I received a call from DHL claiming they are border services saying I did not pay the duty taxes in

[peskymink01]

I received a call from DHL claiming they are border services and that I had not paid the duty taxes on an item I had received in July, I ordered wedding beads from China for a wedding, they claim they forgot to send me an invoice for duty taxes ...she could not tell me where the DHL office was or what DHL stood for?  Of course red flags go up and normally I wouldn't care  but I do have a few items coming in as xmas presents and do not want them held for payment.. my question... when you order an item from China and pay the item the shipping charges as well as export charges.. are we still responsible for duty charges as well???

[reid4311]

No! DHL turns it over to Canada Post. If there was any duty due they are the ones who will ask for it not DHL. You did the right thing in not paying it. The only time you should ever pay for anything is if they bring it to your door!

Sounds like it might have been a scam.

[afantiques]

What does DHL stand for? Who knows? not many, I'd guess.

The scenario is feasible, couriers can deliver and later send an invoice for import charges and brokerage fees. They could, I suppose, also forget to do this. However, the recipient is under no obligation to pay these fees, which is why the carriers prefer to collect the money while they hold your parcel to ransom.

So, unlikely to be attempted fraud, just a low level employee and a puzzed customer. The Clash of the Anti-Titans.

[pierrelebel]

DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL providing international express mail services. Deutsche Post is the world's largest logistics company operating around the world.[3] DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail.

Originally founded in 1969 to deliver documents between San Francisco and Honolulu, the company expanded its service throughout the world by the late 1970s. The company was primarily interested in offshore and inter-continental deliveries, but the success of FedEx prompted their own intra-U.S. expansion starting in 1983. DHL aggressively expanded to countries that could not be served by any other delivery service, including the Soviet Union, Eastern Bloc, Iraq, Iran, China, Vietnam and North Korea.

In 1998, Deutsche Post began to acquire shares in DHL. It finally reached majority ownership in 2001, and completed the purchase in 2002. Deutsche Post then effectively absorbed DHL into its Express division, while expanding the use of the DHL brand to other Deutsche Post divisions, business units and subsidiaries. Today, DHL Express shares its well-known DHL brand with other Deutsche Post business units, such as DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Supply Chain.

[reid4311]

That's all well but doesn't address the question.

I reiterate, it doesn't matter who it is, DHL, Purolator, you name it, you simply DO NOT give out personal or credit card info over the telephone unless you are the one who initiated the call.

What this chap experienced is here to the letter: 800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-864-2707

It explains a DHL scam wherein the caller says they represent DHL and that there is duty due on a parcel they 'forgot' to claim.

If you gave them your C.C. info, how would you like to discover when your statement arrived that you had funded someones shopping excursion!

If it was legitimate DHL would understand and collect when the parcel was delivered. That way you see the delivery person in his uniform and a truck with its paint scheme or you would pay Canada Post if it was turned over to them.

I deal monthly with a CD seller in Calif. who uses DHL and each and every parcel (some in the $30 range) has been delivered by C.P. with no duty due. 

[pierrelebel]

"and collect when the parcel was delivered."

That is what most carriers do, except Fed-Ex which routinely sends invoices for duty (if applicable), taxes (GST/HST/PST) and brokerage fee several weeks later.  That is the way they do business. Canada Post requires payment at time of delivery or pick-up.

" DO NOT give out personal or credit card info over the telephone unless you are the one who initiated the call."

That makes sense.  It is simply a matter of asking the caller for their telephone number, check its validity, and call back with the needed information - or - ask them to send the bill by mail