irishmail

You could just not make this up! What a bunch of cowboys in Dublin 12 sorting office. They obviously do not know their left hand from their right hand. Just had two emails/text messages to pay customs charge. thought it strange as not got anything on order apart from two items previously mentioned that are supposed to be sent back. Out of curiosity I put the details in Anpost web site and the items are going to be returned to Hattons, which I would like to see how they are going to do that as I have the items here which were delivered with no issues at all back in August. This Customs Charge has expired on 29 Aug 2021 The time period for paying the Customs Charge for the below item has lapsed and the item has been returned to HATTONS MODEL RAILWAYS. There is no longer a charge due for this item. Customs reference number: 21IEDUB500274QFHR3 Description: BLUE CIRCLE PCA WAGON - PRE-OW

I no longer trust An Post. Latest saga on the packet from my brother - in law. This is what it now says on the Royal Mail tracking. I have never refused to accept it as Anpost never made an effort to deliver. "Sorry, we were unable to deliver this item at 11-10-2021 as the recipient refused to accept it. It will now be returned to the sender."

Slightly off topic I know, but so far we have not had any issues with Hermes/Fastway for deliveries from UK to Ireland unlike the RM/Anpost fiasco.

That just about sums up Anpost!

Apparently if An Post can not read it, in other word their scanners do no work, it will be sent back. We have just had an email from a supplier that one of our orders has been returned to them. No communication from An Post what so ever in relation to this. The following is a quote from the web chat I had with one on their service agents. If its like ours it will be in Dublin 12 for at least two weeks before they decide to send it back. "This item has been processed to be returned to the sender. The customs declaration which was provided electronically was insufficient. As we cannot amend or rectify any electronic customs data, the item must be returned as a result. Please refer to the sender to arrange for the item to be re-issued with the correct customs information (as per the changes introduced on 1st July) once it arrives back in the country of origin. Please find more info here http://anpost.com/Customs. I am sorry I cannot offer you a more favourable reply today."

Looking forward to seeing the MK 2's in the flesh next year, especially the blue/grey & NSE livery ones

Don't ship out with An post or they will never get out of Dublin

Had to put a like, could do with an agree button.

Well, managed to chat again to An post customer services via webchat, it appears that both our packages are still in Dublin! One since 10th September, the other since 20th September. Just got a feeble excuse that there is a delay of retuning items. Part quote from the web chat. "Chris 16:02 This item has been processed to be returned to the sender. The customs declaration which was provided electronically was insufficient. As we cannot amend or rectify any electronic customs data, the item must be returned as a result. Please refer to the sender to arrange for the item to be re-issued with the correct customs information (as per the changes introduced on 1st July) once it arrives back in the country of origin. Please find more info here http://anpost.com/Customs. I am sorry I cannot offer you a more favourable reply today. john 16:03 when is it going to be sent back? no update on tracking since 23rd sept. Chris 16:06 all details will update as this is dispatched and received back to Royal mail john 16:06 so is it still in Dublin or has it been sent back? Chris 16:07 it is being processed for return john 16:08 so when will it be sent back. tracking says return to sender on 23rd? it was received in Ireland 10 days ago This parcel we paid additional VAT and then found out it was due to be returned, I contacted ecomcharge but had not reply. The retailer has not received this back yet. Chris 16:18 there is a slight delay with returns t the moment , The tracking will update soon to reflect its most recent status. as soon as this is received back to UK our tricking will update , I will raise this with our ecomm team in regards to the VAT paid john 16:20 So as yet it had not been sent back? Originally we were told this one was mis scanned to be sent back and ecomm would stop it and get it delivered, but this seems not to be the case. Chris 16:23 The status appears to be the same for this , they are in the process of being returned"

This is a post from a UK supplier taken from the An Post Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AnPost "Same here. My customer's item arrived in Dublin, got through customs, got to the sorting office then disappeared. It's now showing as 'couldn't be delivered, being returned' but my customer never received a thing to say it was awaiting collection or whatever. Seems to be a common occurrence at the moment. I've sent items to Ireland from the UK before, not a problem. Everything was done through Royal Mail click and drop and all IOSS numbers were on the parcel. There seems to be huge problems with AN post at the moment."

That just about sums it all up. An post just do not have a clue on how to deal with this. I have two items which were supposed to be sent back, but I believe they are still sitting somewhere in Dublin. Still not had any response to my emails I sent to Anpost.

The retailer we ordered from is registered for Irish VAT and the invoices show VAT at 23% and not UK 20%. Despite this we were asked for additional VAT from Anpost which we paid (the retailer did refund this additional payment straight away) then they decided to send it back. It may well be still sitting somewhere in Dublin as retailer has now had any return of our package yet! Quote from the web chat we had with Anpost on 20th September. "This item was scanned as send for delivery on the 10th however it was then =scanned to be processed for return to sender on the 16th, I would advise that you contact the Ecomm team on ecommchargequery@anpost.com and they will be able to clarify what is happening with this item." Also could you please tell me why additional VAT & customs charges had to be paid as the company concerned is registered for Irish VAT. According to customs there was Vat owed of €6.62 and the €3.50 An Post processing fee, you can query these charges with the Ecomm team also." Email was sent to this Ecomm and as yet still had no reply!!!

Seven weeks!!! Well that just confirms what our local postie has told us then. Wonder if anything can be done about this via Royal Mail, as the two items we have somewhere in the Anpost system where posted Royal Mail 'air mail' 3-5 working days delivery. One is crafting items for SHMBO which have previously been delivered before with no issues, this time we had to pay extra VAT and its being sent back, this was on 10th September! The other as mentioned previously is a gift from family (international signed for) which has been sitting in Dublin 12 for the last week.

More or less what out local postie has said. Apparently anything that does not fit the customs description is put into a crate to be sent back only when it is full!! So our parcels may well be sitting in Dublin 12! Just checked for updates on mine and the tracking shows mine is still there. Regards, John 23 September 2021 17:06 Customs clearance have identified a problem with the customs declaration accompanying your item. As such, the item must be returned to the sender. 21 September 2021 22:42 We could not deliver your post. We will try to return it to the sender. 20 September 2021 13:19 Your delivery has been sorted DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12 20 September 2021 13:18 We have your post in DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12 20 September 2021 13:17 Your delivery was received by An Post in DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12

This is an email I had from Anpsot in response to the email that I sent them on 10th September! They have not even made any effort to resolve any issues or reply to my enquiries. It seems from others who have been in contact with them they have been trained/programmed to just say the same excuse to everyone! One on my local TD's is looking into this, so will see what happens. "Dear Customer We apologise that that due to high volume of enquiries in recent weeks, we have been unable to respond within the normal timeframe. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused you. If your query has since been resolved to your satisfaction, there is no need to respond to this email. If we don’t hear back from you, we will close your enquiry. If your query has not been resolved and relates to Customs or Customs Payments, please see below for further information. If your query does not concern Customs, please reply by email so that we can answer your enquiry directly. Customs/Customs Payments: If your enquiry relates to an item coming from a country outside of the European Union(EU), including the United Kingdom, the following information may help: Due to EU Customs rules, charges apply when you buy goods outside of the EU. The EU Customs regulations have been expanded since July 1st this year. Customs charges are collected by An Post on behalf of Irish Revenue once Irish Customs have determined what tariffs are to be paid. If you have checked the status of an inbound item using our online Track & Trace facility, and your item is shown to have been ‘Returned to Sender’, this is due to one of the following reasons: The customs charge wasn't paid on time. Customers are notified of EU customs charges by text/email/post and given 16 days to pay securely online or at their local post office. The required customs declaration made by the Sender was insufficient or invalid according to Customs regulations. Under EU Customs regulations, retailers (or other senders) must provide electronic customs declaration data for every items being posted into the EU. More information on these requirements can be found under the ‘Sending to Ireland from non-EU countries’ section on anpost.com/sending. Unfortunately, An Post cannot amend customs declaration data, so items arriving into Ireland with incomplete data have to be returned. The item (or some of the goods) being sent to you are prohibited or restricted under EU Customs rules. Restricted goods require detailed advance electronic declarations for each item. Prohibited goods are not allowed into the EU. For more information, visit the Revenue website If your item is shown to have been ‘Returned to Sender’ despite you having already paid the requested customs charge through An Post, please email ecommchargequery@anpost.ie to request a refund of your payment. If your customs query remains unresolved, and you need further information, please respond to this email and let us know. Once again, we apologise for any inconvenience caused and we hope that this information is useful. Please see anpost.com/customs for further information. Kind regards, An Post Customer Contact Centre"

Not sure if that would work now. I used to have deliveries by DPD parcel wizard, but they finished this service in December last year due to Brexit!! This was handy for ebay purchases from sellers who do not post to Ireland. I have previously used address pal in the past which was fine when you could collect from your local post office, but that service is now 'from' €6.50 plus any possible customs/VAT. If Anpost and custom's got there act together they could maybe adopt a system that murphaph says operates in Germany. Surely this would be a logical way forward and would also create employment for the local economy.

Well the way they seem to be operating at the moment it could well be the case. With my packet (only a small jiffy bag type) from my Brother in law, only last night I found out it failed 'customs' clearance'. This I only found out by the tracking information. Not all parcels are sent registered so God knows what happens to them! The wife's parcel which was sent early September ( which we paid additional VAT on) still no response on that one. I emailed the ecommchargequery@anpost and still not had a even an automated reply! . Like amdaley I sent a polite email to all the TD's in my county, so will see what happens from there.

It just gets better. Yesterday the anpsot agent told me that it was scanned Tuesday night to be returned, I went to check to see if it was yet sent back and now today at 17:06 it is still in Dublin sitting there since Monday!!! So the Anpost agent was telling me a load of $$$$. This was a sent as a gift from a family member. Christmas and Birthdays will be fun. 23 September 2021 17:06 Customs clearance have identified a problem with the customs declaration accompanying your item. As such, the item must be returned to the sender. 21 September 2021 22:42 We could not deliver your post. We will try to return it to the sender. 20 September 2021 13:19 Your delivery has been sorted DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12 20 September 2021 13:18 We have your post in DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12 20 September 2021 13:17 Your delivery was received by An Post in DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12

Just out of curiosity, understand if you don't want to into full details, was you order below the £135/€150 limit and did the £15.00 DHL delivery push it over that amount which 'may' have triggered the customs. Anyway good that Hatton's are sorting it.

So every individual will need to know the the Taric codes for any gifts they send in future! He clearly put on the packet what the contents were and vale £20.00. I thought that the codes were more for business's sending abroad rather then individuals sending to friends and family. Going to be fun sending and receiving parcels this coming Christmas.

This is the transcript from my online chat earlier today before the An post agent ended the chat. Spoke to brother in law short while ago and he said he put value £20.00 and model railway items on the packet. Obviously the staff in the Dublin 12 sorting office can not be bothered to read! Seán 17:06 Hi, john how can we help ? john 17:07 I want to know why my letter was not delivered and may be sent back. Seán 17:11 checking the tracking it seems that the item has been processed to be returned to sender I’m afraid. The customs declaration which was provided electronically was insufficient. I would advise to refer to the sender to arrange for the item to be re-issued with the correct information (as per the changes introduced on 1st July) once it arrives back in the country of origin. If you check our website here: https://www.anpost.com/Media-Centre/News/Customs-declaration-Postal-items you will be able to see what information is required for an item to be cleared. I am sorry I cannot offer you a more favourable update on the item today but I hope this information helps you! john 17:13 it is a gift from a family member. why was i not informed about this and why is it being sent back what did it say on the declaration form? Seán 17:14 It looks to be missing something called a TARIC code. You'll need to ask the sender to ensure that complete electronic data accompanies the item including a 10 digit TARIC code. They can visit our TARIC code finder to see exactly what information is needed: https://www.anpost.com/Commerce/Parcel-Solutions/International-Parcels/Find-a-TARICCommodity- code john 17:16 so why can it not be delivered? It must cost more to send back to uk and postage already paid for delivery to Ireland Seán 17:19 As advised it failed its clearance check due to the declaration issue and therefore had to be returned for the information to be fixed. We cannot deliver the item if it fails this. john 17:21 What happens now, Tracking says will 'try and return to sender which dont sound hopeful. and the package contained model railway items which are except from customs charges and is a gift from family. Seán 17:23 The item was scanned leaving last night, the tracking will update on the Royal Mail website showing it being delivered back to the sender. They an then get this info fixed and have the item resent and then there should be no issues. john 17:25 so what you are saying is that we can not longer send items to our family between UK & Ireland now. This was not a business or sales transaction. Read Seán 17:28 As long as the item is sent with the correct customs information there would be no issues with the item coming in. Unfortunately I have given you all the information I can. It was nice talking to you have a great day. Seán has closed the chat. How would you r

Should have gone to a proper magazine like Railway Modeller.

Pity Anpost do not have this information and inform 'their' customers of whats going on. I was chatting to one of 'their' 'customer' advisers a short while ago trying to find out what was going on then he decided to just end the chat!!! Have lost all confidence in An post now. Just feel sorry for our local friendly post person who ends up getting all the flack from irate and frustrated customers.

Quote from @Mayner's post "Customs explained that An Post is responsible for entering customs data and collecting vat and duties due on behalf of the Revenue, but also responsible for contacting the sender or person receiving the package to make any necessary amendments if there is a problem with the electronic customs declaration transmitted by the sending postal authority to An Post." I think here is the problem. Anpost are not making any effort to contact 'their' customers!

If I was in the Dublin area then I would have done, however I am the opposite end of the country.