Sending camera to US from UK for CLA

[dave_wooff]

Hi there,

Has anyone here sent their Leica to the USA from the UK for service? If so, what did you do regarding Customs?

Thanks

D

[astral]

<p>Check HMRC/UK Border Agency website for up to date information. There is a form for re-importation that should be used in such cases. However, it is possible that the freight handler for the return package (which may or not be Royal Mail) will try to make a handling charge - usually £18 - and even collect VAT on the value of the repair. But why do you need/want to send a Leica to the USA? There are two or three world-class repairers in the UK and their charges and turnaround will probably be very competitive.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I agree with Alan in general, but if there is some reason you really want to use a USA service, I'd contact them first of all to see if they know how and what to do. If they turn out not to have a clue, rethink.</p>

[dave_wooff]

<p>Thanks.<br>

I had looked at the HMRC web-site but found it very confusing and have posted a message to them for advice but won't expect a very quick response so was hoping someone here might already have done it i.e. been through this already and either done it successfully or found it wasn't worth the hassle. DHL were slightly helpful though not completely. I could try a few other carriers. As you say, I might not be able to pick and choose the return carrier.</p>

<p>Yes I agree re UK/EU servicing but I have contacted a few and turn-around times are not always great or there is something else I don't feel comfortable about, plus I liked the reply given to me by one of the US people. It's gut feeling really and I may change my mind if the whole Customs thing seems like a nightmare I don't want to experience.</p>

 

[winfried_buechsenschuetz1]

<p>I do not know the situation in UK but concerning customs question, over here in Germany the people at the customs office are always very helpful. They live on the fees... </p>

<p>However, inside the EC having something repaired or, as the customs says, "improved" (either by repairing, processing or assembling) is no problem. Outside the EC it's different. I have heard of people having their classic car fixed by specialits in Switzerland and they had to pay the german customs when the car came back. </p>

<p>Performing such a process correctly is not very easy. You have to fill in at least one or two forms and you have to indicate for which purpose you want to send your item to a destination outside the EC. </p>

[HarryBaker]

<p>I'm not sure how helpful the customs people will be if you ask them in advance but this little story might amuse you. Years ago I lived in the US for a while during which time I acquired lots of stuff like cameras, hi-fi, etc. I was about to relocate back to the UK. I knew that if this stuff had been in use for a long time it was probably import duty exempt. What I needed to know was how long I would have to own something before it would be duty exempt. So, a camera bought the day before coming home would attract duty but one in constant use for years probably would not. I wrote to the then Customs and Excise Office in London and asked them what the time limit for duty exemption was. I got a letter from them in which they said something like "It is not the policy of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Officers to divulge the period of time necessary before exemption can be granted but if an item qualifies when you re-enter the UK exemption will be granted." Of course, they must have ahad a time limit up their sleeves but they weren't going to tell me!</p>

[dave_wooff]

That sounds about right for HMG.

[dhbebb]

<p>Are you aware of Newton Ellis & Co. of Liverpool? I've had probably a dozen Leicas serviced by them, from IIIc to M4, and they've been fine every time. Servicing in the US becomes really problematical if there's any need to return a repair for corrective work - what's more, in the time it would take for a package to travel UK -> US and back, Newton Ellis would have finished your camera.</p>

[astral]

<p>Dave, have you contacted Peter at CRS in Luton.? I know his turnaround times are long, but the workmanship and range of services is fist class. Same with Malcolm Taylor. These two are able to do everything you could ever want and more. There is also a guy in Netherland with a top-notch reputation, I cannot recall the name.</p>

<p>The issue with re-importing items that have been repaired outside the EU is tricky. In principle, if the item being returned has a Customs Declaration clearly stuck on the outside of a packet, the Border Agency (who are now responsible) should pass it. However, they use agents - usually the freight handlers, often Royal Mail - who sometimes disregard the declaration and you can then end up paying VAT and a handling charge, and with delays of up to a week as a parcel sits at a UK airport. In my experience, it is possible to obtain a refund of the VAT from UKBA/HMRC, but handling fees are non-refundable. Frankly, unless you need to send anything outside the EU, you could have aggrivations.</p>

<p>If you can get the right phone number for UKBA (HMRC), the humans there are very helpful. If you do go ahead with the US service, get a guarantee that the camera (etc) is fully insured and that you have a tracking number. I have had stuff sent to me from the USA with only a US Postal Service receipt and no tracking number - it got lost in San Diego and USPS just did not have any clue about it. Insurers washed their hands of the issue too. Don't skimp on the paperwork. Good luck.</p>

[dave_wooff]

Thanks all. No I have not heard of the people in Liverpool,

will look into that. That sounds interesting as it's not too far

away. I am beginning to wonder about exporting.

[dhbebb]

<p><em>… the people in Liverpool …</em><br>

Newton Ellis & Company<br /> 29 Cheapside<br /> Liverpool L2 2DY<br>

Tel. 0151 236 1391<br>

The guy to talk to is Ian Pettman. Some PNers insist that Newton Ellis is "not a Leica specialist", which is true only in the sense that it is a larger repair workshop, not a one-man band, with a number of technicians, all with different specialiities. Ian is great with Leica and has also taken the time to get to grips with Kodak Retinas (IIIS and Retina Reflex), which he can fix perfectly but most repairmen will not touch (he uses these for his personal photography). </p>

[roger_wardake]

<p>I have just had my M2 back after a CLA at Red Dot Cameras. I am very pleased with the job their technician has done. This was the second CLA he has done for me, having had my IIIa last year. It took exactly 14 days from dispatch to return. I don't think you can ask for much more.</p>

[dave_wooff]

Cheers Roger