Saturday, January 23, 2021
Online shoppers hit by Brexit
For five years now, those of us opposed to Brexit have been arguing that it will hit ordinary people in their pockets, and each time we have been labelled as scaremongerers and worse. It gives me no satisfaction therefore to point out that this particular prediction has come true.
The Independent reports that Britain’s online shoppers have expressed their dismay after been hit with unexpectedly high post-Brexit charges on items ordered from countries in the EU.
The paper explains that consumers have been asked to pay up to one-third extra in customs duties, VAT and additional delivery charges once they arrive in the UK. And of course the reverse is true for goods sold by British companies in Europe:
One UK retail boss said British firms were considering abandoning or even burning goods returned by their EU customers who were also unhappy about unexpected charges, due to the costs involved in bringing the items back to Britain.
One shopper, Ellie Huddleston from London, told the BBC she had been asked to pay £140 in unexpected costs from couriers DPD and UPS after buying a coat and blouses from EU retailers at £380.
“I sent both back without paying the extra fees and won’t be ordering anything from Europe again any time soon,” the 26-year-old said.
Cusomers have complained that they are not being told by online retailers that they will be liable for the extra costs – forcing many to refuse to pay when delivery companies turn up at their door. One British shopper was asked to pay £77 in extra charges on clothes costing £245, bought from a French retailer.
Louisa Walters told The Times: “DPD offered me two options – pay the fees or return the package. There was no way I was paying £77 so I clicked to not accept the package. I was very disappointed.”
Some UK retailers said they were considering giving up on many of the goods which EU customers had asked to be returned over the costs and paperwork involved in bringing them back into Britain.
Like British shoppers, many European customers have also been rejecting goods bought and imported from the UK after being presented with unexpected charges when signing for them.
And how does the government react, the environment minister tells us we will get used to it!
The Independent reports that Britain’s online shoppers have expressed their dismay after been hit with unexpectedly high post-Brexit charges on items ordered from countries in the EU.
The paper explains that consumers have been asked to pay up to one-third extra in customs duties, VAT and additional delivery charges once they arrive in the UK. And of course the reverse is true for goods sold by British companies in Europe:
One UK retail boss said British firms were considering abandoning or even burning goods returned by their EU customers who were also unhappy about unexpected charges, due to the costs involved in bringing the items back to Britain.
One shopper, Ellie Huddleston from London, told the BBC she had been asked to pay £140 in unexpected costs from couriers DPD and UPS after buying a coat and blouses from EU retailers at £380.
“I sent both back without paying the extra fees and won’t be ordering anything from Europe again any time soon,” the 26-year-old said.
Cusomers have complained that they are not being told by online retailers that they will be liable for the extra costs – forcing many to refuse to pay when delivery companies turn up at their door. One British shopper was asked to pay £77 in extra charges on clothes costing £245, bought from a French retailer.
Louisa Walters told The Times: “DPD offered me two options – pay the fees or return the package. There was no way I was paying £77 so I clicked to not accept the package. I was very disappointed.”
Some UK retailers said they were considering giving up on many of the goods which EU customers had asked to be returned over the costs and paperwork involved in bringing them back into Britain.
Like British shoppers, many European customers have also been rejecting goods bought and imported from the UK after being presented with unexpected charges when signing for them.
And how does the government react, the environment minister tells us we will get used to it!
