MX upgrade in France and custom duty

[Olivier Madar]

Hi,

I just went to Fedex this afternoon for sending my RedOne or MX upgrade (2070). And they said that I will have to pay TVA and duties again !! They don't do temporary export, and I have to find a "transit air" company, and Red have to send back the RedOne through the same transit air. If not, I have to pay again VAT and taxes...

So, my question is : who has already done the MX upgrade in France and how did you send The RedOne ?

Do you have any ideas or suggestions ?


Olivier

[Billy McCannon]

Hi Olivier,

Fedex guy probably deals with export and knows nothing about import. Call the Fedex import people.

I've tried other couriers and they are all about the same or worse. Stick with Fedex because they handled the original import.


You need:

a Original Tracking Number
b Fedex account number
c State it is warranty repair/upgrade

The most important is your original tracking no. That is the tracking number from your original import of the camera. This number allows Fedex to access your previous importation details when the camera is returned.

Make sure to say on the Air Waybill that it is a warranty repair or upgrade.

Also, you probably have a Fedex account even if you don't know it. If you know the number put it on the waybill. If not phone Fedex and see if they have one for you. They give you a new number every-time you import something unless you put your number on the AirWaybill. This creates no end of confusion so it is best to use one number. This will ensure they don't bill the TVA.

I think this is everything but it doesn't do any harm to call the Fedex customs/import people (not sure what they are called in France but they handle the importation documents when the camera is returned) they know what you need to have in order to avoid being taxed again. They will tell you what else will make life easier.

[Olivier Madar]

Thank you for your answer. I have call the custom by phone. They tell me "you have to find a "specialist" (called a "commissionnaire en douanes" in french)... This country is so complex that people creates company just for managing this stupid complexity.

So, what shall I do ?
- Yes Fedex did my original import (I am very afraid of asking them the number, it will be an enormous pain)
- The "commissionnaires en douanes" don't have it, are much more expensive than Fedex, but should be "expert" in such bargain.

Nobody did it in France before me ?


Olivier

Hi Olivier,

The guy at Fedex is an idiot. He probably deals with export and knows nothing about import. Call the Fedex import people.

I've tried other couriers and they are all about the same or worse. Stick with Fedex because they handled the original import.

I've spent hours talking to idiots and assholes in Fedex before finally getting someone who was helpful. - they do exist.

You need:

a Original Tracking Number
b Fedex account number
c State it is warranty repair/upgrade

The most important is your original tracking no. That is the tracking number from your original import of the camera. This number allows Fedex to access your previous importation details when the camera is returned.

Make sure to say on the Air Waybill that it is a warranty repair or upgrade.

Also, you probably have a Fedex account even if you don't know it. If you know the number put it on the waybill. If not phone Fedex and see if they have one for you. They give you a new number every-time you import something unless you put your number on the AirWaybill. This creates no end of confusion so it is best to use one number. This will ensure they don't bill the TVA.

I think this is everything but it doesn't do any harm to call the Fedex customs/import people (not sure what they are called in France but they handle the importation documents when the camera is returned) they know what you need to have in order to avoid being taxed again. They will tell you what else will make life easier.

[Billy McCannon]

Hi Olivier,

It is difficult to imagine that Fedex can handle this in Ireland and the Uk but not in France.

The tracking number will be on the email Red sent you before delivering your camera. If you don't have it you might have the invoice Fedex sent you to collect the VAT on the original - you can get the number from that or try your Red rep.

[Olivier Madar]

Thank you,


I did not think about retrieving Red email for finding the Fedex tracking number. Red only works with Fedex, so if I take another company, I will have much more trouble. So, I think I have to contact a "chief" at Fedex France.


Olivier

Hi Olivier,

It is difficult to imagine that Fedex can handle this in Ireland and the Uk but not in France.

The tracking number will be on the email Red sent you before delivering your camera. If you don't have it you might have the invoice Fedex sent you to collect the VAT on the original - you can get the number from that or try your Red rep.

[Jean-Charles Wolfarth]

Olivier,

I had the same problem a few years back with the same "explanation" : Fedex doesn't do temporary exports. It's a problem Red has to solve, as they're Fedex clients. Fedex is just a big piece of shit. I don't know how Red is going to improve this when the Scarlet will be available, but I really hope they will find a way to repair these cameras without getting stuck with customs problems.

A possible solution for you : trying to see with Red at Pinewood if they can send your camera directly to their headquarters. A UK to France shipping should be less problematic, although the UK aren't in Europe (no Schengen space). Red should have chosen Germany for their European base, less problems for real Europeans ;-)

[Alan Piper]

I'm not in France of course, but RED Europe are using FedEx regularly and we experience very few problems with temporary export and imports.
The trick here is to do exactly what Billy has said, but in addition we ask FedEx to register the export via a 'Pre-Alert' form. This will return a document to us with that registration number. Upon return, Fedex should contact you and ask how you wish the import to be cleared. You must instruct them that it is a Repair Return and they must register that import. Again you should get the registration number.
We then have 6 months to give the 'balanced' Export Entry Number and Import Entry Numbers to our Tax office and unless something is wrong, we hear no more.
Unfortunately, due to import requirements at the receiving US office, I am unable to offer to ship from the UK office.

[Jean-Charles Wolfarth]

Thanks Alan, but this unfortunately doesn't work at all this way in Europe. You can't really generalyze your situation in the UK compared to Europe which has its own customs regulations. It looks like things haven't improved since a few years judging by the number of people I know in Europe who are running into problems with customs when repairing/updating or even buying their Reds.

If things were as easy as you pretend, Alan, you should be able to send Olivier's Red to your headquarters without any problems ...

I'll probably buy a Scarlet S35 system but this is a really worrying problem. It's just not possible to rely on this kind of shipments back and forth, especially if the warranty of the new models will be 1 year (not confirmed ?). I've been saying the same thing for about 2 years now.

At Red Europe you should also be able to repair and upgrade MX bodies from the start. Sorry to sound harsh, but it's really a serious problem that Red should solve for good.

[Alan Piper]

Like I said, I'm not in France and I don't mean to generalise but rather offer how it works here (we are in the EU and 'should be harmonised' ) - Ultimately we want to be in a situation whereby the UK office can look after EU repairs in their entirety. The MX Upgrade is a special requirement and RED have set up a dedicated facility to handle the demand. We aren't in a position to do that in the UK.
Problem with FedEx is they are a courier company, not a freight company - as has been said already, they rely on the customer providing the appropriate paperwork. If you then have additional complications with French authorities, then perhaps the only way to go would be to use a bona-fide freight agent?

[Jay Gannon]

This may sounds like an expensive option, but have you considered flying to Lake Forest and staying there for a week while the upgrade is performed?