Air Pistols Stuck in Coventry?

[pmh]

I would have said it was Parcel farces responsibility to prove got, rather than yours to prove innocence.

I would have also have thought that the f in the pentagon would have been proof of the pistols energy output.

Kind regards,



Phil

[jassi]

I would have said it was Parcel farces responsibility to prove got, rather than yours to prove innocence.

I would have also have thought that the f in the pentagon would have been proof of the pistols energy output.

Kind regards,



Phil

So would I, but they should know this already , without me having to tell them.
In this case it seems to be the Border Force causing the problem, rather than Parcelforce - they are just compounding the problem.


Ian

[I.J.]

I love a happy ending.

[zooma]

My CP2 has now been "released" by Border Control so the carrier can complete the delivery.

.......the problem is the German sender chose DPD (who refuse to carry any airgun, or even spare parts for airguns) - so now the item has been so clearly described I have yet to see if DPD will now deliver it to me !

The Border Agency were excellent to speak to, and once I had sent proof of my intended use ( target shooting in organised competitions and practising in shooting clubs) the parcel was immediately released back to the carrier so it could complete its journey to me.

I get the impression there is a big interest by the Border Agency in "replica" firearms at the moment and of course a CP2 looks nothing like any real firearm - it is just a competition air pistol - and looks like one!

I am not so sure how replica's will get on though - and although this comment will infuriate many - I have to say that replica firearms can cause a lot of problems in the wrong hands and so I do understand some of their concerns about them.

[RobinC]

To play a touch of devils advocate and to help those understand some of the reasons behind the delays, and why the carriers say they do not carry guns.

Many are aware that many carriers from the EU and Germany in particular state categorically that they do not carry any guns, even air guns which are legal and non FAC such as the F marked ones. To be clear, the carriage of such guns with in the EU is legal and there is no prohibition, so why do the carriers refuse to knowingly carry them and why are they then delayed and held by customs?

Let us also be clear that the guns we buy in Germany on E gun and from dealers are then being shipped not as guns but as sporting goods and other descriptions, and this is where the problem starts.

The carriers will happily carry with in Germany and generaly even to Holland where they can drive across, the problem comes with crossing the water, where the goods either have to be flown or as is the most common case by ship.
Now I compete abroad each year and also travel with guns both fire arms and air guns. I can happily and legally take both BUT I must legally comply with the arrangements to transport them, thats not a choice, that is the law. I must declare to the shipping company by phone and e mail on the day of travel with all my details, gun details and FAC details if applicable, they notify the ship who may wish to check security, and the customs on the other side who may wish to check when we arrive. If I have a return crossing they also notify the return ship. This is a legal requirement under the shipping act, it is not just a bit of shipping company beaurocracy.
The most hassle we get is a quick security check before boarding the ship to see if the guns are locked up, and sometimes but not every time a check on arrival of our EU FAC docs. Its a simple system, executed efficiently by the ship and the customs on both sides and causes no problem or delay.
This is in the shipping act to carry guns on a ship, the problem comes in that the carriers are bound by a form of the same regulations. To do that they must know what they are genuinly carrying and declare, some will carry guns, the manufacturers don't designate a parcel sporting goods, it says what it is and has documents to back it, the difference then is that the carrier will not just drive onto the boat, they have to be there early, the load documents have to be processed, it takes a little more time and will also involve delays on the recieving side with customs also verifying the legal import.
This is why if you buy a new gun from a manufacturer the carriage cost is much more than the guy who sticks it in as sports goods, some where around £60 a gun as here are couriers who will transport but its expensive. The bulk parcel carriers don't want to get involved.
Most of the carriers don't want one or two guns in a bulk load as it holds up the whole load so they say no guns, and that then means they avoid the hassle and the carriage can be much cheaper.
So the "sporting goods" which are really guns are actualy putting the carrier into the position of breaking the shipping act, so when he gets checked on a routine search or scanned with X ray (much more common now) and they get spotted and it will cause him a delay.
My guns are all legal and documented but when I return into Britain in a car, guns are a declarable item, legal or not I must go through the declare channel, I always do, they often look at the FAC and the guns to check they are as notified, but often not, they are not idiots and know its a returning competitor and generaly just say OK.
The carrier is bound by the same law, but he does not know what he has, he's checked and then the customs have every right to say is this some one trying to post in an illegal gun or some one trying to save £40 carriage?
Is it happening more, probably, as there is the need to control increasing illegal gun imports, and scanning systems are improving, port security systems are getting better on both the loading side and the arrival. The guns that arrive at customs this way are not declared, they have been spotted, to the customs they are attempts to avoid declaration, to the carrier they are an inconvenience that has held them up and put them in inadvertant breach of the law.
I don't neccessarily agree that this should happen, but we live in a changeing world and perhaps we are now victims of a backlash against terrorism and gang gun crime.

[zooma]

Despite my concerns, the Walther CP2 has now been delivered to me safely by DPD following its return to the carrier by the Border Agency once they were happy about it being a legal target shooting pistol and its intended use in the target shooting sport.

I would have preferred not to have had the delay, but once the Border Agency letter had been received and I contacted them about it, everything went smoothly and ended up OK on this occasion.

Although there are a lot of collectors and users of replica firearms, I fully understand the problems these can cause and respect the concerns being shown regarding their free passage into the UK, so given this current problem I am reasonably happy with my experience and hope others with genuine target shooting air pistols that they are importing have a similar happy ending.

[jassi]

Do you have a contact name & phone number for Coventry? The number I have is permanently engaged and to date, all my emails have been ignored.
Ian

[zooma]

Do you have a contact name & phone number for Coventry? The number I have is permanently engaged and to date, all my emails have been ignored.
Ian

Hi Ian,

I found the best route to open up a dialogue is to make a contact with the local Parcelforce depot that serves your address - give them the consignment number ( DPD, DHL etc?) and they will let you know the Parcelforce number that they will have converted it to as it entered the UK - they do not use the original carriers consignment number.

Your original carrier can advise you when it entered the UK ( so can your local Parcelforce depot) - this date may help track your parcel along with the new GB number.

Having started the two pronged search you can then call customs at Coventry and quote the new Parcelforce number ( starting with GB) on 0845 0109000, and with your local depot making the same inquiry for you ( they always send an email to customs to log the inquiry) you should start to make some progress.

If in the meantime you should receive a letter from Border Force about your parcel - just call them direct on the number provided - having got to this stage I found them very helpful and far more efficient than the route you have to take without Border Force taking an interest in your air pistol.

You will be invited to send them a letter ( I sent an email) to explain why you should be allowed to keep this particular air pistol ie - you are the legal owner, it is a legal pistol that fully complies with all relevant UK laws and it is NOT a replica of a firearm.

You are invited to let them know what use you may put the pistol to - and although this may not be a solid requirement, if you intended to use it for target shooting for example it may help reassure them.

.....every little helps.....as they say!

[jassi]

Hi Bob,

I've done all that. Returned the letter, which was signed by A beaufoy and sent emails as well - so far with no response.
The number provided - 02476212857 is constantly engaged, even at times when it might be expected to be on an answerphone.
There is a fax number, but I have no confidence that that route will be any more successful in making contact.

Ian

[Tank]

You could always try faxing them using TPC, nothing ventured as they say: http://www.tpcint.org/tpc/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Was an invaluable resource in it's day.

[zooma]

an invaluable resource in it's day.

......................much like you good self I would say

[zooma]

Hi Bob,

I've done all that- so far with no response.
The number provided - 02476212857 is constantly engaged.............

Ian

Have you tried the new Coventry number I gave you yet?

It worked for me, and the helpful person I spoke to (on that number) even went to find my package to let me know that it was safe, still there, why it was being held.

[jassi]

Hi, I haven't had any success with that number yet - think I clicked the wrong option and got a lot of guff about vehicle registration. Will try again in the morning.

In the meantime, I sent a fax (thanks for that link Tanks) and will see if that gets any response.

Thanks for all the advise, Ian

[zooma]

Hi, I haven't had any success with that number yet - think I clicked the wrong option and got a lot of guff about vehicle registration. Will try again in the morning.

In the meantime, I sent a fax (thanks for that link Tanks) and will see if that gets any response.

Thanks for all the advise, Ian

Ask for Paul on option 3.

[jassi]

The saga continues.

Having rung the number provided by Bob, I finally managed to speak to an actual person
She claimed that she couldn't actually help me directly but would arrange for someone in the offending department to phone me. Needless to say, this didn't happen,but this morning I finally received an email from them.
20 day backlog in correspondence blah blah - cases dealt with in strict order of reply etc etc.
I hope that the information that I sent is adequate, as it looks as if it might be mid-June before I hear any more
The good news is that I now have a person email address for a member of staff, so I can target her if necessary.

I just hope this gun is worth the effort by the time I finally receive it

Ian