How BPost singlehandly saves the EU online market

 Okay, now that was one big sarcastic title.

Actually, this is a rant, even though if you read through the cases, it is more a slapstick or stand-up comedy.

But the result?  Sorry, I`m stopping to buy from outside the EU now as well, I already did with the UK, and now our national treasure of a postal service is closing off Nippon as well.

Because read on brave soul, and whallow in the competence of our postal office service and their friends, import customs!

This daring take began back in july 2021, when at the 4th of july, without involving any aliens, AmiAmi notified me a parcel containing a Myth Cloth and a chibi Milim had left their store and was on the way to me.  Now, ever since IOSS came into play, I received quite a few parcels from Japan, and all at the same rate of handling.  Arriving about a week after shipping, paid the same day, then presented to customs to be cleared on average after 6 days, delivery next day after.

So the 14th the parcel arrived... and I didn`t get any payment requests.  Suddenly, the 24th, I receive a notification that they lack an invoice from AmiAmi and I need to provide it, which I duly did.  The 30th it entered customs... and that was the last update for the parcel until the finale two weeks ago.

In that time I send in the files 3 times, every time receiving a confirmation of receipt.  I called the customer service 3 times, and chatted through their app 7 times about this parcel.  Every time the answer: it's the app, no worries, it will be progressing soon.  This happened on the 25th of august, the 8th of september and the 11th of september.

Then suddenly, on the 14th of september, I get a message the parcel is being returned to Japan because I refused acceptance at the door.  Only to have it cleared out of customs on the app quarter of an hour later, so it never even came in the wide vicinity of my doorstep...

So I immediatly contacted Bpost and the reply: oh sorry, but we can`t stop the return shipment, your sender has to file a complaint when the parcel (ever?) returns in Tokyo.  So I need to provide documents from the seller side, but can`t file a complaint for something happening on this side of the globe?

Adding more injury to the whole affair, the 16th I received a reply to my file uploading of the 8th that they will contact customs to put some speed after the clearing in... the parcel was already on a plane then!

Now, the shit thing about this is of course that whenever it arrives, I will have to have it reshipped, and as such repay the shipping cost again (it is noted that way in their store agreements), knocking me down again for 40+ euro shipping, with no guarantee it would not go haywire again this time!

Now, I hear you think, once can happen!  Well, as I`m writing this, I have another parcel, from Mandarake, which arrived the 10th of september, and I paid the same day.  It would have been presented to customs on the 17th, but as I write this, the 25th, that still hasn`t happened, even though I actually PAID all duties and their handling fee already (15 euro handling, 3 euro taxes...).  When i contacted them, the customer service employee rather bruskly only replied "contact the shipper to file a complaint" and broke of the chat as "question resolved".

So yes, as I stated above, Nippon is seemingly being cemented shut by Bpost, as troubles keep stacking up.  And DHL or the likes aren`t viable options, as the shipping minimum cost is at least double, which also means that will weigh in far more heavily in the import duties calculations (because yeah, your taxed on the shipping costs as well).

 

And yes, i do have screens and mails for all of the above should any representative of Bpost happen to come by this post (which I doubt but hey).

For decades I have been using Bpost to and fro to great satisfaction, but the stunts they pulled in the past two months so far is making me loose any faith or goodwill towards them!