Secret Farnell employee - stand up and declare yourself !

[Steve Firth]

No I'm not, but since you're an arse with an axe to grind, I can see how telling pork pies as you do makes you feel like a big man.

[Man at B&Q]

It's eating pork pies that does that.

I can only tell it how is is with Parcel Force imports through Coventry airport and the Milton Keynes PF depot.

*All* such parcels I have had over the past 5 years have arrived with a label affixed showing the breakdown of VAT and duty. At first the VAT and duty were paid on delivery, then they changed the system to sending out notification (in the post) of the VAT and duty due, which has to be paid before delivery. You can also track the parcel on-line using the international tracking number. The trouble is that, to pay on line, you need a different reference number that is sent with the postal notification. Getting through to human on the automated telephone system can be difficult at times. If you manage it, they can tie the two reference numbers together. The postal notification with the VAT abd duty breakdown still arrives, however. Agreed, it's still not a kosher VAT invoice.

If you choose not to believe any of that then that's your problem. If you wish to discuss it in a civi manner, then go ahead.

MBQ

[Arfa Daily]

So, without a proper invoice, how do you put this stuff through your books ?

Arfa

[Man at B&Q]

[e-mail]...

I'm not VAT registered :-)

MBQ

[Arfa Daily]

messagenews: [e-mail]...

Doesn't matter. If you're buying this stuff through your company, all of the amount of money that you've spent on each item, needs to be recorded. It's not a case of whether you are claiming the VAT back, or not. You have spent the cost of the item, the VAT, and any import duty that you have spent on it. When you put your petrol receipts through your books, you don't put in the amount less the VAT that you paid on it, do you ?

Arfa

[Steve Firth]

My parcels come through Coventry. I do not get the labels or letters you refer to. So no, I don't believe you.

[Man at B&Q]

Well, it's all true.

So how do you know the total to pay and how do you pay it?

How do you take receipt of the parcels? delivered or collected?

Which PF depot?

MBQ

[Man at B&Q]

Sorry, I thought you were referring to VAT receipts.

It's a part time business and the turn over small enough that all we need to do is declare profit and loss on the tax return.

If we are ever investigated then the paperwork from PF shows what we have paid.

MBQ

[Arfa Daily]

Ah, OK. Understand now. I thought you were either self employed or a business owner, and your imports were to do with that as part of your main source of income. :-)

Arfa

[Man at B&Q]

[e-mail]...

I wish! but SWMBO will not let me give up the day job whilst the kids are still at school.

MBQ

[Steve Firth]

There's a card stuck though the door which tells me where I can collect the parcel. When I get there an overweight man tells me "that's £x".

Usually collected.

The one near my house.

[Man at B&Q]

That sounds more like the way Royal Mail work than Parcel Force.

MBQ

[Steve Firth]

`then someone shoudl tell them to stop markign their cards "Parcel Force" and to remove the large "Parcel Force" signs from their depot. They could also scrub the "Parcel Force" signs from the vans.

[Man at B&Q]

They obviously do things differently at the Milton Keynes depot.

Parhaps

"Customs charge to pay" where it says "Had a letter abour charges" will help you understand what I'm talking about.

If you click on the link to pay, you will then see that it says "...top left of the *invoice* letter".

MBQ

[Steve Firth]

I don't know how many times I have to repeat that no such letter was provided.

[Man at B&Q]

In your case, I agree. I'm merely pointing out how it works for me in respopnes to being acuused of telling pork pies.

I suggest you talk to PF customer services at your local depot.

MBQ

[Graeme]

Most? Having spend eight years as a sub postmaster, I can assure you that, during that time, I have not seen ANY chargeable parcels without a printed label, showing the service charge, VAT, import duty or whatever.

Does not matter where the parcels arrive from, the charge having been levied at Coventry, the local depot or Timbuctoo, the label is there, for all to see. How else would anyone know how much to charge? It is not a figure concocted at the local office, to top up the tea fund.

Oh, and anyone who collects a parcel from my office gets a receipt, showing the charge number and breakdown of the charge levied.

[Steve Firth]

Yes, most of the deliveries made to this address.

[Graeme]

Steve, I am not going to argue, or call you a liar. I just accept that, in your part of the UK, things are done differently, although, knowing PF and RM, that does not surprise me. There seems to be little consistency between offices 10 or 20 miles apart, never mind hundreds of miles. All I can say is, in my office, I have never seen a parcel, PF or RM, without a sticky label, if a charge is payable.

[Steve Firth]

I've never seen one with such label.