UPS Brokerage Fee WTF?!?

[clicknext]

I recently ordered an SLS front motor mount for my car directly from SLS and it was shipped promptly by UPS to my home in Canada, for a $15 shipping fee. So far so good.

Today I come home to a notice on my door that says they made a delivery attempt, and want $42.77 for a "Brokerage C.O.D." I look online and apparently this is a common thing for UPS. They ship things for an apparently reasonable price, and then when the package gets there, they demand a lot more money. Most people just give in because they're holding your package hostage. The fee isn't duty; the item is made in America. The fee isn't tax; else it would have said so, and tax doesn't add up to almost 100% the cost of the item. As far as I can tell, the fee is just pure BS that UPS charges because they think they can get away with it.

Maybe, just maybe this would be acceptable if either SLS or UPS made it clear to me BEFORE I ordered, what I would be charged, but I had no idea about this. I paid $15 for shipping, I expect that shipping fee to include all the money it takes to get the package from the vendor to me. I am seriously shocked that they are doing this. This situation is no different from me going into a store, handing my money over to buy something, the clerk putting it into a bag, and then asking me for more money before giving me either the product or my money back. It's daylight robbery.

I don't have a lot of time for this right now but I'm going to hopefully get in contact with UPS, as well as SLS and see what we can work out. I'd hate to trouble SLS because their service was pretty quick, but there is no way I'm going to hand over my money for this. I've shipped from the US and the UK before, and never had to pay any bogus fees like this, but then again I've never used UPS to ship. I'm wondering if SLS is even aware that their Canadian customers are getting screwed.

If anyone has any thoughts on this, please comment!

 

[geomatics_tech]

1. Never use UPS
2. Always ship via air mail as brokerage fees are included in air mail (from what Ive been told)
3. Never use UPS

Ive been hit with the some big brokerage fees from UPS, and wont use them anymore. I have had good luck with USPS.

 

[clicknext]

Unfortunately I wasn't given a choice. I chose USPS to ship but they shipped with UPS anyway (for which I gave permission later). If I had known, I would not have bought the item. Now I don't know if I should eat it up or reject the package and ask for my money back. $42, just the brokerage fee, is almost enough to get a new stock mount.

 

[Pirana]

How about FedEx are they also charging this fees? For small packages I have always used USPS to Canada...but right now if someone buys my wheels, I dont want to screw them up like that.

 

[Kooldino]

Fedex pulls the same stuff.

Welcome to shipping to Canadia.

It's such a pain.

 

[XxaltezzaxX]

Damn that blows big ones.

 

[Pirana]

so is USPS a better way...do their quotes stay true for Canadian receipiants?

 

[Stormtrooper77]

Well, if SLS does not ship USPS or FedEx, then I won't order from them. UPS will **** us everytime! There is a way to get around it though. But for all the time spent trying to save the brokerage fee you'll have wished you paid it.

 

[Pirana]

Thats BS...what happened to free trade agreement...

 

[02p5]

Ship to Point Roberts and drive down and pick it up. Should only take you like 40 minutes to drive there.

 

[Jaysanooch]

Welcome to my world...oh and I love when they fool you with a package with no fee's....yay!....and then a month later they bill you up the ass.

 

[protegeDaryl]

buy anything from the states and you get screwed pretty much... in my experence fedex is by far the worst. we need some .ca companys (strike)

 

[FunkyBuddha]

Thats BS...what happened to free trade agreement...

This is how they get your money....NAFTA my ass LOL...it's all a cover up!!But ya..USPS/Canada Post. It takes about the same amount of time..sometimes longer since it has to sit in a customs house.

 

[clicknext]

Welcome to my world...oh and I love when they fool you with a package with no fee's....yay!....and then a month later they bill you up the ass.

I've heard that when people just ignore those month later bills, UPS doesn't do anything about it. Probably because they know their fees are crap.

 

[lasermp5]

They all suck imo. USPS is like snail mail, UPS I've had so-so experiences with, but now that I've heard of this bs I'm kinda turned off, and I got teh mAjor shaft 10x3209384 by FED-UP... I mean FED-EX. Lost over $200 because of their negligence, fought it all the way to the top, then some more, and was still screwed. Since I'm a broke college student, just putting more money out with an attorney didn't seem logical, so w/e. Anyways, I feel for ya man. I would have them deliver it at the door, take the package from them, and slam the door in their face. Like someone said above, they'll leave you alone after a couple weeks since they know it's bs anyways...

 

[gimpo2]

hahahaha snatching the package out of the UPS dudes hands is the best idea i've seen. whats he gonna do?

 

[clicknext]

hahahaha snatching the package out of the UPS dudes hands is the best idea i've seen. whats he gonna do?

Haha, I dunno about that. Seems a bit extreme.

 

[geomatics_tech]

I've heard that when people just ignore those month later bills, UPS doesn't do anything about it. Probably because they know their fees are crap.

Not true, I had some outrageous brokerage fees from UPS so I called them to inquire about the costs and the guy on the phone realized someone messed up the amount by $10 extra. When I sent the money in I sent the amount the guy on the phone quoted but 3-4 months later a collection agency phoned me to get the extra $10, at which time I had to explain everything and call UPS back to tell the agency that it was their fault.

 

[clicknext]

To update the story:

I called UPS and stated that I would be doing customs clearance myself, acting as my own broker. Admittedly to my surprise, the lady on the other side said okay, the broker would be notified of that. A while later I got a call from UPS telling me I need to go to their office at the airport to get the paperwork. So I will be doing that tomorrow and I'll update on how it goes.

Not true, I had some outrageous brokerage fees from UPS so I called them to inquire about the costs and the guy on the phone realized someone messed up the amount by $10 extra. When I sent the money in I sent the amount the guy on the phone quoted but 3-4 months later a collection agency phoned me to get the extra $10, at which time I had to explain everything and call UPS back to tell the agency that it was their fault.

Yeah, there are mixed stories about it. But I think for some people, they just ignored the collecting agency and nothing bad happened.

 

[ChopstickHero]

USPS is the best option to ship to Canada (I know because I grew up in Toronto and I now ship stuff home quite often). I learned the hard way in the early days of eBay when sellers used UPS or Fedex to ship stuff to me from the USA.

So from now on, make sure your US seller ships USPS!