Bit of sympathy required

[Grease Monkey]

OK, Good news my engine has arrived on UK soil.

Better news, instead of me having to pick it up from Heathrow, 250 mile round trip, it arrived at a warehouse 200 yards from my place of work.

Bad news, they moved it to a bonded warehouse in Avonmouth, Bristol.

Good news, this warehouse is also 1/5 mile from my alternative office.

All sounds great up until you want to actually get your hands on it....

I can't just go with my cheque book and pick it up, no no. They (Customs & Excise) have erected hurdles the size of the berlin wall to foil all but the most bull headed.

You need to fill in a 'C88' form available from their Aberdeen offices, oh but you wont understand it as its all in code. And no they don't give out info on the codes to just anyone.

But you can get one from the website, BUT it has 'sample' written all over it so you cant actually use it.

Oh and the warehouse wont release it unless you have all of the shipping documentation, not that they'd release it to a member of the public anyway, etc etc

Oh and C&E wont accept payment from any form of human being either, which makes paying the Duty & VAT a bit tricky.

The 'shipping company' that got it to the UK will solve all of these problems for another £100.

Why do i think someone somewhere is taking the p1ss?!! (and getting rich doing it?)

Saying that its still worked out far cheaper than an equivilent one in the UK, but why all the red tape

[chiffer]

Same with my father-in-law, who died in Sri-Lanka 2 months ago. Took us 8 days to get his ashes out of Manchester Airport. The paperwork was a nightmare.

[Grease Monkey]

The C&E guy i spoke to was very sympathetic, but couldn't help because of the new system.

Used to be you turned up with the money, be it cheque or cash, proof of ownership etc and a truck and off you went.

Now, what's happened is they've cut back on staff to such an extent that there's no one to handle the 'customer' so everything has to be done through a 3rd party 'shipping company' who charge the extra £92 to handle the payment and filling out form C88.

Gits

Just means i have to wait another 2 days while my lump sits in a warehouse 200 yards away....

[rich]

I have just had to pay MENLO Worldwide £131.42 ontop of the pre payed shipping from US to get my engine released at east midlands airport.
as you say its still far cheaper than buying from the UK but it takes some of the fun away!
Seems to me, someones laughing somewhere

Rich

PS: C&E took another £873.38 off my ever decreasing funds

[Bigblock]

Watch MENLO, the supplier I used in the US said all costs were covered, MENLO wanted more. I had a litle shoput at them and they came back with "we phoned the us company and you were correct, the company in the US didnt tell us (MENLO) it was all paid" I did point out to then in a few words that all of the paperwork confifred it was paid. Bar Stewards.

[Bigblock]

Sorry about the spelling, washed my hands and can't do a thing with them

[kdavies3]

I had the same problem with my stroker when it arrived at Bristol in 2002, I remember it cost me around £100 by the time I got it home.

[Grease Monkey]

Ahhh, mine is with Menlo as well.

I will check up with the US end to see if it should all be covered..