I ordered a £260 vase that sat in a depot for nine months – then Parcelforce lost it: SALLY SORTS IT

For my 40th birthday last December, some friends got together and gave me money. I bought a vase from an artist in Ireland called Ciara O’Neill.

I could never have justified the $300 price tag. I ordered the vase at the end of December and it was shipped immediately.

In early January I checked the tracking and it said my package had arrived in the UK. I kept checking and then suddenly the status changed to saying the duties had not been paid and the item would be returned to the sender. I contacted Parcelforce directly.

It was said that it had sent me two letters in January demanding the £70 levies. I never received them. It said that the return of the vase to Ireland would be stopped; at the time the vase was in a depot 45 minutes from my home in Kent.

I was told to wait ten business days, continue to check tracking, and then call back if I still had not received my package. This went on and on. Each time I got a different story and had to wait ten days before calling again.

In mid-March Parcelforce told me to make a claim for the vase, but said the seller in Ireland had to initiate this. This happened and three weeks later I received a form, which I returned to Parcelforce. Again, when I called to follow up, there were no updates and I was told to wait before contacting again.

I recently called again and was told that Parcelforce could no longer see my package in its system. The ceramics company also called Parcelforce six times.

Each time they are told that they must wait two weeks before contact is made again. Not only am I out of pocket, but I feel so frustrated for the artist because she has much better things to do than chase Parcelforce. – HP, Broadstairs, Kent.

Sally Hamilton replies: By the time you wrote to me, nine months had passed since you ordered your long-awaited gift. That’s a long time to transport a vase some 500 miles from County Galway in Ireland to Kent.

The artist’s website warns customers ordering from Britain or other countries outside the EU that they must take responsibility for any additional taxes and duties charged by their customs departments and that delays can be expected while customs clears holding package. This is all part of the changes that came into effect after Britain left the EU.

To pay the bill, you need to know how much you have to pay. Parcelforce, which was responsible for transporting your package on the UK leg of the journey, should have sent you an invoice for the import duties due within three weeks of your arrival in the UK.

I have contacted Parcelforce on your behalf to find out what went wrong. After investigating, the company claimed to have emailed you in late August to say it had found your vase and to ask if you would like it delivered or returned to sender, but they had not heard back.

It says it has also sent you an email to let you know that it has authorized An Post (the state-owned postal service provider in Ireland) to compensate you. When I told you this news, you almost burst into tears. You said you didn’t receive these emails; they were neither in your inbox nor in your spam folder.

But the good news is that Parcelforce was able to confirm that your vase was still there and told me that it would deliver the vase straight away and waive the £70 customs fee.

A few days later you told me it had finally arrived ‘intact and perfect’. To prove it, you sent me a photo of the multicolored donut-shaped vase that sat proudly on your mantel.

With many people’s minds turning to buying items from abroad in time for Christmas, it’s worth taking into account the potential delays that could occur. Although nine months is a rare delay, a few weeks is more common.

As for import costs, buyers do not have to pay 20 pct. VAT payable on goods ordered abroad that are worth less than £135, unless they are gifts sent to them by someone else worth £39, or items subject to duty. such as alcohol and tobacco. These bills must be paid prior to delivery or upon collection.

Anything over €135 may be subject to customs duties, VAT and courier charges.

For gifts with a price of more than € 39, an import VAT of 20 applies. Customs duties may also apply if the goods are worth more than €135.

A colleague asked me what happens if you have to return goods after paying these additional costs. She ordered three pairs of shoes from a foreign company and had to pay £100 in import duties. She likes two pairs, but the third one goes back.

The good news is that she should be able to reclaim the import costs for this pair by completing a form from gov.uk – either BOR286, if delivery was made by Royal Mail or Parcelforce, or form C285 if a courier company was involved .

Our Calor gas never arrived, will we be left out in the cold?

Earlier this year we switched to Calor Gas to supply the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) required for our heating and hot water.

A few months ago we ordered our first stock. Despite many phone calls and waiting at home because we were told it would be delivered ‘that day’, the gas has still not arrived.

We are now in the red on our tank’s dial. I have filed two complaints but nothing is followed up. We are both in our 70s and my husband is awaiting heart surgery, so this is a worrying situation.

ST, Exeter.

Sally Hamilton replies: Now that autumn temperatures have finally arrived, it was even more important that you get your LPG supplies quickly. I contacted Calor who started firing on all cylinders and I’m pleased to say that your £453 order was delivered the same day.

Calor explained that a delivery attempt was made on September 18. It said the company had “start-up issues” with a new customer service and ordering system this summer, but is working to resolve them.

• Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk – include telephone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organization stating they are given permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send any original documents as we cannot take responsibility for this. The Daily Mail cannot accept any legal liability for any answers given.