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-=Dennis=-
02-05-2009, 05:21 AM
Hey guys,

first of all - i am very excited where this whole red stuff is going to. Thanks for your ambition.
We are Red owners for app. a year now. And since we got it everything worked very fine...

...BUT: - as it is with everything - even very good crafted stuff can come to a point where it has to be send back for warranty to get something fixed - as it was with our Red Zoom Lense.
As we have no department for shipping in our company and - even in this hard times - we had/have very much to do, we had rarely ressources free to pack with this kind of stuff. So I had to struggle with the customs for myself - I had no idea what i was running into.

It took me 2 awfull weeks (i wonīt get into the details, you would freak out) just to get this thing send out, because i had to do my job inbetween.
Here (germany, hamburg) it is nearly impossible for somebody who is not very well informed about the whole customs procedures to get through this without getting a mental disease. And i donīt think that the situation in other countries differs that much.

The same situation a month later: The Lense came back from RED, but i had to get it checked at the customs before i will be allowed to open it - yes i can understand that, itīs ok and it makes sense.

But after waiting an hour the only thing you get is a kind advice that you do not have all the right papers (I stopped counting on how often i heard that) ...and that the end of the term is the next day...
...and you cantīt expand the validity without the right papers...
...AND it is impossible to get the needed papers there, you have to drive through the whole town to get them, great. I did that at least 4 times!!!!!
....and and and and and and and.....
Just an example of thousands but i think you get what i am saying.

We did what we could, but by now we expired the deadline - may have to pay at least a thousand Euros Penalty and/or taxes and i sacrificed at least a 50 hours, in which i could have done things that BRING and donīt COST money, and the package is still closed...

So, if there is any possibility for you to make this procedure more comfortable for your customers, that would be more than great.
Whats about a small branch in germany and other countries to connect those to RED.

- I donīt like to think about that i have to go through this hustle again when my Red Audio Board is going to be replaced.

thanks guys, hope you can help

Dennis

Ramesh Jai
02-05-2009, 05:26 AM
I go through the same BS with customs over here. It's comforting (not in a good way though) to hear that I am not the only one.

Paul Leeming
02-05-2009, 05:54 AM
Same here in Japan sadly. No matter how many times we explain to Fedex not to charge VAT a second time, they continue to act like robots and blindly do so. This is AFTER we fill in the "Warranty Repair - No Commercial Value" stuff BEFORE sending it back to be fixed AND showing them that paperwork on its return....

Luckily for us they at least deliver and THEN bill us, so we are fighting from a position of strength in that we do have our cameras and accessories back in our hands.

I think they just try to wear you down to the point that you roll over and pay twice just to get it over with. Not this little black duck I'm afraid....

Esteban Sosnitsky
02-05-2009, 05:55 AM
I cant even start to tell you how fortunate you are not to live where I live.
You just cant do it the right way here, the leave you with no choices at all!
I'll just say we had to take the camera to LA ourselves.

Good luck and good shooting.

Hans von Sonntag
02-05-2009, 09:48 AM
Hi Dennis,

I guess that all those customs obstacles are not in Red's realm. Hence they can hardly help in this regard.

I went through this by myself and it took me one week only.

But sending the camera under processing outward is one thing, recieving the camera back without paying the custom fees again is another story.

Be prepared for more grief....

Hans

Brent@RED
02-05-2009, 10:40 AM
Hans is correct, RED does have very little control over what each country's customs department is doing. However, we are compiling a list of general "best practices" for shipping back and forth to RED from outside the US. Again, we do not know the nuance of every country, but have learned a thing or two shipping gear for the last year and a half.

Also, Dennis, the good news for you is that when the RED EUROPE office is officially doing repairs (on top of the upgrade program), it should relieve this headache for you.

And, before anyone asks, no, I do not have an estimated date for RED EUROPE to be adding "repairs" to its scope. But I can say not too much longer of a wait!

BC

Stephen Williams
02-05-2009, 11:18 AM
Hi,

In the past I have always just paid the import duties on repairs & forget it, the VAT is in any case recoverable by a VAT registered company or individual. It's just one of the costs of doing business IMO.

Stephen

Stephen

-=Dennis=-
02-06-2009, 08:13 AM
Hi Brent,

That sounds good, thats all i was asking for.
Good Luck for all the victims of customs, who read this.

thanks

Frank Mirbach
02-06-2009, 09:57 AM
Hey guys, same with us ! Itīs a nightmare with FedEx. They seem not very professional when it comes to "warranty repairs". Alwas charge the damn VAT again. How much thicker can we write "REPAIR" on the package an papers ? An even with the so called "Passive Veredelung" it doesnīt work.

Stephen Williams
02-06-2009, 12:09 PM
Hey guys, same with us ! Itīs a nightmare with FedEx. They seem not very professional when it comes to "warranty repairs". Alwas charge the damn VAT again. How much thicker can we write "REPAIR" on the package an papers ? An even with the so called "Passive Veredelung" it doesnīt work.

Hi,

As you can reclaim the VAT does it actually matter?

Stephen

Frank Mirbach
02-06-2009, 12:50 PM
Hi,

As you can reclaim the VAT does it actually matter?

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

I think mainly, I just donīt want to be bothered with it again. FedEX wants us to waste our time driving to customs, letting the guys there inspect the stuff to repair, fill in that stupid "P.V" form nobody really understands, not even the customs guys, and have Red write "REPAIR" in big letters on their papers. And then, upon return of MY stuff, stuff Iīve already had enough trouble with in customs for the first time, all was for nothing ! And that AFTER you talked to them (one of the biggest shipping companies in the world !!) for hours to avoid exactly that !

By the way: Depending on how much stuff you send in, VAT can add up considerably. And for those of us who claim their VAT only every 3 months or so...itīs just so senseless...

Stephen Williams
02-06-2009, 01:02 PM
Hi Stephen,

By the way: Depending on how much stuff you send in, VAT can add up considerably. And for those of us who claim their VAT only every 3 months or so...itīs just so senseless...

Hi,

But as you charge VAT on every sale you make, you must usually owe the VAT people rather than get a refund when you make your 3 monthly returns.

Stephen

Marc Berger
02-06-2009, 01:25 PM
Hi Dennis,

as far I know audio board exchange for Europe customers will happen in London. Iīm happy about that.
Best,
Marc