Has anyone mailed their wedding goods ? I had issues...

[LOTTALUV92]

Ladies i had a wonderful wedding in the country of jamaica ocho rios riu,however none of my wedding goods came on time i sent it fedex,i tracked it to montego bay jamaica,where it sat for three days ,i spoke to chandlyn my wedding cooordinator who called for the package and said customs was holding it,after giving us the run around, someone who contracted outside of fedex delivered the the package to the resort the day of the wedding and 5 hours after the wedding was performed with all my bridemaids flip flops, my ring pillow, out of town welcome bags, decorative fans i made for souveniers,and wedding cds, on top of that they wanted to charge me $134.00 dollars for my own package, i was so upset i started to cry,first of all it wasnt sent in a timely fashion, and they opened my package and felt my wedding things was for sale so thats why they wanted to charge me for it, and i hand made these items, so you know i was at breaking point, i told them to send it back and was told they couldn't my stuff would be auctioned off.. by know i was in tears , then the guy kept changing the price of the package, at that point i fely we was being scammed, although my mother inlaw paid for the package , i felt scammed , has anyone experienced this ?? i need input and steps to get my mother inlaw her money back,,, i dont want to have this negative money grubbing vibe against this country but i think its too late....

[NotYourAverageDW]

Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry that happened to you. I have no advice regarding that since I'm in the early stages of planning, but hopefully someone can advise you on a recourse action.

 

Have you spoken to Fedex(US) customer service? Have they said anything? What about contesting the charges? The impression I get with using FedEx is that customs and duty is in the price you pay, so your recipient doesn't pay anything.

[Tropical Imaging]

oops double posted....see my response below

[Tropical Imaging]

I may be able to offer an explanation based on living in the caribbean for 13 years now.

 

When you send items to a foreign country, you need to check if there are customs duties on the items being sent. In most Caribbean countries, there is an import duty on most items that come in irregardless of who is sending them and what they are sending them for.

 

If a receipt for the value of the items is not included in the package (or if the items are handmade) my experience has been that customs can and will create a price for it. What your mom paid was customs duties or tax, which in most caribbean countries is over 25%, I would expect they included a clearing charge as well as fed ex handled all of the government paperwork which is standard.

 

For example, In the Turks and Caicos there is a 33% for all items except printed materials or computers. (Importing Cars is 45% on the price of the vehicle). If I have items for my house shipped to me, clothes sent, items for my business brought in (yes that means cameras etc) I pay 33% tax to the government. Now we don't pay income or personal property tax or sales tax etc but we do pay customs duty on EVERYTHING. This is how many of these countries governments make money as all items food and otherwise is taxable. This also is why in many countries food/beer/t shirts etc, cost a lot more than at home. They have a 30-40% tax plus shipping costs added on. (For example I pay over $6.00 for a gallon of milk.)

 

When I moved here 14 years ago, I had a relative who decided to send a christmas package to me (despite repeated requests to send nothing). It was a decorative set of 4 desert spoons that were probably worth $15. Because there were no receipts to the value enclosed, they valued them at around $75 and also charged me for clearing (which is standard as fed ex does the clearing paperwork for you). I ended up paying about $100 for $15 spoons (and I pull them out every christmas and make my family use them).

 

Customs and duty is not charged by Fed Ex for the shipping, the price you pay is shipping only (same applies for DHL, UPS, etc). Customs fees and clearing fees are assessed on island. I don't see much recourse really. Sorry. You can try, but I highly doubt there will be a refund of any kind.

 

For anyone shipping anything ahead of your wedding. First check what the countries duties are for imported items, your wedding coordinator or hotel contact should know. If you are shipping, enclose copies of receipts and take copies with you to show the shipper as they make request them. Do not wait for Fed ex to contact you. Contact them, they will advise on duties and clearing fees owed.

 

Sorry your weren't given the heads up beforehand, I hope this story can save someone else the headache.

 

I am so glad that you had a great day despite this.

 

Krys

 

The best best is to ask for relatives etc to pack your things amongst themselves and help you bring it on island. Less hassle, and cheaper! And no worries on tax.

[hanna]

I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I really appreciate you posting though as it is a great learning experience for me. I was going to mail a box, but now will bring in luggage instead. I hope everything works out ok.

[Jennifer Davis]

Wow! That's is so terrible!

[LOTTALUV92]

Tropical Imaging Thank You For The Explanation, Like You Said It Is Cheaper To Pack And Bring Your Items Yourself, My Coordinator Didnt Advise Me Of The Duty Taxes, I Hope Everyone Take Head To This Forum And Learn From Experience, Again Thanks

[Hartyt509]

I think that happens in a lot of places unfortunately.

 

When my dad moved to Bali he sent some boxes but he worked for TNT so he got all the paperwork straight before they went but it was a right PITA he said when he had to go get them 3 weeks later!

 

Its a pain that you weren't warned tho

[can't wait!]

Wow! So sorry about the mess! I was seriously considering fed-exing my stuff to Mexico but now I won't. Sorry it happened to you but at least know you have helped other brides.