Hi Everyone, I hope you're having a better month so far than me. I don't even know if this is the right place to post this or if anything can come of it other than blowing off steam via the written word.
So after months of research and planning, I decided to take the plunge into vaping by ordering some supplies from a great Chinese company. I got a PCC starter kit, a pass through, 5 spare attys and batteries each, and about 320 ml of juice in all spectrum of flavors. I was stoked. Almost as stoked as Christmas during my childhood. I watched the package make it's way from China to Dubai to everywhere in Europe and finally coming to rest here in Costa Rica. The carrier switched from EMS China to DHL in Dubai, and at the time I thought that was a good thing. Three straight days of seeing "Clearance Delay" in the tracking page later, I decided to call DHL and see what the hold up was.
After hearing no less than four different stories from four different reps, I finally got a supervisor on the phone who could speak English. It turns out that because customs opened my package, I had to pay DHL an extra $40 plus whatever import taxes they decided were fair just to have them send it from one town in Costa Rica to another. That's ridiculous, but wait it gets even better! After a long weekend of waiting, I called DHL again and they told me that I had to pay their third party "brokerage firm" for their services in this matter. The total comes to about $180 all together. This is taxes, "nacionalisacion", storage of my package, and the service fee! The order itself was only $240.00. The best part is, if I can't pay it (which I can't), the third party "brokerage firm" gets to keep my stuff. That means no chance of reshipment from the company I ordered from. The agent from the "brokerage firm" even went so far as to say "I think my son would like these" in regards to my package.
I looked online and found that I am not alone in this. DHL (especially in Costa Rica) is famous for doing this version of highway robbery. Go ahead and google DHL and Costa Rica and you will see no end of horror stories about these thieves. I am so angry right now, and I see no way I can fight these people and win. Anybody here from Costa Rica who can vouch for how much the import taxes actually cost? Can anyone here give me any advice on how to proceed? I'd really appreciate any input anyone can give...
So after months of research and planning, I decided to take the plunge into vaping by ordering some supplies from a great Chinese company. I got a PCC starter kit, a pass through, 5 spare attys and batteries each, and about 320 ml of juice in all spectrum of flavors. I was stoked. Almost as stoked as Christmas during my childhood. I watched the package make it's way from China to Dubai to everywhere in Europe and finally coming to rest here in Costa Rica. The carrier switched from EMS China to DHL in Dubai, and at the time I thought that was a good thing. Three straight days of seeing "Clearance Delay" in the tracking page later, I decided to call DHL and see what the hold up was.
After hearing no less than four different stories from four different reps, I finally got a supervisor on the phone who could speak English. It turns out that because customs opened my package, I had to pay DHL an extra $40 plus whatever import taxes they decided were fair just to have them send it from one town in Costa Rica to another. That's ridiculous, but wait it gets even better! After a long weekend of waiting, I called DHL again and they told me that I had to pay their third party "brokerage firm" for their services in this matter. The total comes to about $180 all together. This is taxes, "nacionalisacion", storage of my package, and the service fee! The order itself was only $240.00. The best part is, if I can't pay it (which I can't), the third party "brokerage firm" gets to keep my stuff. That means no chance of reshipment from the company I ordered from. The agent from the "brokerage firm" even went so far as to say "I think my son would like these" in regards to my package.
I looked online and found that I am not alone in this. DHL (especially in Costa Rica) is famous for doing this version of highway robbery. Go ahead and google DHL and Costa Rica and you will see no end of horror stories about these thieves. I am so angry right now, and I see no way I can fight these people and win. Anybody here from Costa Rica who can vouch for how much the import taxes actually cost? Can anyone here give me any advice on how to proceed? I'd really appreciate any input anyone can give...
