Shipment Charges - Fair Practices?

[Noorilhuda]

Is DHL Pakistan over-charging customers?

DHL Corporation has a contract with Amazon / CreateSpace to handle all their deliveries.

I placed two orders on CreateSpace.com/ Amazon.com (U.S.) within a span of two weeks - paperback proof versions of The Governess - and am being asked by DHL Pakistan (Islamabad office) to pay double money for a less costly / and lesser weight package of the same book!

Order no. 1: ‘Urgent’ delivery order placed on 28th May (CreateSpace Amazon order #91180852) shipped and received by me in Pakistan via DHL Corporation on 31st May 2015. (DHL Invoice number: D01371785; HWB number: 7576625011)

DHL Pakistan (Islamabad office) asked me to pay extra money PKR 670 ($7) explaining that while Amazon asked me to pay for shipment 'to' Pakistan, DHL has to pay for charges 'in' Pakistan to Civil Aviation Authority (air service head organization) and since DHL paid on my behalf, I have to pay DHL $7.

The book weight on DHL receipt was recorded at ‘0.9’ (pages 435) and I had already paid Amazon $42.30 (item cost: $7.30; Freight charges: $35/-; total invoice value: $42.30)

DHL shipment billing receipt shows the following:
Government Dues = PKR 71/-
CAA charges = PKR 70/-
Delivery order + handling = PKR 65/-
Inbound Processing Fees = PKR 400/-
General Sales Tax @16% = PKR 64/-
Total = PKR 670 (approx. $7/-)

I did pay the amount (PKR 670 or $7) to DHL Islamabad, Pakistan.

Order no. 2: ‘Expedited’ delivery order placed on 11th June (CreateSpace Amazon order #92449570) shipped and received at DHL Pakistan Islamabad office on 15th June. (DHL invoice number: D01380649; HWB number: 7576631532)

The book weight on DHL receipt is recorded at 0.8 (pages 425) and I have paid Amazon $26/- total for shipment (including $7/- for book)

DHL Islamabad office now wants me to pay them PKR 1190 ($12). They say the rate of dollar has increased! (complete nonsense). Also, the manager said that DHL Pakistan has to pay CAA weight charges and it rounds up those charges on all customers equally, so when they get 100 pounds in package weight in air travel, it costs DHL more, so it costs the customers more (which sounds unfair to me, why am I paying because people are sending less packages via DHL?). Their new receipt shows the following charges:

Government Dues = PKR 328/-
CAA charges = PKR 100/-
Delivery Order + handling charges = PKR 300/-
Inbound Processing Fee = PKR 400/-
General Sales Tax @16% = PKR 64/-
Total = PKR 1192/- (approx. $12/-)

As you can see, DHL Pakistan (Islamabad office) is charging me more for a package that has cost me less to get from U.S. (and is of less weight than before!) The office said they can waive off ‘delivery order + handling charge’ but that can only be done by service/ custom handlers not DHL ISB manager or reception (I was asked to wait 30 minutes before hearing this reply!) Only in Pakistan!

I have sent an email to CreateSpace/Amazon and DHL Corporation for explanation. What are ‘Government Dues’ anyways?! - GST and inbound processing cover the customs duty and taxes, so DHL is asking me to pay more for less, and that too for charges that have nothing to do with government taxes!

I was wondering whether other authors have had similar experiences in their host countries?

[Geoff]

Find out Pakistan's threshold for taxes / GST etc when importing goods for personal use.
Here in Australia the goods have to have a value of over $1000 (AUD) before taxes are charged.
Having worked in the int'l courier industry shippers usually show the origin town and the destination town (not just the country).
e.g London / Islamabad or Los Angeles / Karachi and the cost of shipping from the gateway (Karachi) to Islamabad would be built in to the selling price at origin. Amazon would have paid for final delivery to you. What you have listed as internal Pakistani costs 'smells' of 'rip off'- either you being ripped off or Amazon.
I bought a Kindle off Amazon US and it arrived about three days later (Sydney Oz) and was hand delivered by DHL at no charge to me.

[Noorilhuda]

Thanks Geoff, will look further into it. Tc.