Dodgy stuff happening when importing personal effects to Thailand

[rose33]

I'm dealing with a well known international courier. Let's call it "National Prompt". Or NatPro, colloquially.

 

I packed a few boxes of stuff in AU (books, clothes, an old laptop, knick knacks, hiking gear). I provided an accurate, signed, itemised list to NatPro.

 

The courier company collected it from my nominated address in AU, and then immediately flew it to Thailand without any sort of prior discussion with me about the contents, import restrictions in Thailand, or the cost.

 

Proceeded to charge my credit card whatever the hell they liked. I was expecting some kind of consensual process after they weighed and measured in Brisbane.

 

Since then, it's been sitting in customs in Thailand for 2 months.

 

Now I'm told it's illegal to import a used laptop to TH, and I must either abandon everything, or go through some kind of litigation with a Thai authority and pay a fine. 

 

Amaaaaaazing Thailand.

 

Seems ridiculous that I could bring a used laptop into Thailand in my personal luggage, but not have it shipped over by courier. 

 

I get it they are either adorably incompetent OR they want a dodgy bribe for no reason.

 

The question is, what's my next move? The most efficient way to move forward.

 

Any

***accurate, informed

 and relevant***

***guidance or suggestions***

will, as always, be gratefully received.  

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

No directly related to visas or extensions.

Moved to the Business, banking and etc. forum.

[scubascuba3]

Maybe someone at customs wants a laptop and they saw yours, find out the cost if too high abandon it. Thing about Thailand is Thais never miss a trick to extort money, so don't get exposed

[jts-khorat]

Quote

Proceeded to charge my credit card whatever the hell they liked.

How would that even be possible? Something is very obviously missing from this story.

 

And even if, if it is just "knick knacks", there is always the possibility of a credit card chargeback for unfulfilled service and sorting it out with the agent afterwards.

[thaibeachlovers]

43 minutes ago, rose33 said:

The courier company collected it from my nominated address in AU, and then immediately flew it to Thailand without any sort of prior discussion with me about the contents, import restrictions in Thailand, or the cost.

I've shipped stuff before and that seems quite normal. It's up to you to find out all that and up to them to transport. I don't see any "dodgy" going on by the company. If it's held up in customs I can't see how that is their problem. If they are charging your credit card for things they didn't do then contact the credit card company.

[thaibeachlovers]

40 minutes ago, rose33 said:

Seems ridiculous that I could bring a used laptop into Thailand in my personal luggage, but not have it shipped over by courier. 

Depends if you had your bags checked by customs on arrival.

[DrJack54]

How much is all the 'stuff' worth.

 

[topt]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Depends if you had your bags checked by customs on arrival.

What difference would that make?

People travel with personal electronic items all the time.......I must have travelled in and out of Thailand with a laptop over 50 times in the last 10 years......

[ukrules]

2 minutes ago, topt said:

What difference would that make?

People travel with personal electronic items all the time.......I must have travelled in and out of Thailand with a laptop over 50 times in the last 10 years......

It's treated as freight when you ship in unattended.

 

All it takes is for them to find one thing in there they don't like and they can seize the lot.

 

I'm still waiting for my 'ear thermometer' which I ordered back in 2020 to arrive form the US.....it's never coming. Unlicensed medical device.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, topt said:

What difference would that make?

People travel with personal electronic items all the time.......I must have travelled in and out of Thailand with a laptop over 50 times in the last 10 years......

Customs have ( or had ) a reputation for being "difficult". I was lucky and never checked in LOS, so didn't have any problems there, unlike in the UK where I was put through 4 hours of <deleted>.

[topt]

1 minute ago, ukrules said:

It's treated as freight when you ship in unattended.

 

Understand that, however the point was about travelling with it.

[ezzra]

Thai customs are the pits, they behave like they run their own business there and with no accounting to anyone and what ever their sick brains conjure up rules and regulations and tariffs and duties that what they will do and you can talk to the walls...

[DrJack54]

39 minutes ago, ukrules said:

 

I'm still waiting for my 'ear thermometer' which I ordered back in 2020 to arrive form the US.....it's never coming. Unlicensed medical device.

I don't think you will hear from them.

[Dante99]

 

51 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

Something is very obviously missing from this story.

A big part of that something is the OP's not taking any responsibility for the issues on either end when it is clear that he/she failed to make a straight forward business transaction in Australia and failed to learn the Thai Customs rules regarding the things she sent.

 

Blaming this on the shipping company or Thai Customs is a child's game.

[digbeth]

Laptops with wifi? they gonna need to see your import licence and certificate of compliance to standards etc for the radio, power supply and all sorts of industrial standard, that while similar model might be sold in Thailand, or your exact model might even have the stamp of approval from Thai authorities already hidden somewhere on the laptop but without the paperwork, it's worthless

 

importing it is not impossible but unlikely to be economical or probably ended up costing more than the value of the laptop 

 

Your best hope is to tell them to throw it away, and it might show up in auctions at the port later

otherwise they'd keep charging you storage until yo pay up

[Farmerslife]

See attached

 

Thailand.pdf

[Iamfalang]

reminds me of a moving company.

 

you sign some forms, agree to the basics.......they then TAKE your stuff like they OWN it.....oh, once they got your signature they are grabbing everything!!!  free stuff!!!  big money!!!  could get "lost" if nice.  

 

you go to get your stuff, and then you have to pay about 500000000 trillion baht or it's no longer your stuff

 

hidden fees, fuel surcharges, storing fees, admin fees, etc.....

 

and you're thinking it's like a few thousand baht and they want 100,000 or your stuff gets broken.

 

laptop screen cracked, stuff destroyed.......and then you file an insurance claim to be settled in the year 3048

 

[Gulfsailor]

If you think the problem is with the courier and how they are dealing with customs then hire a 3rd party customs clearance agent and let them take over. I had that issue once when importing high value items and the courier was wholly incompetent getting the necessary permits filed in time.  So I hired a customs clearance agent who had it all sorted out in 24 hours. 

[RedArmy]

Two words spring to mind -

 

"Due Diligence".

[worgeordie]

A courier company said  I needed an import license

for 500 grms of fish food and 2 bars of toffee ,thats

how bad they can be , I hope the toffee got stuck in

their teeth .

regards worgeordie 

[rose33]

1 hour ago, Dante99 said:

 

A big part of that something is the OP's not taking any responsibility for the issues on either end when it is clear that he/she failed to make a straight forward business transaction in Australia and failed to learn the Thai Customs rules regarding the things she sent.

 

Blaming this on the shipping company or Thai Customs is a child's game.

There is the added complexity that I was initially (when I left Australia) planning to move to a different country (not Thailand). I made sure my shipping items met all the requirements for leaving AU, travelling by air, AND entry into Country A. I carefully read all the rules for that, packed and disposed of items accordingly, and made a detailed inventory and took a lot of photos.

 

I also note it's not a business transaction... It's merely the transport of my personal items.

 

FedEx have offered no meaningful support throughout the whole process. 

 

I think you're being harsh. 

[rose33]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Maybe someone at customs wants a laptop and they saw yours, find out the cost if too high abandon it. Thing about Thailand is Thais never miss a trick to extort money, so don't get exposed

It's a 2010 ThinkPad with NO BATTERY, no wifi, and an Australian recharger. Why would they want it? ???? Very desperate indeed ????

 

I tried to abandon it but apparently the abandoning is an all or nothing game.

[VocalNeal]

3 hours ago, rose33 said:

Seems ridiculous that I could bring a used laptop into Thailand in my personal luggage, but not have it shipped over by courier.

Then why didn't you?

[rose33]

30 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

If you think the problem is with the courier and how they are dealing with customs then hire a 3rd party customs clearance agent and let them take over. I had that issue once when importing high value items and the courier was wholly incompetent getting the necessary permits filed in time.  So I hired a customs clearance agent who had it all sorted out in 24 hours. 

Thanks. I'd be very grateful if you could please PM the details. 

 

There is already a 3rd party customs clearance agent (appointed by the courier) but they are the ones causing the latest set of problems.

 

 

[rose33]

1 minute ago, VocalNeal said:

Then why didn't you?

Because I left Australia many months before arriving in Thailand.

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

Thai customs are the pits, they behave like they run their own business there and with no accounting to anyone and what ever their sick brains conjure up rules and regulations and tariffs and duties that what they will do and you can talk to the walls...

Customs rules are customs rules. There is no malice. Most misunderstandings are from people not accustomed to import/export regulations

[BritTim]

Two questions:

1. How on earth has it taken you two months to find out about this? If the courier company never communicated about the shipment, and charged your credit card for duty/fines without your knowledge, you may have some recourse. However, usually, ensuring everything you are importing is legal, and paying whatever insane duties customs assess is your responsibility.
2. Are you aware that there are storage charges when shipments do not pass through customs promptly? These can be substantial. 

[rose33]

3 hours ago, jts-khorat said:

How would that even be possible? Something is very obviously missing from this story.

 

And even if, if it is just "knick knacks", there is always the possibility of a credit card chargeback for unfulfilled service and sorting it out with the agent afterwards.

You're suggesting I seek a CC refund for the payment to FedEx, because (1) they never issued an invoice, just charged me, and because (2) here we are 2 months later and my 'overnight' air freight delivery still hasn't been delivered? 

 

That's a good idea. 

[rose33]

1 minute ago, BritTim said:

Two questions:

1. How on earth has it taken you two months to find out about this? If the courier company never communicated about the shipment, and charged your credit card for duty/fines without your knowledge, you may have some recourse. However, usually, ensuring everything you are importing is legal, and paying whatever insane duties customs assess is your responsibility.
2. Are you aware that there are storage charges when shipments do not pass through customs promptly? These can be substantial. 

Thanks for questions. 

 

1) I only found out on Friday last week that there was any problem. I have been following up regularly with the customs agent appointed by FedEx. They always said there was a delay because they couldn't figure out what codes to apply to the items. I just put it down to Thai bureaucracy. Everyone says things happen slowly here. 

 

2). I already told them I wouldn't be paying any excess charges, because the delays are caused by them, not me. 

[rose33]

3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

How much is all the 'stuff' worth.

 

$515 AUD