried to buy a Sony PRS 505 from Ace Photo Digital these are my experiences, not yet over unfortunately leaving me around $300 poorer and without an e-book reader.
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