Experience of orders in "Audio Maintenance Limited"

[korneev]

Embargoes may prevent Colin to reply to emails? In addition, I have reliable information that another customer from Russia got his order from AML in September. Does anyone know Colin's nick here in the forum?

 

[ungifted]

We've had some discussion at our local russian diy community forum about the issue - many our russian AML customers say that thay receive their parcels from AML without problems. Let's wait for Colin answer, have anyone got their orders lately to prove AML is working?
My advice - don't use DHL, FedEX and other express services when shipping in Russia, it's not "post service" and have lower limits and loyality at russian customs. If you want it faster - use EMS.
PS: Let's stop blame russian post and customs. I send and recieve many things, in most cases everything is ok. More often parcels are lost after export. At least Russian Post still track everything including small packets. Note that USPS, Canadian post and Australian post stopped doing it. Yes it's slow and buggy but often it does it's job well.
Hope everything will be ok, at least you'll get your funds back if payment was made via paypal (sure it was).

 

[korneev]

Good afternoon! Thanks to all answered. Money from AML is returned to me without explanations, the reason of non-execution of the order still remains to me is unclear. The subject is exhausted.
Despite the need for the products AML, I will order from them something surely any more not.

 

[Fet Sounds]

I have exactly the same experience here. And noticed just the same weird attitude from this company. I ordered a 1073 rack kit and i checked the VAT free option on the site since i am VAT free  in my country. Everything was ok ond i got an email of my order. So far all is good. Then Colin kindly sent me an email saying my VAT number is not working for UK tax free purchases. That was the first time i dealed with this company and with an UK seller. I very nicely told him i'm sorry, i did not buy anything before from no EU countries (USA many times and no problem there, since i had built so many units) and asked the guy to please delete the order since taxes was blowing all my budget on the build. Well. Then nothing anymore. After three days of silence i called them in thir phone in UK and leaved a message. The day after i got an email from Colin... Just saying "no problem, i'll delete your order". Then silence again. I'm still waiting. The delay is not a problem, that is normal and can happen. What is strange is that he was very quick in the beginning. Now it takes days to replay. In my opinion if somebody owns a company and sells to private buyers should take care about this. Quick replay is everything. He is so well considered but now he delays with me and i wonder why... So, not serious behaviour. On Reverb, let's say, i replay to everybody even in the night when i'm selling. So, may be not all the people and buyers or counties is the same... I don't know. That's so frustrating and has no sense to me. I never did this. I'll wait and then not to order again. Best wishes everybody. Marco

 

[ruffrecords]

I have exactly the same experience here. And noticed just the same weird attitude from this company. I ordered a 1073 rack kit and i checked the VAT free option on the site since i am VAT free  in my country. Everything was ok ond i got an email of my order. So far all is good. Then Colin kindly sent me an email saying my VAT number is not working for UK tax free purchases.

This does not make sense, If you are VAT free then you don't have a VAT number. If you do have a VAT number then you pay VAT on the purchase and reclaim the VAT in your own country. That's the way VAT works. Which country are you in?

Cheers

Ian

 

[gyraf]

It's slightly different in England than in rest of europe - over here, if you're VAT-registred, you buy without paying VAT then have to register back-and-forth-VAT with authorities yourself..

/Jakob E.

 

[ruffrecords]

It's slightly different in England than in rest of europe - over here, if you're VAT-registred, you buy without paying VAT then have to register back-and-forth-VAT with authorities yourself..

/Jakob E.

Does this go some way to explaining the problems they have experienced?
I just checked the government web site. If you sell goods in the EU you must charge VAT. It is up to the recipient to recover the VAT locally. If you sell services in the EU you do not charge VAT. If you sell goods or services outside the EU you do not charge VAT.

So it looks like the rules are that Colin has to charge VAT at UK rate and the EU buyer has to reclaim the VAT locally.

Cheers

Ian

 

[gyraf]

yes, it seems to be due to the mismatch of systems. Wonder why it wasn't harmonized a long time ago..

 

[ruffrecords]

yes, it seems to be due to the mismatch of systems. Wonder why it wasn't harmonized a long time ago..

VAT was introduced in the UK in 1973 when we joined the EEC. I am not sure to what degree VAT was harmonised at that time.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Fet Sounds]

This does not make sense, If you are VAT free then you don't have a VAT number. If you do have a VAT number then you pay VAT on the purchase and reclaim the VAT in your own country. That's the way VAT works. Which country are you in?

Cheers

Ian

The problem has been solved, Colin sent me a receipt of the cancellation of the order, now i need to wait for the bank to refund, wich takes10-35 days.
Unfortunately i live in Italy...  I just re-registered my company since they introduced the new VAT free system here, so i'am not experienced. The way it works in here is you don't pay VAT for goods wich you need for your activity and nor when you get payed from your customers. It's a kind of start-up tax free system for the small companies wich you beneficts for five years.
However on the AML site there is the option for a VAT free purchase and indeed my final receipt was with no taxes. Then Colin reached me out saying my number is not valid for cross-border free VAT transactions. I checked on the Tax Agency site of my country (the VIES) and it confirms so, it's not a valid number. So i was assuming there is a way to avoid taxes over EU and also UK. It looks like is something you have to ask when you register your company and you can modify whenever. I will look into this and hope it works since some guys here asked me to build these units and i do it a few sometimes from other brands. I might be wrong and be the things working as you sayed wich was the same i knew. I was worried i did not hear back from Colin sice a few days. I know him, obviously. Thanks.

Cheers

Marco

 

[ruffrecords]

HI Marco,

I suspect every EU country implements VAT slightly differently. We do not have a VAT free system for small companies in the UK. All businesses have to register for VAT. The only exception is for small businesses below a certain turnover. They do not have to register for VAT, they do not have to charge VAT but they have to pay VAT on their purchases.

Anyway, I am glad you got it sorted out.

Cheers

Ian

 

[gridcurrent]

Had somebody experience of ordering and receiving items from the "Audio Maintenance Limited" and how quickly?

ordered Carnhill transformers:
Order Date:  15 September 2020 01:35 GMT
received order in southeastern USA, Central Time Zone, Wednesday morning, September 16.

 

[Fet Sounds]

Need to give some very good feedbacks on shipping time of this company.
About my previous experience i have to guess maybe they where just busy to replay to my emails.

I just ordered a pair of Neve mono channels, i ordered on tuesday, they shippend on the same day and they just arrived in Italy today, on thursday.

Fasted service i've seen so far. I shipped items myself to States and took 3 weeks and items i ordered inside europe took a month to arrive...

Pakaging was extremely well done.

Cheers

 

[Ricardus]

I've had nothing but good service from them. I've ordered a ton of Pots, and some transformers from them, and they were always great. Since Covid hit they seem to be shipping with a carrier other than USPS, and the last order I did came WAY faster that domestic mail packages shipped within the US. The freight was a little more, but I don't mind if the service is that good.

 

[thomasdf]

Hello

Has anybody planed to place an order at AML soon ? Preferably outside UK in Europe, France would be the best.
I would like to buy a single potentiometer for a Pultec build (approx 5 £) but their basket checkout minimum is 25 £...
Of course I can pay for half of the shipping and taxes, etc

Thanks in advance

Thomas