UPS Ireland – "Other Charges" Rip off

From now on I am recommending to our clients, friends, suppliers that they no longer use UPS as a carrier.   Here is the reason.

If you import goods from outside the EU, you have to pay VAT @ 21% on the price of those goods.   That part is fair enough.   However, when you receive the invoice, there is a section that says “Other charges”.   This is currently €13.50 per package.  Can you Imagine the money they are making with this charge?!

Now, if you call UPS and ask them to explain this charge, they simply fob you off and give you various excuses, none of which make sense.   It’s a bloody disgrace!  One of the reasons I got this time I called was that they charge this fee because they have to pay the revenue first and then collect the money from the person they are delivering to.  Ha!  Classic! and only in Ireland could this happen….

I called the revenue commissioners in Ireland, who are working directly with UPS offices, and they have informed me that this fee is nothing to do with them.   How convenient eh?

So, it seems that the only way to hurt UPS is in the pocket…     Either call them on the freephone number 1800 575757 (that costs them money) and complain, or simply stop using them to delivery goods.  Tell your suppliers as well.

Edit:

For the record DHL do not have this charge…

  13 Replies to “UPS Ireland – "Other Charges" Rip off”

  1. November 23, 2005 at 9:56 pm

    That reminds me of the time I ordered something via UPS, it was Megascenery I think. I had to pay 11 euros for some reason … I don’t remember and the delivery man told me they paid something in advance or something …

    I just let it go because I wanted my package …

    But last time, for another megascenert product, no additional fee, how wierd is that ?

    Where have my 11€ gone ? In the first guy’s pocket ?

  2. David V
    November 24, 2005 at 12:20 pm

    I just had Track IR shipped through UPS from Naturalpoints offices in Oregan to my home in Southern Ontario, Canada. I only had to pay $22 CDN for the customs fee – no extra charges and the $22 is about the right amount for our government sales tax. So it seems they have different policies in different areas.

    Now here’s a question – if I return the Track IR do I get my taxes back? :S

  3. Nick Whittome
    November 24, 2005 at 4:16 pm

    We’re not called "Rip off" Ireland for nothing you know….

    I keep hearing politicians on the radio and TV saying that Ireland is not a rip off, but the examples of this kind of overcharging is everywhere.

    I have no issue with the taxes… but this extra charge from UPS is simply a big con.

  4. November 27, 2005 at 10:19 pm

    Actually its the same here in England, maybe worse. By those idiots Parcelforce. Plus they dont wanna actually deliver it. Plus they add extra charges for packages from US because the EU is fighting with the US over steel import tariffs. Worse still! got 2 packages from Japan… the one where value was quoted in $US as many are was charged that mystery fee the one quoted in Yen was not!!! I mena cant they read where an EMS package came from? The final straw, that EMS package took less than 24 hours from the Japanese vendor to the Parcelforce depot, then a week to get to me??? Asked them why but gave up 10 emails later because no-one ever answered the actual question.

  5. Still charging
    September 6, 2007 at 5:42 am

    They are still making the charge of 13.50 – The irony of it is an item I bought didn’t even cost that much to begin with but with 20eur postage and 13.50 I’ve paid an extra 300% . . . .

  6. insider
    April 7, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    This charge is nothing more than an admin fee. What happens is that UPS pre-clears every shipment by simply listing the details of shipper, consignee, content and value on a general list for Customs that comes into a country (any country, not just Ireland), but whenever Customs doesn’t give UPS the all clear to automatically import the parcel UPS assumes it is to hold it for possible inspection.

    And whenever UPS have to manually clear a shipment, instead of doing it the automated way…

    It used to be called Import Charges, but too many people wanted to know why the hell they had to pay that, while there was no import tax or tarrifs.

    So now they just call it other charges. Incidentally, other shipping companies do it too. UPS is just a little more blatant about it.

  7. marie (bettyboop)
    July 1, 2008 at 4:33 am

    Hi,
    Just received parcel this morning. €35 euros to pay on it they said. I asked why, they said vat/duty etc. The whole package only cost me 51 dollars. No note from customs or anything. Man said they had already paid it (yeah right)!!!!!!!
    Trying to follow this up, at least to get a vat receipt for it etc.
    Any hope of me getting this ???? (yeah right). !!!! And to really put the icing on the cake, the package was for my birthday.

    Very angry

  8. derek
    August 4, 2008 at 4:25 am

    hi,

    I received a package from japan. the item cost 25euro including postage and packing but i had to pay nearly 50 euro duty… 200% on top… tisk tisk… what i find funny is if for example i use ebay.. the item gets marked gift and no problems..
    Moral of the story is to use registered and insured mail, dont forget to ask the sender to mark the item as “gift” or if this cant be done ask the sender to mark the value of the item(on the invoice) at a much lower rate than what you actually paid…

  9. lin
    August 15, 2008 at 5:18 am

    hi, i received a parcel from the states this morning and ups charged me 34.54euro (the “other charges” is still 13.50euro). the item value is only 50usd/34euro. when i asked the delivery man what is the ‘other charges’ means he simply replied ‘contact the company you bought the item from’.. how ridiculous

  10. August 20, 2008 at 3:19 am

    Just got a similar notice this morning… I love the way that it is listed as:

    VAT
    Other Charges
    +VAT

    Any way to get out of it at all?

    Jonathan
    http://www.jonathanbourke.ie

  11. Rory
    October 9, 2008 at 5:03 am

    I just got ripped off. I’ll NEVER use UPS again. I bought something from the US, the original postage cost was $40. Then I was charged an additional €28.93. when you convert the currencies I basically paid for delivery twice.

  12. Harry
    November 3, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    Get them to send it EMS postal service, you might get away without paying vat or duty sometimes as customs dont get all of those packages for some reason. Also, You wont have to pay extra fees ontop of duty and vat.

  13. January 8, 2010 at 3:38 am

    UPS are still doing this, same 13.50 cost. I wanted three $7 items from the states, winced at the $25 delivery cost but went ahead anyway. So $46 = €31 or so. Then got hit with a €23 fee from UPS, including the €13.50 ‘other charges’. So a grand total of €54, or just shy of $80. Next time I’ll be sending it to a mate in the states and he’ll mail it over. Oh, and needless to say I’ll be avoiding UPS like the plague in future.

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