The Laptop has landed

More details to follow.

I can collect it...

If I go to the Parcelforce Depot and pay the additional charge, I can collect the laptop. So I am going down there this afternoon.

I will then have to sort out the fees afterwards with HMRC, Parcelforce, and Bytewize.

It's all going off...

I received a letter this morning from Parcelforce demanding £19.15 additional charges. This is made up from £5.65 V.A.T. and £13.50 Parcelforce Clearance Fee.

This is on top of the £20 I paid to Bytewize.

The tracking information says:

Parcel tracks

Date Time Location Tracking Event
05-10-2006 11:21 Reading (Satellite) Depot Awaiting payment of charges
05-10-2006 06:23 Reading (Satellite) Depot Arrived at delivery depot
05-10-2006 00:46 National Hub Sorted in hub
04-10-2006 22:27 International Hub RELEASED WITH CHARGES
04-10-2006 21:13 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGES
04-10-2006 20:18 International Hub Arrived in destination country
04-10-2006 20:10 International Hub Arrived at Hub
03-10-2006 10:12 Delivery Agent - TORONTO Left origin country
02-10-2006 15:35 Delivery Agent - CANADA Collected from customer

I will need to clarify with Bytewize exactly what charges they paid.

Fantastic news

It appears that Bytewize have not been totally truthful with me.

It may be that they made guesses when they didn't know and made it sound as if they did know. Or they may have just bare faced lied to me about where the package was.

This is the latest conversation on their chat system:

Customer_Service: How may I assist you?
Visitor: can you please help me with order 17711
Customer_Service: Certainly, one moment.
Visitor: i still haven't received it and i need a reference so that i can chase it with royal mail
Customer_Service: ok
Customer_Service: Ok, I have confirmed you will receive delivery by Friday. There is a new reference # associated with it since the update for the fees but shipping did not note it in the order and it will (is supposed to) provide actual progress tracking within the UK. They are going to email this over to you once the locate this detail in the system.
Visitor: can you email me this conversation please

I have also finally received the tracking number. This is thye e-mail I received, which is clear as mud:

Hello Matt,

The information prior to the Oct 4 date are likely just because paperwork was done on this end as the details are not in line with what we were informed of. Having said that, as you can see, this item is updated for delivery as of today (Oct 4) by Royal Mail with the new waybill number EE086323663CA. I am making the assumption that you should receive the delivery at some point on Oct 5.

You are supposed to be able to check this on both the Royal Mail site and the Canada Post site. However, I just tested it and it is only working on the www.canadapost.ca website.

So I should receive it today, or tomorrow.

Check the link here

Still nothing

Going to have to chase this up...AGAIN...as it has been 5 days since it was supposedly released from Customs, and yet it hasn't arrived. If Bytewize ask me for more money I will be sure that this is an elaborate 419 scam.

Come on Royal Mail...I'm getting a little perturbed now.