Ordered some stuff from Front Runner. I knew what import duties, VAT etc were payable, no drama there. Stuff due for delivery today, so last night I checked emails and checked the tracking status for the package, no mention of the import fees. Assumed the driver would present me with the confirmed amount and wave a card machine at me.
Grumpy German UPS driver* turned up with the rack and all the other bits, I open the door with my bank card in my hand. He says "you have money for me? £206?" which is within a couple of quid of the amount I was expecting, so I wave the card at him.
UPS "No. Cash or Cheque"
Me: "the what now?"
UPS: "Cash. Or. Cheque". He then mutters something about stupid people in German, which unfortunately for him I did at school.....
Me: "Who the has a chequebook these days? Who has £200 cash just lying there and will give it to a delivery driver with no advance notice? Can I pay online?"
UPS: "Yes, you pay online, I deliver tomorrow"
Me: "it will take me 90 seconds to pay and print the receipt if you give me the link"
UPS: "No, I take back to depot, deliver tomorrow"
Me: "......."
UPS guy then proceeds to swear under his breath in German and check the packages back into the van. I go indoors, pay online using the details he's handed me and he's still there muttering to himself by the time the receipt is printed. But now he's checked it back in to the van he's not going to let me have it today.
So yeah, rack etc in the UPS van for the day, back to the depot, then back out again tomorrow. At least being UPS it shouldn't get the kicked out of the package. Of course if there is any damage to any of the packages I shall be refusing delivery.....
(* He's a real delight, a total ray of sunshine whenever he delivers here. Like an evil version of Papa Smurf, he rocks up in all weathers in sandals with socks on, blaring Mozart like a classical version of a really miserable ice cream truck driver. I fully expect to see him on the news one day, with reports of a of all his female relatives found bound and gagged hanging from meat hooks in the back of his van)I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
<racial>Loud Mozart = OK. Loud Wagner? Probably not so good.</racial>
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24th May 2022 10:18 am
Trailered Movements
Member Since: 16 Jan 2020
Location: East/West Sussex Coast Borders
Posts: 1198
What a !
Reminds me of a situation a few years ago when I was living in Germany. Drove back to the UK in my German registered car, popped into the services near Stansted Airport, and some plant based guy decided to tell his mates what he was going to do to my car once the effing kraut (me) had gone into the services.
He got a hell of a shock when my perfect anglo saxon reponse was followed by a sharp punch on the nose.
His mates were themselves laughing and assured me my motor would be safe as they dragged him away.
All was well on my return.
Dave2011 Discovery 4 Commercial SDV6 (Gone)
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<racial>Loud Mozart = OK. Loud Wagner? Probably not so good.</racial>
.....so I kicked him right in the Götterdämmerung
The ring cycle? That's going to smart....I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
24th May 2022 10:48 am
JordsDisco
Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1487
Kids - just today…..
£500 for one of them re a school trip to Belgium.
£268 for the eldest for a GAMSAT test plus another £100 reading material.
The costs for the Disco pale into insignificance compared to the kids.
24th May 2022 8:41 pm
al cope
Member Since: 08 Nov 2005
Location: Oldbury, WM
Posts: 10297
^^ couldn’t agree more, remember my eldest daughter coming home asking if she could go on a school netball tour - to Barbados 😳
AlVolvo XC90 B5 Plus Dark
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Now gone - MY16 D4 SE Tech, Loire Blue, Almond Leather, Privacy, plus some other goodies.
Old - MY12 D4 SDV6 XS Auto - Ipanema Sand with Almond Leather - Plus other niceties, and D4.com sticker
Older - D3 TDV6 XS Auto - Lugano Teal with Almond Leather, 20" Stormers, Shiny Tailpipes, DVD/TV - and obligatory D3 sticker
Ancient - D3 TDV6 S - Tonga with Ebony, 20" Stormers, satnav & DVD
£268 for the eldest for a GAMSAT test plus another £100 reading material.
The costs for the Disco pale into insignificance compared to the kids.
Obligatory that you make them watch "In Bruges" in preparation for their trip.I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
24th May 2022 9:35 pm
leeds
Member Since: 30 Aug 2010
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 4312
NoDosh, just be grateful UPS got the import duty and VAT calculation correct.
UPS, charged us duty on items made in Italy, claiming they were made in Panama. They confused the Italian abbreviation for each as the country code for Panama. That cost us about £500 and we never got that money back.
Not the first time duty has been wrongly applied. The joys of brexit.
Brendan
24th May 2022 9:42 pm
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8052
Brexit may be why you need paperwork but the up is UPS’s
I just hope it's raining tomorrow as I carefully check each of the 4 consignments for any signs of damage before I sign for them..... I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
24th May 2022 10:41 pm
leeds
Member Since: 30 Aug 2010
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 4312
astonbuilder wrote:
Brexit may be why you need paperwork but the up is UPS’s
In your case UPS, however in our case it is UPS, DVS, Parcel Force, Fedex etc, because of the mess that the current U.K. government made of brexit.
Brendan
24th May 2022 11:09 pm
al cope
Member Since: 08 Nov 2005
Location: Oldbury, WM
Posts: 10297
Barclays
Had the misfortune to have to visit my local branch. Only one counter position open but there are two ladies doing the meet and greet role and asking how they can help -get behind the counter and open another position would be useful !!
AlVolvo XC90 B5 Plus Dark
Gone - MY18 D5 HSE - Corris on 22's with Black Pack
Now gone - MY16 D4 SE Tech, Loire Blue, Almond Leather, Privacy, plus some other goodies.
Old - MY12 D4 SDV6 XS Auto - Ipanema Sand with Almond Leather - Plus other niceties, and D4.com sticker
Older - D3 TDV6 XS Auto - Lugano Teal with Almond Leather, 20" Stormers, Shiny Tailpipes, DVD/TV - and obligatory D3 sticker
Ancient - D3 TDV6 S - Tonga with Ebony, 20" Stormers, satnav & DVD
26th May 2022 2:02 pm
Journeyman
Member Since: 27 Sep 2020
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 252
After SWMBO catching our neighbour trying to kick one of our ducks earlier in the week (would take too long to explain why/how) and confronting him yesterday, we wake up to go on holiday with the tin tent today and find the disco has been keyed about 5 times. Can’t prove it’s them - difficult to have a camera as we own the drive at the back of terraced cottage & legally have to allow foot access along it for all our neighbours & another neighbour isn’t happy to be recorded using our drive to access her back garden.
This is the latest in a long line of passive aggressive we get from them because they just dislike everything about us. We have a child who has some additional needs & they go out of their way to do sly stuff to him which causes him to have a meltdown and then stand at their window watching him unravel. And the neighbour is supposedly an autism expert but just believe our lad doesn’t have some issues, it is just our bad parenting - too personal to share more info about our lad as to why he has some challenges.
The sad thing is they used to be good neighbours - their daughter was our bridesmaid, their son was ring bearer but as they have got older, they are just angry and bitter with massive chips on their shoulders.
There just doesn’t seem anyway to catch them with enough evidence to do anything effective to put a stop to it. We’ve tried having a civil conversation with them but he just ends up ranting and walking off. They refused to work with a mediator.
It’s doing my head in. There’s nowhere else in our village we would move and why should we driven out of a home we love.
Sorry for the long post - needed to get this off my chest a bit.Cheers,
Jez
Discovery 3 HSE Stornaway Grey
MY 2008 2.7 TDV6
Discovery 2 2003 - gone
28th May 2022 6:33 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72787
Video camera the out of your place. So they don’t like it, tough.
so ... the passageway is effectively a public place.
the law on photography is you can take pictures but not stalk someone ... fixed cameras are not stalking anyone, just photographing them in that location.
Hell, if this was the US of A, you could probably setup an AR15 in place of a camera.
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has a chequebook these days? Who has £200 cash just lying there and will give it to a delivery driver with no advance notice? Can I pay online?"
