Customs have siezed everything!

[Steel]

----puts down paper bag and tries to breath normally---

I am so angry I could sob, Customs have decided to seize my parcel from a well loved vendor. (No fault of the vendor, so even if you know please do not mention their name)

I paid duties and VAT on it yesterday and nobody will tell me anything.

That parcel contains:

My beautiful 1ct D VS1 which was sent back to the vendor for a re set.
1 Eternity band.
1 Scattered band.
1 Wedding band.
Set of earring jackets.
Set of earring backs (spare)

 

[Steel]

 

[Ellen]

I''m sorry.

I don''t know anything about customs, as far as siezing things. What exactly does this mean?

Although I can tell it must not be good.

 

[bee*]

Oh no way!! They''ve gotten so strict over here in the past few weeks! I hope that you get them back soon-especially after you''ve already paid!

 

[Po10472]

is this UK customs? so what happens now?

 

[Maisie]

If this is UK customs we are talking about try not to worry. Sometimes they check to make sure you really did send your diamond away to be reset, and you aren''t trying to smuggle a new diamond into the country. They will ask to see proof of sending - you must have a record of your diamond going out to the vendor?

Did you use a CPC code? Your vendor should have put this on the parcel to make sure you wouldn''t get charged duty on your diamond on its way back in. I think it comes under Outward Processing Relief:

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000225&propertyType=document

 

[Delster]

Oh Steel I''m sorry, how stressful!

If you''ve paid the VAT and import duties then they shouldn''t keep your jewellery. It must be a just temporary thing until they get authorisation that the payment has cleared. Has it been through the Custom House and Dublin Castle?

If there''s anything I can do to help just say the word (I''m a lawyer). We''ll get this sorted out!!!

 

[Delster]

PS - if this doesn''t get sorted pronto, we''ll just have to "talk to Joe"!!!!!

 

[Phoenix]

I am sorry to hear this. How stressful! Hope you get things sorted out soon.

 

[ang3199]

Oh my goodness! I hope you get them asap! Geez, I''m so sorry. **Hugs**

 

[TravelingGal]

Well, this is FAR more frustrating than a mean husband (who shall remain nameless) seizing the goods. I am sorry to hear this, and I know it''s tough to wait longer for something you''ve been anticipating! I hope all goes quickly and well...I''ll cross my fingers for ya!

 

[jewelerman]

Im sure your diamonds will get back to you save and sound!Keep us imformed.

 

[bee*]

Nope Irish customs

 

[bee*]

Date: 11/22/2007 10:03:37 AM
Author: Delster
PS - if this doesn''t get sorted pronto, we''ll just have to ''talk to Joe''!!!!!

hehe I was thinking this too

 

[Steel]

I''m back.

I mean that in more than one way, having had a meltdown today. Tears and all.

I am not a person to take things lying down and DH is no shrinking violet either so being told by FEDEX that the box was seized when everything is above board made us see red.

Here is my story:

This am I checked my tracking no to see that it had arrived in the local depot. Having cleared Dublin and Shannon.
I rang Customer services to see if I could collect it as we are renting at the moment and are not easy to find if you do not know the area.
Fedex were lovely and said ok, we will find out and ring you back.
Lady called back quickly and was very apologetic; Sorry your box has been seized by customs officer at your local depot.
(Very strange as our local depot doesn’t really exist it is so small, customs would usually seize at Dublin or Shannon never locally)
Mr Steel and I go crazy ringing every number for Fedex and Customs to get some info.
After lots of calls a lovely guy at the airport found the name of the customs officer who had my parcel. He advised she would call in the pm.
No call.
DH lost it as I lapsed into tears. Rang customs again to complain as we have all the info and had paid all duties and had no info as to why it was seized.
Very soon after that call, the Customs officer who had my box rang VERY APOLOGETIC that the box had been seized. Said she hadn''t done it and didn''t know why it had been held. She did all the research on the stone and agreed that the duties and VAT had been paid.
As she had opened the box they wanted us to pick it up.
DH and I leap into the car and retrieve our box.

She was very sorry we had been upset and gave us her card with mobile and direct dial etc if we ever had a problem again. She mentioned that we should have called her earlier to say that I was shipping my stone out.

We said we would have but that their number and location was up to then a ''state secret''. When we asked Dublin customs or Fedex we were told "no that info is private" and here she is saying we should have called them....

BTW I did call Dublin customs to confirm if I needed anything to send the stone out or to to mark when it came back in and I was told NO.

Long story short, we had a bad day. I have my parcel now and all looks wonderful. I will post pics soon, possibly not today as we are still shaking.

(I wonder, if I had not asked to pick it up would they have just sent a letter in the post to say it had been seized? Why was it stopped if she said she didn''t know why it was stopped?

-- I will try to let it go.)

 

[Steel]

Ellen, Bee, PO10472, Masie, Delster, LienTN, Ang3199, TGal, Jewelerman, Thank you all very much for your best wishes and sympathies. I really needed it.



If you don''t mind, I would like to have a little stomp now and try to shake this off.....

 

[door knob solitaire]

Stomp girlfriend STOMP!!!

Let it all out. There there. Feel better?

So glad your story ended up on a positive...and that photos for the rest of us are eminent. They are right? Get snapin! So can all do the envy stomp!!

§

 

[Po10472]

*phew* I''m soooo relieved for you. glad it''s all sorted and cannae wait to see yer snaps. put your feet up and have a glass of wine!

 

[Maisie]

I''m so glad you have your parcel!!! It must have been awful for you!

I have sent my diamond back to whiteflash for upgrade. When it went out there it was stopped at Manchester and I was asked to verify what was in the parcel. This didn''t happen the last time I upgraded. I think they must be clamping down.... maybe its because Christmas is near....

I just hope my parcel isn''t seized!

 

[TravelingGal]

Yay, glad you got your stuff!

I second a glass of wine...or three!

 

[bee*]

Oh thankgod that you got your parcel in one piece! I was telling FH tonight and he couldn''t believe it!

Ps-I love your stompy smiley!

 

[Deelight]

So glad you got your parcel back in one piece

 

[Kaleigh]

Glad to hear you got your parcel. Love to hear a happy ending, although I know how frustating your day was.....

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I am so glad you got your stuff back.

I can''t say anything good about any government so I will refrain from saying anything at all . . .

 

[Delster]

Yaayyy!!!

So glad you got your jewellery back

Just an alert to any Irish consumers here. I heard anecdotally last night that customs will open any package worth over €10k, to inspect it, and then they will refuse to release an opened package to couriers for delivery to the consumer. You will need to personally collect the item from customs (and even some items shipped via Shannon may get opened in Dublin Castle and you''ll have to collect from there), or pay a courier to go there and repackage the parcel for you (which will cost extra)...

 

[Steel]

Thank you all for your words of encouragement.
DH and I decided to not look at the goodies ''till tonight as yesterday was so traumatic.
Delster- I suspect you are correct. Don''t get me started on the bureaucratic incompetencies of this government

. (Ps Are you here or in the UK?)

 

[Delster]

I'm here Steel

(or as 'here' as I ever am, I can be a right ditz at times!

)

Enjoy having your pretties back, and when you've had sufficient time to bond, we'd love a photoshoot over in SMTR

 

[Steel]

Date: 11/23/2007 3:23:25 PM
Author: Delster
I''m here Steel

(or as ''here'' as I ever am, I can be a right ditz at times!

)

Enjoy having your pretties back, and when you''ve had sufficient time to bond, we''d love a photoshoot over in SMTR

(Thread hijack)

Delster, I don''t suppose you know anybody who has a vacancy for an apprenticeship? I am in the process of interviews and desperately searching for a kind Solicitor to take me on. I would love to stay down South but at this stage....

 

[Delster]

Oh dear I won''t be much help as I''m on the other side of the professional divide I''m afraid, and not even practising! I hear apprenticeships are hard to come by these days but I do know the big firms are currently doing the milkrounds - I saw some undergrads today comparing freebies

Where have you been looking so far? Did the Law Soc send you out their list of places that are hiring?

 

[Linda W]

Steel,

I just read this thread and I am so sorry for all of the frustration you and your hubby had to go through. I am so glad now that you have your parcel and everything is OK!!!!!

Love, Linda