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    • Hi all, Love this site and it's no nonsense advice, have dipped in and out of the consumer forums over the years, mostly to assure myself that what I was doing was the right thing when dealing with various businesses (almost 100% success rate, thanks in part to reading and more reading here.). Anyway, the time is almost approaching where I might need to ask for some specific help and I have a couple of queries that I can't see definitively answered. Due to financial mismanagement and severe anxiety issues I stopped paying all unsecured debt in December 2018 (one slipped to the first week in Jan 2019 when the last payment was made having rechecked my bank statement from that period - all my unsecured debt direct debits were cancelled in early Jan 2019). This has left half a dozen debts;  a couple of credit cards, a bank loan, Shop Direct and some Hitachi Finance stuff having been sold on and passing the rounds through the usual suspects, Lowells, Link, PRA Group, others related to them, and then back to them again. I have somehow successfully managed to maintain radio silence and avoided anything more worrying than their begging letters.  I have blocked their phone calls and texts, bumped all emails to the spambox and had a chuckle at their desperate letters.  I've never had anybody at the door.  I have been at the same address since before I defaulted and all correspondence comes to my current home address.  I have NEVER contacted them or admitted any debt. In anticipation of them perhaps ramping up action at the last minute I've had a look at my credit report on Credit Karma (rec'd from this very place) and I see that the default dates on these range from May 2019 to November 2019. Also in preperation I've been reading, reading and reading lots here as advised. Obviously being in Scotland there are a lot fewer posts relating to these matters and it's always quite annoying when OP's do not follow up with any outcome on their cases - how rude! This has also left me a bit confused of when I am able to finally breathe easy (although cancelling all the direct debits in Jan 2019 was the biggest sigh of relief as I knew it was all going to be unmanageable and, well, default one, default all.). I've been reading that defaults should be filed 3-6 months after the missed payment but one of my larger debts was defaulted on 27th August 2019 when the last payment I made was 10th December 2018, meaning the first missed payment was 10th Jan 2019.   My query for now is - when should I infer that these debts are prescribed?  From when the payment was missed, or taking the default date plus 5 years from the credit report?   The three I have with the May date are moot anyway as either way they are gone - some letters from Lowell offering me 90% off to settle is what got me thinking these must have been near SB status, however I have one big 10k+ with a July date and another 10k+ at the end of August so I am feeling a bit anxious again, even though I know there is nothing to worry about with the begging letters.  Reading the various forums I am not sure why the OC's didn't take action against me when I read time and again the surprise that other posters haven't already been taken to court for lesser amounts - I'm also surprised I've avoided any action this long as there are plenty in this forum and sub forum who are whisked off to the court by the beggers minions after only a year or so after defaulting.  There are no CCJ/decrees listed on my credit report and I have not received any such judgements against me.  I still just regularly receive the begging emails to the spambox, the blocked phone calls and the letters from the they.   I'm also reading that there is no need in Scotland to send an LBC so what should I be looking out for to know that the time has come to engage with CCA requests etc?   I'm afraid in a fit I threw a lot of the paperwork out but I have a box of stuff I'm going to go through which may have the original letters from the OC's.   Thanks in advance for any advice.  
    • I'm at work now but promise to look in later. Can you confirm how you paid the first invoice?  It wasn't your fault if the signal was so poor and there was no alternative way to pay.  There must be a chance of reversing the charge with your bank.  There are no guarantees but Kev  https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09766749/officers  has never had the backbone to do court so far.  Not even in one case,  
    • OK  so you may not have outed yourself if you said "we". No matter either way you paid. Snotty letter I am surprised that they were so quick off the mark threatening Court. They usually take months to go that far. No doubt that as you paid the first one they decided to strike quickly and scare you into paying. Dear Chuckleheads  aka Alliance,  I am replying to your LOCs You may have caught me the first time but that is  the end. What a nasty organisation you are. You do realise that you now have now no reason to continue to pursue me after reading my appeal since you know that my car was not cloned. Any further pursuit will end up with a complaint to the ICO that you are breaching my GDPR.  Please confirm that you have removed my details from your records. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I haven't gone for a snotty letter this time as they know that you paid for your car in another car park. So using a shot across their bows .  If it doesn't deter them and they send in the debt collectors or the Court you will then be able to get more money back from them for  breachi.ng your data protection than they will get should they win in Court-and they have no chance of that as you have paid. So go in with guns blazing and they might see sense.  Although never underestimate how stupid they are. Or greedy.
    • Thank you. Such a good point. They did issue all 3 before I paid though. I only paid one because I didn’t have proof of parking that time, only for two others.    Unfortunately no proof of my appeal as it was just submitted through a form on their website and no copy was sent to me. I only have the reply. I believe I just put something like “we made the honest mistake of using the incorrect parking area on the app” and that’s it. Thanks again for your help. 
    • They are absolute chuckleheads. You paid but because you entered a different car park site also belonging to them they are pursuing you despite them knowing what you had done. It would be very obvious to everyone, including Alliance that your car could not have been in two places at the same time. Thank you for posting the PCN so quickly making it a pity that you appealed since there are so many things wrong with it that you as keeper are not liable to pay the charge. They rarely accept appeals since that would mean they lose money but they have virtually no chance of beating you in Court. Very unlikely that they will take you to Court given the circumstances. Just in case you didn't out yourself as the driver could you please post up your appeal.
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My tobacco got a customs charge: Will I have to pay it? It's an odd one...


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Hi guys,

 

I'm sure you can help me on this one, you guys generally seem to be pretty clued up :D

 

Basically, I bought some tobacco (not much at all - 5 x 50g pouches golden virginia) from Europe.

 

Came today, with a customs stick on it for £41.80. Now, it says on that that the parcel can not be delivered until all charges are paid. However, the postie just gave the parcel to me as he ususally does, and walked off. (I didn't realise the charge until he'd gone).

 

Because he didn't collect any payment, will they chase me up for it?

 

It's not a huge amount so I'm not fussed either way, but would be nice to know.

 

Here is a photo:

 

tacky.jpg

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You should have had a card left asking you to pay the £41.80 + £8.00 handling fee (unless that's already included in the £41.80) before they would deliver it.

 

If you haven't received one then I imagine it's an oversight on Royal Mail's part. If they've delivered it without asking for a fee then I doubt they've kept a record. If you wanted to, you could notify them of their error and pay the fee.

Opinions given herein are made informally by myself as a lay-person in good faith based on personal experience. For legal advice you must always consult a registered and insured lawyer.

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Hmm, well literally the postie (royal mail) just gave it to me like a normal parcel, just the parcel on it's own - and when he'd gone I realised there was that sticker on the front saying there was a customs charge.

 

I guess it's their loss if they didn't collect the payment from me?

 

 

If I wanted to? Don't be silly :p

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Assuming that the customs charge is correct, this seems a very expensive way to buy tobacco;

you buy 5x50g pouches of golden virginia costing about £30 online,add to that the shipping charges plus this extortionate customs charge it seems that you are paying about £15 per 50g pouch when it costs just over £11 per 50g pouch in my local Tesco!!

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It worked out at £30 in total, including the shipping. Which basically saved me £30 or so (they are ususally are £12 a pouch.)

 

But as for the customs charge, obviously I wasn't expecting one at all. With it - then yes - it sure is an expensive way to buy tobacco :p

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I have just looked up one of these online tobacco companies websites FAQ's

quote;

Q; Are the products taxed ?

A; All our boxes of tobacco display an EU country government seal which guarantees that the contents are genuine and that all taxes and duties have been paid to an EU government authority.

Q; Is it legal ?

A; Absolutely! since all our products are EU taxed you and every EU citizen may freely buy our products without having to pay any extra taxes or duties in the country of residence,if you reside in a country that is a member of the EU you have a great advantage ! one of the major reasons for the very formation of the EU is the free movement of goods between member countries.

(That is until good old British customs and excise come along that is !!)

So who is correct here ? anyone know?

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Sorry, but the information on their website doesn't tell the full story.

 

The ECJ ruled 2 years ago that only goods transported personally by private individuals are exempt from excise duty - so anything bought online or mail order is subject to excise duty when it arrives in the UK.

 

Court rules against dropping tax on alcohol and tobacco bought online | Business | The Guardian

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | EU alcohol ruling cheers traders

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HMRC are right, the trader is wrong.

 

Alcohol and tobacco products from within the EU cannot be sent to the UK unless arrangements have been made to pay UK excise duty in advance. On this occasion the OP has been charged the excise duty, but as there are special requirements concerning importing tobacco, then HMRC could have seized the goods.

 

To import tobacco you should use Registered Excise Dealers and Shippers (REDS), although I imagine the cost in doing so would probably end up a similar kind of cost to just buying the tobacco in the UK unless you're importing large quantities.

Opinions given herein are made informally by myself as a lay-person in good faith based on personal experience. For legal advice you must always consult a registered and insured lawyer.

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