charged £114 customs charges for importing a disability rollator from the Nether

FionaS
FionaS Community Member Posts: 3 Listener
edited August 26 in Everyday life

Hi everyone.

Comments

  • FionaS
    FionaS Community Member Posts: 3 Listener

    I've just been charged £114 customs charges for importing a disability rollator from the Netherlands!

    It now costs more than buying a similar one in UK. I thought I'd save by buying from the makers. I knew it should be VAT exempt, but not aware I'd have to pay customs charges.

    Does anyone have any advice on this?

  • Mary_Scope
    Mary_Scope Posts: 5,670 Scope Online Community Children and Family Specialists

    Hi @FionaS and a warm welcome to the community from me!

    Oh dear, that must be disappointing! I found some information paying no customs duty on goods for disabled people that I hope will be helpful. I hope there is a way around this.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community Member Posts: 6,388 Championing

    Hi,

    Unfortunately I think the Customs Charges are correct in this case. Wheelchairs are not exempt so I don't think a rollator will be either.

    There would not have been any Customs Charges before Brexit.

  • Rag_793
    Rag_793 Community Member Posts: 650 Empowering
    edited August 26

    I feel your pain and then some 😖 I ordered a Rollator Walker from America two weeks ago, it should have been delivered on Saturday. I was charged £58 import fees which includes VAT. There is a long and complicated way of having those funds reimbursed :-

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-no-customs-duty-or-vat-on-goods-for-disabled-people

    I inputted my tracking number on Evri and from Monday to Saturday last week it just showed up as “We are expecting it” I looked at Amazon and they said delivery on the 26th of August. I contacted Evri via email and they said they would look into it but nothing further.
    I then contacted Asendia Inbound who deal with overseas parcels ordered through Amazon. I inputted my tracking number on there site with no success. It had been over a week since it cleared customs 🤬 I emailed Asendia and they said they would look into it. I spoke to someone from Asendia on the phone and well, it is fare to say that he was arrogant and rude! I then spoke to someone from Amazon on the phone, who said give it 48 hours. Then I received an email from Asendia yesterday telling me they can find no trace of my parcel and have marked it down as lost in transit 🤬🤬🤬 so I contacted Amazon yesterday through online chat and she had to speak to her supervisor about it, but when she came back she said they would refund the cost of the Rollator alongside the Imports fees, which is a relief.
    I had to double check the address on the parcel, which showed it as, for example - [removed by moderator].

    Now is it because of the address mistake, which I double checked and changed at my end or the fault of those that have brought it over from New Jersey 🤨

    IMG_2982.jpeg

    I currently have an NHS Rollator, however it folds from back to front which makes storage hard as when I slide down the stairs on the stairlift I end up with one handle behind me and another in front of me.

    I am trying to find one the folds side to side, has large wheels so that I am not shaking like I am using a jack hammer every time I go over a crack in the pavement. I have a couple in mind here in the uk, or is it worth the risk to order the one I had previously ordered 🤨

    IMG_2917.jpeg
  • Rag_793
    Rag_793 Community Member Posts: 650 Empowering

    Wheelchairs and rollators ordered from overseas are not automatically exempt from all import fees, but you can claim relief from Customs Duty and Import VAT if the goods are specially designed or adapted for a disabled person

    Customs Duty: Many specialized disability equipment codes carry a 0% duty rate, but standard generic models may still attract regular customs charges. You can check the specific commodity code in the official tariff.

    Import VAT: You can claim relief on goods imported for personal or domestic use if you are chronically sick or disabled, provided the items are designed solely to assist with daily activities.

    Value Thresholds: For general commercial imports valued at £135 or less, customs duty is waived anyway, though VAT rules still apply depending on the point of sale.

    Prior Declarations: Relief often requires proper commodity coding on the customs declaration by the overseas sender, and certain formal relief claims may require prior authorisation from HMRC rather than an automatic refund at delivery.

    • Check the Carrier: Couriers often charge handling or clearance admin fees upon delivery regardless of whether the underlying item qualifies for tax/duty relief.

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-no-customs-duty-or-vat-on-goods-for-disabled-people

    If you order a piece of disability equipment from overseas, if you contact the company you have purchased it from, apply the UKCA or acceptable CE safety mark, the manufacturer's details, and a clear label stating "Goods for disabled people: relief claimed" on the equipment and packaging.

    • A signed Declaration of Conformity proving the equipment meets regional safety standards.
    • An itemised commercial invoice separating the cost of the hardware from any shipping or service fees.
    • Any pre-approved customs exemption or zero-rate VAT documentation if you applied for relief prior to shipment.
    • Explore guidance on bringing in items via the National Imports Reliefs Unit.
    • Check specific criteria through the UK Government VAT Reliefs for Disabled People.
    • Review regulatory rules with the MHRA Medical Device Compliance Guide. 

    I ordered a Rollator Walker two weeks ago from a company in America and it has been a nightmare, as the parcel has now been marked as lost in transit 🤬🤬 I have had a lot of going backwards and forwards from Amazon & Asendia Inbound until finally I have been granted a full refund. Now I am going to have to find one that will meet my needs and requirements.

  • ChrisR777
    ChrisR777 Community Member Posts: 1,887 Championing
    edited August 26

    Another 'Brexit Benefit'. Thanks guys, you certainly knew what you were voting for! 🙄

    I have twice had companies refuse to send to the UK, because it isn't worth the hassle for them.

  • FionaS
    FionaS Community Member Posts: 3 Listener

    Thank you all very much for the information, much appreciated.

  • mirhadi
    mirhadi Community Member Posts: 2 Listener

    Sorry about the rollator, that sounds exhausting.

    One thing worth knowing before you order a replacement: you don't need to import at all to get the relief. VAT relief for disabled people applies to UK purchases too. Buy from a UK supplier, tick their eligibility declaration at checkout — a short form saying you're chronically sick or disabled and the item is for personal use — and you pay zero VAT on the spot. No commodity codes, no customs declaration, no waiting.

    Most UK mobility retailers have that declaration built into their checkout as standard, because nearly everything they sell qualifies.

    Two other things people get caught by on overseas orders:

    The relief is claimed by you as the importer, not applied by the sender. Even when the goods qualify, couriers routinely charge everything at the border anyway and you then have to reclaim it afterwards on a C285. That's weeks of admin for money you should never have paid.

    And the courier's handling fee isn't a tax, so it isn't reclaimable at all. You pay that whatever happens to the duty and VAT.

    Buying UK-side sidesteps all of it and usually costs less once the fees are counted.

    (Import VAT isn't my field https://www.truetakehome.co.uk/, free UK income tax and take-home pay calculators. Just what I've read up on for this.)

  • Stellar
    Stellar Community Member Posts: 584 Trailblazing

    Welcome to Brexit Britain! Ironically if you had travelled to the Netherlands on Eurostar, moved over to it there, and brought it back with you you wouldn't have been issued customs charges.

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