Erroneous value on customs form.

[clanlydon]

In June 2001 I made an online purchase with a "reputable" international company's Uk division~ I purchased a book valued at £4.79, and had it sent as a gift to a relative who resides overseas. The company erroneously listed the value of a gift as been £64.79, instead of £4.79 on the customs form (form: CN22), that was attached to the parcel. The import duties and taxes that were subsequently imposed and paid by my relative were therefore well over 10 times the amount that should have been.

Upon bringing this error to their customer service department’s attention, a customer service representative subsequently denied that they ever list the value of an item on the customs form, <u>if</u> it is a gift.
I have made many attempts to disprove this by e-mailing, mailing and faxing copies of both the Customs form and import duties receipt to their customer service department. Whenever I had contacted their customer service department it was as though each attempt was the first, as there seemed to be no record anywhere of the details involved with the inquiry that I had made! Each personnel member with whom I had correspondence requested the information to be faxed or mailed again. It is implausible that all of these attempts were ineffective!

In recent correspondence they also state: "Any customs or import duties are levied once the package reaches your country. Additional charges for customs clearance must be borne by you; we have no control over these charges and cannot predict what they may be... " This is their response, despite the fact that they made a mistake.

I am seeking just compensation to be awarded for the inconvenience and unnecessary costs incurred to my family and myself. (Although minimal, it's simply the principal of this case). Would I be able to take this matter further? i.e. legal action?
How would this be done against a company of this magnitude?

 

[T-DESIGNER]

I realize this is an old post, but you might try contacting the U.S.
Customs Service office to see what recourse you might have:

http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/top/contact.htm

I would think the following quote from their web site would apply
to internet purchases as well as purchases done overseas:

Purchases sent by a merchant abroad

The merchant will attach an international customs declaration to
your package, which he or she should fill out with a complete,
accurate description of the parcel's contents and value. The
merchant will then mail or ship the package to the address you
supply.

Although the merchant may charge you for the cost of mailing or
shipping your package, he should not charge you for U.S.
Customs duties. Customs duties are not assessed until a
package arrives in the United States, and they cannot be paid in
advance. If a merchant tells you that you must prepay duty, do
not believe him or her. The Postal Service in the United States will
collect any duty owed from the recipient; in fact, by law, only the
designated recipient (addressee) is liable for duty. The
shipment's originator-the merchant, for example-will not be
charged duty for goods that he or she has sent to the United
States.

Hopefully, you still have the receipt/invoice for your purchase.