It's not just security that's the problem.
Thread Starter
It's not just security that's the problem.
While I know that security is a pain in the ***, and the AFP have come in for a clobbering as well elsewhere in Pprune, let me add another wart on the bum of progress - Australian Customs.
I ordered a part from the USA on 6th October. It was consigned and accepted to USPS Global Express mail second business day after order (Tuesday Ninth). Left Newark Airport same day. Arrived Melbourne "Gateway" October twelfth.
And there my friends it has sat at the "Gateway" or should I say "Rat Hole" for five ****ing days before I'm even notified and required to fill out four different forms, the declaration itself and then two forms (wait for it) to register myself and the sender in the customs computer plus an authority to charge credit card.
And I'm now to allow, according to Customs, five days for the forms to be "processed" + plus another three days to process the credit card, + another three days to give it back to the Post Office + about two days to receive delivery.
So basically thanks to the wonders of modern computers and the twisted little brains in Customs, my package can sit in Customs for at least two weeks.
I called them and asked if I can simply drive out, pay the duty and collect my package? ""Oh good gracious no sir, there is no entry to the general public Sir".
I seem to recall twenty years ago, one was simply notified, you presented yourself, the package was inspected, discussed if necessary and classified for duty in front of you, you paid your money and took your goods.
Total time maybe an hour. Now fast forward to 2007 and...its two f***ing weeks! I guess it does provide a sheltered workshop for new Australians doing meaningless data entry of transactions, but is this the way to achieve, let alone maintain, full employment?
Multiply this behaviour by hundreds of thousands of transactions and think of the drain on the economy.
How can we take our country back from these Oxygen thieves in the AFP, "Security", Customs and elsewhere that basically do nothing useful, and stuff people around for no good reason whatsoever?
I ordered a part from the USA on 6th October. It was consigned and accepted to USPS Global Express mail second business day after order (Tuesday Ninth). Left Newark Airport same day. Arrived Melbourne "Gateway" October twelfth.
And there my friends it has sat at the "Gateway" or should I say "Rat Hole" for five ****ing days before I'm even notified and required to fill out four different forms, the declaration itself and then two forms (wait for it) to register myself and the sender in the customs computer plus an authority to charge credit card.
And I'm now to allow, according to Customs, five days for the forms to be "processed" + plus another three days to process the credit card, + another three days to give it back to the Post Office + about two days to receive delivery.
So basically thanks to the wonders of modern computers and the twisted little brains in Customs, my package can sit in Customs for at least two weeks.
I called them and asked if I can simply drive out, pay the duty and collect my package? ""Oh good gracious no sir, there is no entry to the general public Sir".
I seem to recall twenty years ago, one was simply notified, you presented yourself, the package was inspected, discussed if necessary and classified for duty in front of you, you paid your money and took your goods.
Total time maybe an hour. Now fast forward to 2007 and...its two f***ing weeks! I guess it does provide a sheltered workshop for new Australians doing meaningless data entry of transactions, but is this the way to achieve, let alone maintain, full employment?
Multiply this behaviour by hundreds of thousands of transactions and think of the drain on the economy.
How can we take our country back from these Oxygen thieves in the AFP, "Security", Customs and elsewhere that basically do nothing useful, and stuff people around for no good reason whatsoever?
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Australia
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No where near as bad as Sunfish's encounter with customs, but my new DVD player from the US hit Oz customs the day before Easter. They returned it to the airfreight company's bond store where it sat for a few days, then accepted it for processing once the long weekend was well and truly over. Took 3 times as long to get through customs than the hard part (the packaging, transport from the USA and local delivery) took. And it appeared to be unopened! How long does an X-ray take?
Pimples on the pr*cks of progress.
Pimples on the pr*cks of progress.
Join Date: Nov 2001
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The problems that your are having with customs Sunfish, is probably due to an attempt to import goods yourself without using a courier service such as Fedex or UPS. When you use a courier service such as I suspect Ultralights did when he imported from Aircraft Spruce, all the hassle is taken out of the transaction because the courier service handle all the details themselves. Importing in your own right will involve firstly engaging a customs agent to act on your behalf to clear the goods, paying for this service, paying customs duty, paying any GST owing if the goods are valued over $1000 and finally paying someone to deliver the goods to you. I know this from a bitter personal experience such as you had. It is less expensive and far less hassle to import via a courier service even though the cost of this service may initially seem expensive.
Join Date: Jul 2006
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I ordered some car parts from the US and payed extra to have it delivered to Melbourne Australia in 3 days.The parts were ordered on a Thursday and arrived on Monday.I was tracking the parcel on the UPS internet site.The parcel sat with customs for another 4 days then I received a phone call on Thursday from UPS stating they had my package and I would have to pay another $170 import duty tax.The lady on the phone couldn't give me an answer why the parcel sat in their warehouse all those extra days.After getting my permission to deduct the money from my credit card she had the gall to ask me when I want it delivered.I explained to her that I payed all this extra money to get it expedited from the US quickly and I want it right away.
They had it delivered to my doorstep within the hour I had hung up the phone.If I had known previously I could have saved myself $150 and took the 7 day delivery option.
You live and learn,in my case the hard way.
They had it delivered to my doorstep within the hour I had hung up the phone.If I had known previously I could have saved myself $150 and took the 7 day delivery option.
You live and learn,in my case the hard way.
