Over the past few weeks I have been in contact with parcel2go and UPS staff both in the UK and in China via the phone, email and twitter. None of them have been able to help me with the problem i described. Instead they have used delaying tactics and continually tried to pass the buck onto someone else. Below is one such example of an email thread between myself and the customer service manager in the UK (names and places have been deleted for privacy reasons).

Dear customer service manager

It is the best part of a week since I last heard from you and now several weeks that this problem and string of complaints has been left without a resolution.

As a result, if I do not have a concrete proposition from yourselves of how you plan to resolve this issue by the end of the working week (8th November) then I will be taking steps to publicly expose the gross lack of customer service shown by yourselves and your distribution partners UPS (I'm sure a few tabloid newspapers might be interested in the initial threats made to steal my 1 year old sons Christmas presents, not to mention the influence that social media can have on a companies reputation). As well as this, should you allow the aforementioned deadline to lapse I will be seeking legal counsel in regards compensation for the loss of the contents in the package, the breach of your contract to deliver and transgressions under the ASA.

By a concrete proposition I mean one of the following things
1. That you assist us in releasing the package from the UPS depot in Shanghai for delivery to the address
Or
2. That at your own expense you have the package shipped back to the sender in the UK (the fee of nearly £250 that you quoted us to have this done is ridiculous and effectively extortion)

I look forward to your response

Regards

Space Monkey

Dear Mr Space Monkey

I am really sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

I passed all the details through to UPS and asked them to investigate and get back to me with the outcome.

They send their apologies for the way that the team in Shanghai has dealt with the consignee however, they confirm that they require tax and duties to be paid before they can release the goods, either to deliver or return back to you.

They advise us that tax and duties are in the region of £103.00 pounds and that they will also require import documentation.

Once the tax and duties have been paid then the parcel will be released. If you wish this item to be returned then the return charges must be paid. One of the reasons we do not offer import services is because of the cost, we are unable to negotiate competitive rates for our customers .

I have requested confirmation of the full returns charges and will let you know.

UPS advise me that the only reason this parcel has been held is because the tax and duties have not been paid. These rules are not set by Parcel2go.com or UPS, Customs and Excise is different for each country and the charges made them. To release the parcel for delivery a payment must be made.

Parcel2go.com cannot be held responsible for the parcel being held and will do whatever they can to try and help release the goods. It can however, be a timely thing as the third party we have to go through the courier.

In order to release the goods we require payment of the tax and duties, if preferred we can take the payment from you and pass through to the authorities.

Please let me know what you decide and I will make the necessary arrangements.

Kindest regards

Customer Service Manager

Dear Customer Service Manager

As Myself and my family in the UK have said within every communication with yourself, your colleagues at P2G and your distribution partner UPS, I have no problems with paying the relevant tax to import the parcel. However, as I have consistently told P2G, the Shanghai UPS office with whom I have been in touch with almost daily for the past few weeks have stated and continue to state that it is not a question of paying tax. They say the parcel is not permitted to enter china due to the fact that it is over 1000rmb (approx £100) in value. Please refer to my original email.

For the final time and to make myself quite clear on the subject

I will pay the relevant tax

Therefore, I suggest you get the official invoices for the payment of import taxes to me immediately and I will pay them promptly. I would prefer the invoice for import tax came from you (P2G) as opposed to UPS as it would appear you have managed to find the right person to talk to within the UPS organization- incidentally this is all we ever wanted P2Gs assistance with!
As far as I'm concerned the deadline i set for this debacle to be solved by Friday is still in play.

P2G and UPS may not be responsible for setting customs and import laws within any given country but you were happy to take our money and for that we expect you to fulfill the service that you promised to provide. By claiming that you are 'a global courier' and using companies like UPS who dub themselves 'experts in logistics' me and my family assumed that you would be in a position to deliver 1 relatively small package consisting mainly gifts for my 1 year old son without a delay of over 3 weeks and without the need for us to complain to multiple people, in multiple languages, across two different countries on many, many occasions just to get the package released from customs. I think most reasonable people would agree with my sense of entitlement in this situation!

I look forward to receiving the invoice for import tax in the very near future

Regards

Space Monkey

Hi Space Monkey

Further to my last e mail.

I will arrange for the payment link to be sent so the taxes and duties can be paid. However, unless your son sends them the import documentation they require they will not release the goods.

I am really sorry I asked if we could have the details and arrange for the information from this end but it can only be done from Shanghai.

Kindest regards
Customer Service Manager

Dear Customer Service Manager

What import documentation is required?

Regards

Space Monkey

HI Space Monkey

I really have no idea and they will not advise us. They will have contacted the consignee directly for the details required.

I hoped they would let us know and we could complete them and send them on but it was a no go.

I will keep trying.

Kindest regards
Customer Service Manager

Dear Customer Service Manager

If it is a case of them being unwilling to discuss details with you (the 3rd party) then by all means pass my contact details onto them and at the same time let me have the direct email and telephone number of the person you and your team have been liaising with.

You can however understand that I'm slightly confused given that you stated only this morning that

"UPS advise me that the only reason this parcel has been held is because the tax and duties have not been paid."

Now it seems there are other factors but they are unwilling to share these with us. I would hope as well as your customer service team you have passed this issue onto your relevant UPS account manager(s) as UPS's conduct in this matter has now gone beyond unprofessional and into the realms of being farcical.

Regards

Space Monkey

Dear Customer Service Manager

It's now been 3 days since I asked for the details of the paperwork you say is required to get our package released by Chinese customs.

I find it hard to imagine what could be making this such a complex case. We are not looking to import anything exotic or of any great value so what is it exactly that is causing the delay in getting the relevant information to us?

As I have maintained throughout this long and painful process of dealing with your customer service team, I am more than happy to comply with any rules and regulations that are necessary to get the parcel to its final destination.

Regards

Space Monkey

Hi Space Monkey

I am sorry for the delay but the issue that we have is by the time China get back to UPS in England they have left for work and it takes us into the next day.

I am advised that Shanghai customers are in contact with someone and they are liaising with them regarding the information below.

Please see the details below, are you able to provide the information as illustrated.

As discussed the notes in Chinese seem to indicate that the customer either has not provided or in unable to provide a CCC document.

The information about why CCC documents are required is as follows

“China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) require the importer to provide China Compulsory Certification (CCC) & shipments are subject to compulsory quarantine inspection. Shipments consigned to individuals for personal use are exempted except for Shanghai. For Shanghai (postal range 200000-247282, 310000-325811), this requirement is further extended to personal items. The individual is required to obtain the CCC from the supplier or the manufacturer of the goods. Otherwise the goods will have to be returned to origin or seized at destination.”

a long list of items requiring a CCC was also included in this email

Kindest regards
Customer Service Manager

Dear Customer Service Manager

Not only do I not live within the Shanghai zone (##### is about 500miles from Shanghai), i am not trying to import any of the items on the list provided and it should seem obvious from our previous correspondence that these items are for personal use not for resale. Therefore, by your own definition I am not required to provide a CCC.

There is no excuse for my package to have been detained! Please ensure its immediate release!

Regards

Space Monkey

Good afternoon Space Monkey

I really do understand your frustration and I am truly trying to sort this out however, the details below are required by Customs before the parcel will be released. It is not a document that Parcel2go.com or UPS have created, this has been presented to us by customs.

My understanding is that this refers to the toys, in the same way the UK has a kite mark or CE mark to prove it is safe for its use. The list below is only an abbreviated list and if you follow the link below you will be given more details.
I nor UPS have the authority to release your parcel, it is being held by Customs and Excise who require you to complete the document below.

Kindest regards
Customer Service Manager

Dear Customer Service Manager

From the definition you give below the fact that I don't live in shanghai and that the items within are solely for personal use should be enough for me not to require a CCC!

I am fed up with your attitude of passing the buck onto others. As I have expressed to you,on multiple occasions, we paid you for a service! That service was to deliver a package and you have failed to do this. Your company and your distribution partners are a disgrace! At every opportunity you have dragged this problem out and when you have bothered to communicate with us it has only been to provide us with irrelevant excuses for your own incompetence.

I could write far more hostile sentiments about the way I feel at this point in time but what's the point we both know it's not going to get my son his Christmas presents.

Please provide me and the sender the details of how to ship the products back to the UK. I assume we will have to pay for the privilege but rest assured I will be seeking full compensation in the very near future.

Regards

Space Monkey