can I invoice customs?

[JohnRoberts]

Probably no surprise that I do not like government bureaucracy.

Today I got a RESOTUNE II drum tuner back in the mail that I sold and shipped to a customer back in September. The customs paperwork on the package said it was "unclaimed" with a storage charge and return charge...  The postal worker who gave me the returned package had no idea what was going on with the charges and didn't ask me to pay anything.

I knew my customer was having hassles with his customs department because I already had to email him a copy of the original invoice back in November so he could answer their questions about product valuation.

Today after this unexpected bounce, I asked the customer what was going on and he said that he had 20 days to respond to his customs request for documentation and they returned the unit before that 20 days was up. He then asked me to reship the unit to him...  :

I wonder if I can invoice his customs office to pay the duplicate shipping charge only necessary now because of their negligence in returning the unit that the customer still wanted, before his time to claim it expired.

RHETORICAL... I know that some land-locked central European country is not going to honor my invoice for their bureaucratic screw up. In fact my invoice would pretty much guarantee that my customer never gets his unit in our lifetime... 

But my fantasy for now I that I invoice them for their screw up that will cost us (probably cost me) more money from an already too thin profit margin.    8)

JR

PS: Reviewing the dates my customer may have been a little fast and loose with the calendar.

 

[scott2000]

PS: Reviewing the dates my customer may have been a little fast and loose with the calendar.

Sounds more probable than the Gov doing something sooner than expected .....  ???

 

[JohnRoberts]

Sounds more probable than the Gov doing something sooner than expected .....  ???

I ship product all around the world and over the years have heard many stories about problems with customs, but then again the customer is a drummer.  :

JR

 

[weiss]

Doesnt seem very likely  they would ship it exactly on the date mentioned. Here in Germany we have about two weeks time i think. Actually it would be his duty to pay the fee. Not a good drummer  ;D

 

[NOON]

Drummers - specialists in micro-time at the expense of macro-time.

(always at least half an hour late to rehearsal in my experience)

 

[JohnRoberts]

I include clear notice on my website that customs fees and duties are the customer's responsibility.

This customer's email footer reveals that he is a PhD research professor.

Apparently he still wants the unit, but now there will be an additional re-shipping charge. I will resist my temptation to mess with customs. I do not want to see this drum tuner return again.

JR

 

[scott2000]

This customer's email footer reveals that he is a PhD research professor.

;D

 

[JohnRoberts]

This time I followed the tracking number and the reshipped drum tuner is now sitting in customs in Hungary.

I sent an email reminder to the customer to pick it up this time.  :

JR