Well known scam. I’ve had several recently.
3 Likes
I followed the advice from Laposte, who told me to include my email address on my postal address. Eureka! Yesterday I received an email from Laposte concerning a new delivery,that I am expecting, and a bill for 5 euros (itemised as TVA a l’importation…3.0 euros, Frais de gestion… 2.0 euros. I was informed that if I paid the 5.00 euros on-line the parcel would be delivered without extra charge but if I didn’t pay on-line the parcel would be delivered with a charge of 12.0 euros. I paid on-line, got a receipt and now waiting delivery.
Incredible, but pleased you managed to find a way around the whole saga, or at least manage to reduce the cost. Must admit, I still don’t understand why laposte is suddenly starting to charge what amounts to a relatively high cost on top of the basic postage cost. I have a couple of books that I had to order in the UK and delivered to a friend. They are due to post them, but now thinking, might just leave it until they visit or I visit the UK at Xmas. Brexit still giving!
It’s always been that way - it’s simply you all notice it now the UK is outside the EU.
Stuff from the US or Australia always attracted the charges. It was the same in the UK - duty and a tenner handling fee.
2 Likes
Ummmm - well I never had the charges until a couple of months ago when I had two specialist items from the UK that I had to pay these charges for. Prior to that I had no charges.
On top of the Brexit change - the levels where duty etc is chargeable dropped drastically this year so its even more obvious. But La Poste have always charged a handling fee for customs/vat - as has every other carrier
Has anyone experience of things going the other way, i.e. France to the UK?
I ask because I will shortly have to send to the UK what amounts to two bits of thin bent wire (clips to hold an air hose in place on a car engine), total value around 6€.
They will possibly fit into an ordinary letter envelope, and I was contemplating just sending them as a letter, although I’ll weigh them first of course.
Our local tabac sells birthday cards in ‘silly’ envelopes, and I’ve even thought of putting them in one of those.
I have looked on the La Poste website but couldn’t find anything relevant.
Your thoughts please, even those condemning me for attempted fraud!
Basically, the UK is a smugglers paradise post Brexit.
Whilst goods coming from the UK to France are generally vigorously checked it is reportedly not the same the other way round as they haven’t yet put in place the controls required which is the reason much of the stuff from UK is of concern.
The EU had the controls in place from the off. The UK have kept putting the introduction of controls back.
Largely because even this incompetent excuse for a government realises that it would be unwise given the devastating effect it would have on supply lines which have suddenly changed from a “low friction” model to a “high friction” model overnight.
Seriously this now gets worse. The post lady just came to the door with a Christmas card. For some reason it had a customs declaration on it and they wanted f£%&&-g €9 
. Merry Christmas 
Regarding charges by Laposte… I have emailed them twice to ask why I have not been contacted before a delivery so that I could pay the reduced charges on-line, as indicated in their site. A reply saying that they will look into it. I have also written to them… address for their complaints department. Still no reply six weeks later.
But to have to pay for a Christmas card is totally ridiculous. My sympathies.
Thank you. I haven’t yet paid. I’m trying to get in touch with my niece to check no flat present in there! The post lady is coming back tomorrow! I will be refusing it if it is just a card
1 Like
I ordered 30 stamps for cards to the UK a couple of weeks ago on the LaPoste site (Imprimer vos timbres), to print myself. I use this site a lot, to save having to go to the post office.
I filled in the details on the screen, but there’s a question : “Type d’envoie” and you must choose Marchandises or Document. I didn’t notice that Marchandises is already ticked by default. So when I tried to print the stamps it started asking me to fill in customs forms - seemingly one for each stamp! It was impossible to télécharger the stamps and print them. The button was sort of greyed out. But by that time I had already paid for them. I managed to find a way to contact la Poste by “email”, actually a form on the site, to complain. I made sure to reiterate the same grievance when they sent emails. In the end, after 2-3 weeks, I’m pleased to say I did get a full refund. So there are humans somewhere at the other end.
2 Likes
I’m going to ask DH to take a photo of the offending card before he rejects it tomorrow so I can send in a complaint, it is clearly marked documents and description ‘Christmas card’. It is totally unjustifiable to charge 9€ on that.
Strange.
We have received several cards, from UK, Luxembourg, Singapore and Hong Kong (China) with no charges. it is a shame not to enjoy your niece’s card, and I hope you get an explanation/apology from La Poste. 
Yes this caught me out last week and wouldn’t let me print but then a prompt appeared asking if I had completed any applicable forms and after ticking yes I was able to print the stamps, 1.60 per stamp for international.
They are now somewhere between here and there but might never arrive there if the UK post workers get their way.
Next year we won’t be sending cards or any other year, its just too much hassle as the recipient invariably bins them when the tree and trimmings come down!
1 Like
My sympathies! We are in the same boat.
I bring in regular supplies of car parts and even cars that I convert to LHD. Since the impostion of the rules recently (we were fortunate that WTO rules were delayed some) it has been a nightmare. Basically your car parts will have to have a white customs label stating value and shipping. Immediately a 3 - 5% duty is slapped onto the total, and then 20% TVA on the top of this sub total. Then admin charges from the shippers. If is is a complete car, then up to 10% duty.
All you can do is make sure the suppliers of the parts send them out VAT free.
So you get your friends to send them. It is still a parcel of car parts on which someone has paid UK VAT. OK, your friends devalue them. Duane chappies are not totally stupid and may query the value and apply their own value. Their valuation is final!
The brexit folk will say this is France being France. It is not. As said earlier on, the pathetic excuses the UK have for their government just do not have the intelligence or wit to get their act in order
Jeremy Clarkso once said on TV about some strikers - they should all be strung up outside their houses in fron of their families. This should be applied to every brexit voter imo 
I do not know what car you are restoring, but check out the lines of buying from the US if your parts are available there. I find it quick, and for some odd reason cheaper on the duty, and in so doing, it means that I do not have to shore up the UK economy - which is failing despite my paltry input
And just thinking a PARCEL came through with nothing a couple of weeks ago. Hubby gets stuff frommChina regularly and has never, ever been hit
My sister sent some christmas presents in a very small parcel and I had to pay 31€ yesterday to customs, the parcel contains goods (3 small presents) of less value than that ! 
Told UK family not to bother in future.
1 Like
I’m with you on that !