Need Advice Regarding A Payment

[CraigT]

Before Christmas I ordered an item from Japan. Very often you can be hit with an import tax charge on your doorstep by the UPS delivery guy. On this occassion there wasnt any which was fine by me. This was on the 16th december.

Anyway, I received a letter a week or so ago telling me that they made an error and should have charged me £67.00 when they delivered the parcel to the door. I didnt pay it and threw the letter away.

I have now received a 'final demand' in letter form advising me that they will consult their solicitors if I dont pay it.

Now a few people have told me that due to the fact that it was an error on their behalf they only have a set amount of time to request the money back?

Can anyone shed any light on where I stand with this? Im happy to pay it if I have to, but I dont want to pay it if they dont have a leg to stand on due to it being an error on their part.

Advise me!

[Fidgits]

ooh, tricky one..

This might help..

[TheNissanMan]

I would have thought that as you have paid and therefore completed your 'contract' with both the company you would be fine as it was an error on there part as if they had asked you for the money before use you could have told them you were not aware of any extra charges...

As Ian suggests best bet is to contact your local Trading Standards to see where you stand...

[Karma Supra]

If you were not told about it, you payed for it, and you recieved your goods thats their tough :censor: if they made a mistake.

Many people offer idle "solicitors threats" knowing full well they don't have a leg to stand on, the worst for these are solicitors themselves!

Hold your ground and they often end up looking very silly :D

[Robie]

Next time maybe they'll leave your parcel and let you collect it from the airport.... its not up to them to enforce the law, thats the police's job

[Caz SR]

Karma's right. It's their mistake and they do not have a leg to stand on. They are just trying to make you think that you're liable for the costs by using official jargon and threats. I would consult someone and let UPS know you're seeking legal advice on the matter... lets see what their response is then. Keep all communications from now on in a safe place and make note of anyone's details that you may have been given over the phone. It will help you keep track of events.

Good luck.

[CraigT]

Thanks for the advice guys. I found the tone of the letter to be very heavy handed which is surprising seeing the only person who made the error was themselves.

If anything they should dock it from the pay of the guy who delivered it for not doing his job properly.

I think I'll advise them that I am also consulting my solicitor and the trading standards and will respond to them with or without the requested payment depending on the advice that I am given.

Any other advice anyone can give me will be very much appreciated. Thanks for the help so far