Ok, so here is another Customs Tale for you all .... The first part of this story I believe I have previously posted about in a couple of other threads, but the tale continues so here goes
Recap of Part 1: back in October 2011 I decided to make a significant eliquid purchase from China. Being that I am American and at the time not familiar with Health Canada or their ban on eliquids/nicotine, I had no idea that there could potentially be a problem with my order.
The order was for : 500ml Flue cured Tobacco, 300ml flavorless PG/VG base, 75ml of premixed flavors (vanilla, almond, marijane), 18pc 10ml bottles of flavoring, 10ml syringe and some empty bottles. I placed the order on 10/10/11 with a scheduled delivery date of 10/14/11 via UPS. On 10/14 I checked the tracking # and the status said " Location: Calgary, AB, Recipient refused delivery and states they did not order " ????
Of course I am confused because I do not live in Calgary, and I would never refuse my own highly anticipated order, so what is going on? I call UPS thinking that there was just some mix up and the attempted delivery was to the wrong address however, once I got a rep on the phone and gave her my tracking #, she quickly informed me that Customs had seized my package and is refusing to delivery because Eliquid is not allowed to enter Canada..... so why does the status read "recipient refused delivery" ?
The Rep refused to answer that question when posed, and when I asked her what would happen to the package she told me that they would either destroy it or send it back to the original sender, but either way there was no way that I was receiving this package. She said that the vendor could contact them and request that it be sent back to them.
Ok, so I immediately email the vendor and try to explain what had happened ... but this is China and a major language barrier that I am dealing with. I told the vendor that if they could get the package back, I would give them a new US address to resend to, and that I would handle from there, and of course I am willing to pay the additional shipping charge to have it re-shipped to a new address. At first the vendor was responsive, they forwarded my email to another dept within the company, but after a few more emails asking if they had arranged for the package to be sent back, the vendor stopped communicating with me?? ... I wasn't going to just let my money go down the drain, so I decided that if the vendor did not contact me with a further status within 3 days of my last email, then I was going to file a claim with Paypal to get my money back.
I had no interest in getting over on anyone, I was more than willing to pay an additional shipping charge, but I was not gonna just let the vendor bail out on me with my money in pocket. Now typically, I would really have no chance of getting my money back via a Paypal claim, because they are clear about customs issues being the responsibility of the buyer however, UPS did me a favor when they decided to update the tracking status as "recipient refused delivery" from location that does not match my address. I also felt that the vendor was wrong to cease communicating with me, and if they had tried to get the package back and re-send it as I requested and it still failed, then I would have cut my losses and let it go.
Approx 30 days after I filed my claim with Paypal ( and mind you still no further response from the vendor during this time ) Paypal settled the claim in my favor and I got my money back
.... all was good in the world, and now I have even more money to spend on my vaping addiction.
Unexpected Part 2: .. So life goes on, I have completely forgotten about my "Customs gate" experience, until last Friday... I just so happen to be standing in my apt buildings Lobby, when a delivery guy walks in holding package. I assume it is for one of my neighbors, and since we always help each other out by receiving and signing for packages, I ask the delivery guy who he is trying to deliver to .... before he can even answer, I see my name printed on the package which looks like it has been to hell and back! ... Holy ....! Based on the condition of the package it instantly registered in my brain .. Chinaaaaaa Juice!!!! I signed for that pack so fast, and jetted up the stairs of my apartment building like I had stole something!
How did this happen??? Customs told me point blank that they were gonna destroy it or send it back. I never, ever in a million years expected to receive this forgotten juice..... Merry Xmas to Me! Since the time that I originally placed this order, I have heard a lot of unflattering things about China Ejuice, so my expectations were very low. Well surprise, surprise because all of the pre mixed juices are good, and I am quite over the moon about the 6mg Flue Cured Tobacco juice cz I love it!... and I am gonna enjoy vaping all 500ml of it! .... Not to mention the fact that I have finally found a caramel flavoring that actually taste like CARAMEL!! I have purchased every brand of caramel flavoring, from every flavoring vendor there is and they were all fails!! ... and I know good Caramel because I eat about 450 grams of it a week
The other strange blessing is that I did not receive a bill for brokerage fees ... When I ordered 14, 13ml bottles of flavoring from Capella I got hit up with a $36 brokerage fee bill :S .. This order had well over 1 liter of liquid and yes, it was opened and inspected.
So this Customs Tale of disappointment, yet ultimate redemption, hopefully will restore a little hope to those who have had or are still having similar issues. I am chalking this one up to GOOD KARMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ... Not mention well timed Karma being that we are in the Holiday Season!
Cheers and Happy Vaping to All!
Recap of Part 1: back in October 2011 I decided to make a significant eliquid purchase from China. Being that I am American and at the time not familiar with Health Canada or their ban on eliquids/nicotine, I had no idea that there could potentially be a problem with my order.
The order was for : 500ml Flue cured Tobacco, 300ml flavorless PG/VG base, 75ml of premixed flavors (vanilla, almond, marijane), 18pc 10ml bottles of flavoring, 10ml syringe and some empty bottles. I placed the order on 10/10/11 with a scheduled delivery date of 10/14/11 via UPS. On 10/14 I checked the tracking # and the status said " Location: Calgary, AB, Recipient refused delivery and states they did not order " ????
Of course I am confused because I do not live in Calgary, and I would never refuse my own highly anticipated order, so what is going on? I call UPS thinking that there was just some mix up and the attempted delivery was to the wrong address however, once I got a rep on the phone and gave her my tracking #, she quickly informed me that Customs had seized my package and is refusing to delivery because Eliquid is not allowed to enter Canada..... so why does the status read "recipient refused delivery" ?
The Rep refused to answer that question when posed, and when I asked her what would happen to the package she told me that they would either destroy it or send it back to the original sender, but either way there was no way that I was receiving this package. She said that the vendor could contact them and request that it be sent back to them.
Ok, so I immediately email the vendor and try to explain what had happened ... but this is China and a major language barrier that I am dealing with. I told the vendor that if they could get the package back, I would give them a new US address to resend to, and that I would handle from there, and of course I am willing to pay the additional shipping charge to have it re-shipped to a new address. At first the vendor was responsive, they forwarded my email to another dept within the company, but after a few more emails asking if they had arranged for the package to be sent back, the vendor stopped communicating with me?? ... I wasn't going to just let my money go down the drain, so I decided that if the vendor did not contact me with a further status within 3 days of my last email, then I was going to file a claim with Paypal to get my money back.
I had no interest in getting over on anyone, I was more than willing to pay an additional shipping charge, but I was not gonna just let the vendor bail out on me with my money in pocket. Now typically, I would really have no chance of getting my money back via a Paypal claim, because they are clear about customs issues being the responsibility of the buyer however, UPS did me a favor when they decided to update the tracking status as "recipient refused delivery" from location that does not match my address. I also felt that the vendor was wrong to cease communicating with me, and if they had tried to get the package back and re-send it as I requested and it still failed, then I would have cut my losses and let it go.
Approx 30 days after I filed my claim with Paypal ( and mind you still no further response from the vendor during this time ) Paypal settled the claim in my favor and I got my money back
.... all was good in the world, and now I have even more money to spend on my vaping addiction. Unexpected Part 2: .. So life goes on, I have completely forgotten about my "Customs gate" experience, until last Friday... I just so happen to be standing in my apt buildings Lobby, when a delivery guy walks in holding package. I assume it is for one of my neighbors, and since we always help each other out by receiving and signing for packages, I ask the delivery guy who he is trying to deliver to .... before he can even answer, I see my name printed on the package which looks like it has been to hell and back! ... Holy ....! Based on the condition of the package it instantly registered in my brain .. Chinaaaaaa Juice!!!! I signed for that pack so fast, and jetted up the stairs of my apartment building like I had stole something!
How did this happen??? Customs told me point blank that they were gonna destroy it or send it back. I never, ever in a million years expected to receive this forgotten juice..... Merry Xmas to Me! Since the time that I originally placed this order, I have heard a lot of unflattering things about China Ejuice, so my expectations were very low. Well surprise, surprise because all of the pre mixed juices are good, and I am quite over the moon about the 6mg Flue Cured Tobacco juice cz I love it!... and I am gonna enjoy vaping all 500ml of it! .... Not to mention the fact that I have finally found a caramel flavoring that actually taste like CARAMEL!! I have purchased every brand of caramel flavoring, from every flavoring vendor there is and they were all fails!! ... and I know good Caramel because I eat about 450 grams of it a week
The other strange blessing is that I did not receive a bill for brokerage fees
... When I ordered 14, 13ml bottles of flavoring from Capella I got hit up with a $36 brokerage fee bill :S .. This order had well over 1 liter of liquid and yes, it was opened and inspected. So this Customs Tale of disappointment, yet ultimate redemption, hopefully will restore a little hope to those who have had or are still having similar issues. I am chalking this one up to GOOD KARMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ... Not mention well timed Karma being that we are in the Holiday Season!
Cheers and Happy Vaping to All!
