a customs charge is due

About two weeks ago I got another of my parcels from Japan. I can't specifically remember which one it was, but the basic point is that it had a customs charge to pay.

This means that I got a letter telling me there was a payment due and directed me to pay online or at the depot. I always used to pay at the depot, but more recently I've been using the online system. It's relatively painless and avoids me having to make a trip across Aldershot.

Anyway, so in the usual way I paid up and the parcel was promptly delivered a couple of days later. All well and good.

However, a couple of days after that - so, Thursday of last week - I got another letter that told me that the payment had not worked properly. However, because they don't store card details they needed me to pay again.

Now, I try to be relatively honest, and given the number of parcels I receive I didn't want it to become some sort of black mark against me, so I tried to repay. This second letter also indicated that I could pay online again or via phone and it gave me the Aldershot depot phone number.

So this weekend I tried to pay.

I say try, because at every turn it seemed to block me from doing so.

First up I tried online again. I put the details in, it found the parcel and it indicated there was a charge to pay. However, no matter how many times I tried putting in my payment details (and I tried several times with several different cards) it just kept giving me an error message.

But that's all it said - an error has occurred. It didn't tell me what the error was or how I could remedy it or anything. Well, fine, I though, I'll just call them up.

But by this time, it was Saturday afternoon, and I know they don't work Saturday afternoon, but they do have one of those automated phone things where you press the numbers for the options. I therefore gave that a try.

It's a little tortuous, to say the least. The whole process is quite slow with you having to enter your details, but I persevered. It even at one point seemed to confirm that a payment was still due.

However, at the end of it, it told me "you've already paid for this" and that was that!

I then tried again, but exactly the same thing happened.

So I thought, right, I'll give them a call Monday morning and actually speak to someone. They open at 8am, so I'll phone just after that at work.

And this is where it becomes comical.

See, on the automated message it says press 4 for any other problem, which should route you through to an operator at the Aldershot depot.

I say should because it certainly routes you through to an operator. But it isn't one at Aldershot.

Of course, first try I didn't realise it had sent me someone else, so I was arguing with the poor woman about whether they delivered to my area. Eventually I twigged and asked her "Is this the Aldershot depot?" and she said "No, it's Lewisham."

She then tried to give me the Aldershot depot's number, but it was exactly the number I'd dialled. Plus when you get through it actually says Aldershot depot on the automated message thing.

So I tried again. Same basic thing, only it sent me to some depot in Middlesbrough.

I tried two more times up to 9'o'clock and each time it sent me somewhere completely random. And of course these random places can't help me because it's not part of their system.

By this time I was thoroughly pissed off (well, I say "by this time", I was actually pretty much pissed off after the whole internet failure) so I went to the Parcel Force site and sent them an e-mail telling them all the problems I was having and asking how to solve it. Of course, I don't actually expect them to reply. What I expect to happen is they'll ignore me and then I'll get some nasty letter saying "you still haven't paid". In the end I'll probably have to go down to the depot to sort it out.

See, what annoys me is that I'm having to do all the legwork. Y'see, I've already paid, and it's them that's cocked up. Why do I have to run around fixing their cock-up?