I am a very angry customer.
One year and a 1/2 ago, I had given my sister a laptop computers as a gift. Since day one, she was having problems with the computer. I had brought the computer as carry on luggage to Peru and during of one her business trips to the US she brought it back not expecting to ship it to me from TX to NJ. She was just sick and tired of dealing with the problems the computer was having. I kept the computer to try to fix it on my own.in the meantime she left to Peru, and I had the great idea of shipping it to Peru. I go the post office and asked the clerk for the fastest, safest way to ship the computer and she suggested using Global Express Guaranteed, a service through FedEx.
I filled some forms she gave me.in the meantime, she asks whether the computer is used, whether it is a gift, and she is typing in her computer. She takes the documents I filled up, looks at them and finish processing the shipment. She didn't inform me much of anything other than the shipment should be there in 3 days.
The shipment arrives to Peru and I found out it has to pay duties and taxes of $300, something I was not prepared to hear, especially because the shipment alone to Peru cost $310. Remember, this computer is old and has problems.
I called FedEx to explain them that I had filled the forms they had given me and didn't receive much information how to fill them up. Additionally, the lady who took my order, knew the story of the computer and saw the documents I had filled up and didn't tell me to correct anything.
Apparently, I had filled up an invoice, and I had to be very descriptive on the article I was sending which I wasn't. The description I used was 'laptop computer' and I had to described it as 'used, and defective laptop computer.' Plus, when I entered the value of the computer I entered the value for which I was ensuring it for not the value of the computer the day I shipped it. I had insured it for $800, which is what I had paid originally, a year and 1/2 ago for the computer. Well, the clerk processed the computer as if it was a pencil and not an electronic item even though I told her, I had never done an international shipment and needed her guidance.
Naturally, I told them I needed to understand what happened and why. They said to me that I had done an importation, that all items above 100 dollars are subject to duty and taxes even when those that are gifts, or are used.
I got tired of mentioning to them that I wasn't advised properly of all these things I should have known at the time of shipment. If I had known I had to pay 300 dollars only in duties, I had not shipped anything. I felt I had been horrible misled and misinformed! What was worse was that one week before I made the shipment, I was given the same information on the phone (no information, I mean) on how to ship a laptop internationally and I even said, I just want to make sure I don't have any problems with the package. Most importantly, in no instance I am told that the shipment was going to be subject to duties and taxes.
After 1 week of calling two times a day to FedEx in Peru and in the US, and hear how they clean themselves from any responsibility (I heard from different reps things like 'I should have gone to the FedEx office in person to deliver the package; that invoice I filled up would have been rejected, so it was my fault that I didn't go to the FedEx office, instead I chose to go to the post office. Another one I heard was that I should have known that all items that leave this country are imports so they are free of any fault).
It was disheartening to see the level of indifference from FedEx. I even talked to the Executive Secretary of the President at FedEx and tried to explain that I have been put in this bad situation because of the lack of information from FedEx. And that it appeared that the clerks think that I am doing this activity every day which is not the case. It was a total waste of time. She never apologized for the company for the lack of care and training on the clerks they put to represent FedEx.
Only in my last phone call when I paid the duties (I didn't have a choice since otherwise the computer would have been abandoned by customs), the rep that helped me was very apologetic about loosing me as a customer.
I bow to never never use FedEx.
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