[Flo jo]

After 19 weeks of trying to get Allied Pickfords to get our container to us in NZ, I had our delivery date pencilled in for tomorrow. Yep that made me very happy. Well as I hadn't heard from them I just rang them to be told that customs have informed them that because we came in on tourist visas (as couldn't get a job without being here despite being on skilled list) they are now going to tax us on everything that we have bought with us except clothes. We came here before the law changed & no-one told us!!! I am now arguing that Allied Pickfords should have informed us of this as I was still in the UK & I could've disposed of some of it as it has taken them so long to deliver that we have had to replace most of it over here. i am so hacked off I just feel like telling them to put it all back on a ship & I'll join it to go back to the UK. As if things aren't difficult enough over here now they just want to fleece us again, after we have paid out a fortune for visas & PR etc etc. Its no wonder everyone is leaving.......Sorry about the rant but this is the final straw for me. They're supposed to be ringing me back but whats the bet that they'll ring 5 mins before the office is due to close & all the managers will have gone home. Steer well clear of Allied Pickfords!!! Has anyone else out there managed to get round this?

[shakyle2906]

Hi Flojo!

You poor things, my heart goes out to you!

How did you manage to get the items shipped over ? Had you only tourist visas when you arranged the shipment ?

We came over on work visas, booked with Britannia (shipped 12 boxes only) but had been told previously without visas we couldnt ship anything over ?

I hope it all goes well for you, and give them a fight if you can. I can imagine that you feel like crying but dont give up and tell them so.

Have you got any paperwork or anything that says these costs apply ? Someone should have advised you and i wouldnt stop until i got an answer, somebody somewhere isnt doing their job properley.

Hope you get things sorted, hugs!!!!!!!!!

TRY and keep positive, thinking of you!

Sharon
xx

[marcia]

Sorry to hear of your problesm, hope you manage to get it sorted out soon.

I'm not trying to have a go at you but can't understand this sentence you wrote............

Its no wonder everyone is leaving.......

who's this 'everyone' who's leaving? There is probably a higher percentage staying than leaving, so I just don't understand where that came from?! :(

I appreciate when things aren't going well that its easy to 'slag' (couldn't think of a better term) NZ off, but remember the reasons why you came here in the first place, and keep on fighting, you have come so far already, its a huge rollorcoaster ride, with lots of huge uphill battles along the way, but for 'most' people worth the effort.

Good luck! :nice1

[james the mechanic]

Hi there,
I don’t know your exact situation, however I wouldn’t mind betting it’s not as bad as you think.

We just went through the same thing; my advice is as follows…
In my opinion you should disregard everything posted to date on this forum with regard to GST on personal goods imported into NZ, from what I can see its all hearsay, you need fact based on experience.
We arrived/entered NZ on 14th Feb also on tourist visas despite, my also being a skilled migrant in my case with a job, however, NZIS were incapable of issuing PR or any other visa/permit in time for me to take it up, which is another very long story.
We had a 20ft container the contents of which I had insured for £20,000 (new for old replacement value). I was expecting to pay about $6250, (based on the aforementioned hearsay) I wasn’t happy about it but, as much of the value was my work tools thus I thought financially it was still worth while, plus of course I had no realistic alternative.
The truth is that GST is only payable on the current secondhand or used value of your goods. Clothes, photos and personal paperwork are zero rated, plus and it’s a big plus everything is depreciated based on how long you have owned it.
I’m in Napier and went to the local customs office here in town; they were super helpful we ended up paying $320NZ yes three hundred and twenty dollars in GST. :D
I honestly don’t think I was dishonest in my valuations (in fact I was very generous on some items it has since transpired); your stuff probably, honestly isn’t worth that much if you were to sell it all garage/yard/jumble style. The guy at customs said that the average 20ft container of personal effects is valued at around $20k prior to depreciation for age.
If you want a chat about it, PM me your phone number and I’ll dig out the paper work and go through it with you. I know it’s just more, stress, more cash and more time and I really feel for you.
NZ have made quite a business out of the immigration of skilled migrants it’s a far cry from the days of assisted passage.
Best wishes:nice1
James

[IanW99]

Hi there,
I don’t know your exact situation, however I wouldn’t mind betting it’s not as bad as you think.

We just went through the same thing; my advice is as follows…
In my opinion you should disregard everything posted to date on this forum with regard to GST on personal goods imported into NZ, from what I can see its all hearsay, you need fact based on experience.
...


Not quite sure what you are saying here, from the information that I have seen posted on this forum matches your personal experience i.e. that you do have to pay duty on your household effects if you arrived on a visitors visa. This has been posted directly from other peoples personal experience and from talking with customs e.g. http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showpost.php?p=186566&postcount=33

It doesn't appear to be just hearsay or incorrect?

Of course, if you are just meaning that, yes you do pay but the actual duty charged isn't too bad as customs are quite lenient then actual costs that have been charged are I'm sure useful.

Not sure why you say to disregard it, as it a) appears correct and b) matches your own experience? maybe I'm missing the point?

Ian

[IanW99]

...
i am so hacked off I just feel like telling them to put it all back on a ship & I'll join it to go back to the UK. As if things aren't difficult enough over here now they just want to fleece us again, after we have paid out a fortune for visas & PR etc etc. Its no wonder everyone is leaving.......Sorry about the rant but this is the final straw for me
....


Hi Flo Jo, you sound like you are having a hard time at the moment, you don't appear to have mentioned any problems (other than the dreaded container delivery) in other post, so is it just this that is getting you down at the moment or is there something else that maybe we could help you with (if possible) - even if its just for a drink and a chat?

It could of course be the dreaded homesickness that tend to hit around the 3-4 month mark when the initial move has settled down?

Ian

[peebles16]

Hey Flo Jo I really appreciated your response on my ranting post about containers and know that it can be hard when you don't have familiar things about you...

To be fair I think the GST thing has been in legislation for quite a while but not always fully implemented up until recently :( There seems to be some push on it by MAF and customs at the minute. Even though we came on PR Allied Movers triple checked we had PR as they were getting hassled and stated that there has been a clamp down on this. They stated that even if someone arrives on visitors visa and then secures WTR or PR that GST is based on what status they first entered the country on... Now am not sure about this in legal terms so don't quote me but IMHO be worth checking out..

Hope it works out for you Flo Jo and that having some familiar things, when they arrive, makes the pain of GST a bit better and makes the process that wee bit easier :)

Take care
Karenx

[zardell]

i am so hacked off I just feel like telling them to put it all back on a ship & I'll join it to go back to the UK. ...




There are many, many people who at some time in their own immigration process have felt exactly the same as you do right now and believe me when I say that I have a real good idea of how that feels!!

You have a perfect right to feel hacked off.

If you were in the UK you would feel that you knew the system and you would know exactly what to say to whom and get it all sorted.....and you will in NZ too. It just takes time.

Have a couple of these :cheers and live to fight another day.

It will get better - promise.

Take care,

Julie

xx

[james the mechanic]

Sometimes I really wonder why I bother…:no

Ian you have linked to a post written after I went through the process, which is based on a phone chat with customs prior to me even commencing clearance. When I went through the process only at the beginning of last month, there was little or no factually correct non-ambiguous/contradictory information available on the forum regarding this subject. If Im wrong do use a favor and link to it.

Whether or not duty is payable or not is not a subject of contention here. I understand that there was originally some confusion on the forum regarding this but not in this thread, so yes I think you have missed the point Ian.
I visited customs in person and filled out all the valuation and clearance forms in person, sometimes personal experience is more reliable than Google'ing.

Marcia why do you feel the need to analyze Flo Jo’s post, haven’t you ever been upset,? She knows everyone’s not leaving and you know there’re not also.
People often don’t express them selves so eloquently when there’re stressed or upset, immigration can be a very stressful, upsetting process for some people, I didn’t post much for ages at one point, because I didn’t want the added stress of someone picking my post apart, if it wasn’t perfectly composed.
My final word.

Flo Jo PM if you need any help.

James

[IanW99]

...
Ian you have linked to a post written after I went through the process, which is based on a phone chat with customs prior to me even commencing clearance. When I went through the process only at the beginning of last month, there was little or no factually correct non-ambiguous/contradictory information available on the forum regarding this subject. If Im wrong do use a favor and link to it.
...


So, because you didn't find any accurate information when you went through the process, so there couldn't be any now? Surely, you should have said this and not to disregard what everyone else has posted?

Well this was posted on the 15th January http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showpost.php?p=174576&postcount=12 and I know that this subject was posted previously as well if you want to search further.

And this was posted Customs Release Weekly Update (http://www.customs.govt.nz/about/News/e-_release91107.htm) on 9th November 2007

"so yes I think you have missed the point Ian", well I guess that I have :confused:

So when you said "you should disregard everything posted to date on this forum" you actually meant to some point a month or so ago :exit

Ian

[Flo jo]

Hi guys

Thank you all soooooooo much for your posts of support, its what I really needed this morning after having no sleep. The main problem for us is that my hubby left the UK in September on a tourist visa when there was no mention of this change in law. We knew we couldn't start to ship anything at that time until we had the right visas so were happy for container to wait in the UK until hubby had the work visa. I then left the UK in October when the change in law had not appeared in the Gazette (sounds like the equivalent to a blue paper in the UK). As our goods were in the hands of an international shipping company (the said Allied Pickfords) we basically forgot about the container or checking on the import as we had been told by them & on their phone message when put on hold lots that they would "hold our hands every step of the way". Well they failed to mention this change in law which meant they could actually have shipped our goods a lot earlier & we wouldn't have paid out a fortune for new furniture over here if we'd known that we were going to have pay tax again on the stuff coming over. When I contacted the manager over here he said that they don't read the Gazette because they don't understand the legal terminology (shocking as international shipping is their business) so he didn't tell his UK partners immediately because he had to "get his head round it". I'm just really hacked off as we have been kept in the dark until its too late(a day before delivery) & now its all going to be delayed again as customs have to come up with a figure. The customs manager told me that only the chief exec can overturn it on appeal & we are going to have to pay about $3000 to release our container. But in my experience of working for the British govt I know that won't happen as they can't risk the flood gates being opened by overturning the decision. Apparently we are not the only ones to have been affected & if someone tells me that one more time I will scream.

When I said no wonder people are leaving, I meant all the Kiwis who are heading over to Oz. Not that I'd go anyway as couldn't cope with all the creepy crawlies. Am actually thankful of being in NZ for the simple fact that the supermarkets sell cold beer so when it all gets too much I'll just toddle off down there for some supplies (maybe in about an hour). But I haven't finished with Allied Pickfords yet!!!! Still waiting for them to call me back!!!
I'm sure I'll be back to my normal chirpy self once I have nothing more to do with the dreaded Allied Pickfords!!!!

[dusk]

fingers crossed you can get everything sorted out ASAP! :)

[peebles16]

Yep best of luck Flo Jo :)

Karenx

[zardell]

I'm sure I'll be back to my normal chirpy self once I have nothing more to do with the dreaded Allied Pickfords!!!!



Good for you Flo, you'll sort 'em I'm sure...

And if and when you feel like a good moan, well you know where we are !!!!

Julie

xx