New Post has been published on Phonelingo
New Post has been published on http://phonelingo.co.uk/2013/returning-faulty-goods-to-china/
Returning faulty goods to China
When everything goes right then buying directly from China can offer exceptional value for money. The problems start to arise when things go wrong with the goods. Either they don’t work or the wrong time has been sent.
Because you have bought outside the EU you don’t have the same degree of protection and rights. Almost all suppliers will repair or replace items that do not work but you don’t have the right to send something back because you’ve changed your mind. The Distance Selling Regulations do not apply to Chinese companies.
If you do need to send goods back to China then there are somethings you need to remember. The company does not have to refund your postage. You must inform the Customs and Excise department before your send the goods back – if you don’t then you may lose any import VT that you have paid.
Payment of Import VAT and Duty is a separate transaction than the payment for the purchase you made. You may find that even though you have cover on your credit card for the smart phone or other electronics this same cover does not extend to Import VAT and fees.
If you are returning goods to China and you had to pay VAT on import then always ensure you contact Customs before sending the goods back to ensure you get the right documentation for refund of the VAT. Remember that Import VAT is 20% of the value of the goods. So if you bought a phone for £150.00 you are paying an extra £30.00 in VAT and you want to ensure you get that back if you return the product. The last thing you want is to send the phone back, lose £30 and then get charged import VAT again as the replacement phone gets re-imported.
You will not be able to reclaim the administration fee back from the courier so you will need to accept that you have to write that off.
All things considered when you take into account the time and the cost of returning goods to China it may just be more effective to write the goods off and purchase again.
Fortunately it is not often that things go wrong when buying from China but when they do then it can be a costly experience in both time and money to put things right again.
Buying the same goods from the UK may seem expensive when compared to buying direct from China but you get the support and consumer rights that goes with the extra cost.
If saving money is what is important to you then opt for buying direct. If support and convenience when things go wrong is important to you then pay the extra money for a UK dispatched phone or tablet computer.