Re: Rogue
This was posted elsewhere. I found it useful, ever since my Silver Surfer Comiquette, SSC has included my account number for every order.
There is a simple way to avoid this advancement fee. Call into FedEx and create an account linked to a credit card. This takes about 2-3 minutes and is completely free, no fees to create or maintain an account you will only ever be charged when you ship things through their services, or allow others to do so on your account.
However, if prior to shipping you ask for the shipper to put your FedEx account number in the "Bill Custom Charges" section, then FedEx will directly charge your account when duties/taxes are applied and you will avoid that $10 advancement fee.
Now, at times you will have to pay those duties and taxes upon delivery/pickup and other times they will send you an invoice well after you have received said parcel.
This is not some slimey trick to catch you unaware and lure you in, this is simply related to the fact that customs has anywhere up to 1 month after the importation of a product to charge duties/taxes. If you pay at the door/pickup then those duties and taxes were assigned before they give you the package. If you receive an invoice later, its simply because customs charged you duties and taxes after the package had been delivered/picked up.
Now, if you fail to pay these fee's FedEx will either (at the door) keep the package and eventually return it to the shipper at their expense, if you refuse to pay the duties/taxes. Makes sense, why would FedEx pay your duties and taxes for you? Ive yet to find any person who will pay my taxes for me!
Now if you get the product and receive an invoice you refuse to pay, I would suggest calling in to FedEx to discuss the invoice. They may take off the advancement fee (no garauntees) but you will still have to pay the duties and taxes. If you just keep the invoice and refuse to pay it without contacting them, they will forward the bill to a collections company, as all customs fees/charges are lawfully directed to the recipient/importer unless the shipper indicates other wise on the shipping bill/customs papers.
Again, that advancement fee is for a service they provide you. Dont think it's worth it? Try clearing a package yourself and I assuure you 99% of you will just create that account or be happy to pay the $10 fee.
As consumers, we expect companies to provide us with information regarding bills and fees. FedEx makes this readily available on their website, when you call in, and to their customers (the shippers). If you expect FedEx to call EVERY recipient of a package to inform them of all this information, quite simply your shipping costs would more than double as they would have to hire tens of thousands of employees and open numerous more call centers to inform their 10million plus daily recipients.
