Giant Cod

[Erfolg]

KC

 

This topic has been covered before.

 

I am not sure that Giant Cod are covered by a scheme where the duties are collected at the point of dispatch, when shipped from outside the EU. Apparently there is such a scheme, I personally have no experience of it, other than it has be written about on this site.

[kc]

Contractually PatMc might be correct if they are a UK business! But are they a UK business? What is their UK address and VAT number? I cannot find it on their website. Has anyone received a VAT invoice from them recently?

But if the parcel is addressed to you then you will have to pay the import duty and VAT, if the Customs levy it, before you can get the goods.

[Erfolg]

KC

 

If you dislike GC, just stop trading with them. It is your choice.

 

For my part, I find they provide an excellent service, which I value.

[Pete B]

Those business details have been on the site for at least a year, to my knowledge. I would imagine they cover themselves with the reference to goods being shipped from Hong Kong but everything I have received, and I'd be surprised if anyone can state differently, has come from their business address which can be found on this page.

 

Now I know some Cornish folk would like to put up a fence at the Saltash Bridge but I think we're some way from having to worry about HMRC charging us Duty for goods from St Agnes!

 

Given that attempts have been made in the past by those with a vested interest in price maintenance, and who have no love for GC, to obstruct his operation, I'm sure every effort to establish evidence of irregular trading has been made and yet the business still continues to provide a good service, at a price most of us can afford.

 

If GC was trading illegally, I'm sure it would have gone to the wall long before now.

 

Pete

Edited By Pete B on 19/10/2011 15:56:01

[kc]

I don't dislike Giant Cod, like many people I got good service. However we need to know if we are dealing with a UK supplier or not. The Cornwall address is shown only as dispatch address and the company seems to be in Hong Kong. Our rights as consumers may be greater or at least easier to enforce if we are buying from a British company.

Has anyone received an invoice with VAT shown?

[PatMc]

The last goods I bought from GC was in September. They trade under the name Giantcod RC, M.J.F. Logistics Ltd, New Road, Perranporth TR6 0DL, UK.

This suggests that they are a UK registered trader & it would be unreasonable expect a bona fide customer to investigate their credentials before placing an order in case it turns out they are not fulfilling their import liabilities.

The phone number & shipping address is given on the website.

No doubt the company name could be checked against an online register but I don't have the inclination to do this.

[kc]

Well PatMc's info seems to be out of date. GC have just this minute replied to an enquiry I sent and said they are based in Hong Kong and do not charge VAT.

They are not a UK company.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

M.J.F. Logistics are a registered company in the UK - see here

 

As their turnover will almost certainly be over the threshold I have every reason to believe they are VAT registered.

 

So in buying from them you have already paid the VAT - there is no additional duty to pay, where ever the goods happen to be delivered from. They are "duty paid" because you purchased in the UK from UK company. If as I say their turnover is above the threshold and they are not charging VAT, then they would be committing an offence. But I stress I have absolutely no reason what-so-ever to even vaguely suspect that to be the case.

 

BEB

[Fats Flyer]

I cant see what all the fuss is about.

GC is one of the best online retailers,as voted by RCM&E readers for a couple of years now.

I for one will stand by GC with confidence.

 

[PatMc]

Posted by kc on 19/10/2011 16:18:53:

Well PatMc's info seems to be out of date. GC have just this minute replied to an enquiry I sent and said they are based in Hong Kong and do not charge VAT.

They are not a UK company.

The fact that they are trading using a UK address means that legally they must abide by UK trading standards including tax & import liabilities.

How they meet VAT liabilities is their concern not their customers.

[leccyflyer]

Posted by kc on 19/10/2011 15:26:58:

Contractually PatMc might be correct if they are a UK business! But are they a UK business? What is their UK address and VAT number? I cannot find it on their website. Has anyone received a VAT invoice from them recently?

But if the parcel is addressed to you then you will have to pay the import duty and VAT, if the Customs levy it, before you can get the goods.

The scurrilous rumours regarding VAT, Duty etc and Giantcod surfaced on this forum (and another forum) last year and if there were any truth in them, then one might expect something to have been done about it. As a result of those rumours I actually stopped shopping at Giantcod at the time, and I cannot be the only one who did so. As has been pointed out, there are vested interests whose commercial interests are served by undermining customer confidence in their competitors, by whatever means.

 

The upshot of that is that people making claims about the mode of trading of ANY trader, which has the potential to damage that trader's business had better be pretty damned sure that they are completely, 100% correct before making those allegations.

 

For it's part, RCM&E cannot really take the risk of publishing such claims, unless it is prepared to take it upon itself to independently verify those claims as being true.

[Seamus O'Leprosy]

I mentioned a opening a can of worms a few posts back, looks like a catering can now.

I blame Devon Flyer,

[Steve W-O]

Posted by Pete B on 19/10/2011 15:51:26:

 

Now I know some Cornish folk would like to put up a fence at the Saltash Bridge but I think we're some way from having to worry about HMRC charging us Duty for goods from St Agnes!

 

 

 

 

This was discussed in depth in the 70's.

 

The decision was not to build the fence, in case it was decided to spite them by removing the bridge. The Cornish did not like the idea of Cornwall floating away without the bridge to hold it, so the border proposals were dropped.

 

I fully support independence for Cornwall, and the banishing of all emmits

 

 

I have ordered a few times from GC, I would order from them a lot more, however they are usually out of stock of anything I want, so if half the order has to come from HK, then it is easier to order all from one place.

 

The orders I have placed have been fulfilled promptly, no complaints when they have things.

[kc]

The situation is very clear. Giant Cod website says they are a Hong Kong company and there is now no mention of MJF Logistics. When I asked if their prices included Vat and whether they would provide a VAT invoice they told me this by e-mail

"Hi,

No giantcod is based in Hong Kong and can

therefore not produce VAT invoices, see out about us page.

Regards,
Giantcod."

So now we know VAT is not included.

 

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 19/10/2011 18:00:36

[Devon Flyer]

Posted by Seamus O'Leprosy on 19/10/2011 17:15:08:

I mentioned a opening a can of worms a few posts back, looks like a catering can now.

I blame Devon Flyer,

 

Don't blame me matey.

I am perfectly happy with the service, quality and prices offered by GC; all I was interested in was when they became a Chinese subsidiary - nothing more, nothing less.

 

It's all the other lot who have gone off on one about VAT etc.etc.

 

[Seamus O'Leprosy]

I have been in Devon more times than I want to admit and I know you are a fiesty lot, always looking for any chanch to get a dig at the Cornish

[Devon Flyer]

Uz, never!

We even let them take credit for the Pasty just to shut 'em up!

[Erfolg]

I am a little puzzled with respects to the problem of companies which have their head office out side of the UK. On that basis, Santander, Apple, Telecom, Microsoft, Airbus should be avoided.

 

It would be dangerous to imply or suggest without proof, publicly, that an individual or business is operating illegally. It is not unheard of, for companies seek legal redress, individuals or organisations who engage in such behavior. I for one would not wish to find myself in such a position.

 

If I had reservations about any business, I would cease trading with them. If I knew the law was being broken, I would inform the appropriate authorities.

 

As for GC I find the service tip top, in all respects. With respect to the quality of the products sold, they match many products sold by other organisations at much lower price. I do recognise you do not get a Rolls Royce for the price of bicycle. As shoppers who frequent Primart we get mid range quality at budget prices. As with Primart, you can always find similar quality goods at much higher prices, elsewhere.

 

 

[kc]

Lets make one thing clear nobody here has said any of the firms named here are doing anything illegal.

What we are talking about here is the fact that whilst most of us thought we were buying from a British firm it now seems that we are buying from a Hong Kong firm. Whether this was previously a British company is not clear.

The question to be asked is ........as we are buying from a Hong Kong company who pays the import duty & VAT if we receive a package direct from Hong Kong.

And if we buy from a Hong Kong company and receive direct from Hong Kong how can the importer be anyone but ourselves? Therefore we, the customer, would be responsible for ensuring the item complied with EC regulations. The BMFA Handbook is specific on this point.

Edited By kc on 19/10/2011 20:12:09

[Pete B]

OK, hands up anyone who has received goods, ordered from GC, direct from Hong Kong rather than Cornwall?

No, I didn't think so..........

Pete

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

As Erfolg implies who actually owes the company is not the issue for tax purposes. If they are trading out of the UK - ie as Pete says they have premisses here, receive orders here, dispatch and charge for them here, then surely they are subject to the UK tax law. If it were otherwise then almost no companies would ever pay any tax or be liable for VAT collection - they would simply ligitimately avoid it. As they patently don't do so I'd conclude that you cannot avoid VAT liabilities on that basis.

 

Now its always possible that a company could go entirely "off shore" - but it would have to be just that ie entirely off-shore. Surely you can't have a UK premisses taking the orders and processing them but say you are "off shore"? That wouldn't make any sense.

 

BEB

[Erfolg]

Pete probably makes a very rational point, which should end KC worries.

 

Does GC dispatch UK orders from a location from either the UK or within the EU?

 

In my case all orders have been filled by dispatch from the UK. The items received have been Lipos, motors, a model kit and a myriad of miscellaneous items.

 

On this basis all goods need to be compliant with EU regulations and laws.

 

If all the other customers have had a similar experience, the discussion with respect indirect sales via China is academic.

[kc]

Because the goods always seem to have been posted in Britain I, and it seems everyone else here, thought we were buying from a UK company. I relied on the thought that UK Trading laws would apply if there were a problem. In particular I thought that Lipo's would be covered more than the very restricted comments about no refunds once a connector was fitted etc.

 

However the website now makes it clear that we are buying from a Hong Kong company and their e-mail states for this reason they cannot provide a VAT invoice. Obviously if we were buying from a UK company ( with a turnover of more than 71000 pounds ) we should expect a VAT number to be shown and a VAT invoice to be available But it seems we are not buying from a UK company. We are buying from a Hong Kong company and therefore we would be the importers.

[Codename-John]

ive used them a few times for various things, never had a problem, always delivered from UK very fast,

Copied and pasted from the about us section - We order directly so the savings are always passed on to the customer.

In my eyes that clears up who the importer is, and the fact that we order from a uk based website, as stated underneath where it says RCM&E supplier of the year or whatever, means that we are purchasing a product from the uk, if it were to come from honk kong and got stuck at customs who tried to levy a charge, simply dont go and get it them claim a refund from giantcod for an undelivered item, simples

 

 

[Alan Randall]

I have been reading this thread with interest as I have been a GC customer for a few years now and I think few can dispute that they offer great value for money, excellent delivery times (does KC realy imagine that they achieve next day delivery from Hong Kong) and quality that is no better and no worse than anywhere else.

On the question of source of supply, I have not yet recieved a delivery from anywhere else but Cornwall over a number of years.

On the question of where the Company is based, few UK brands are now UK based except perhaps Roll Royce.

The UK Customs and Excise tend to operate with a heavy and unforgiving hand, and I cannot believe that they would let a Company operate from Cornwall selling goods VAT free. Unless perhaps the Cornish have declared UDI and made themselves a tax free zone without telling anyone.

So far as the LMS is concerned, I have an excellent model shop nearby (Ajays at Pilsley,in North Derbyshire) who gets a visit at least once a week when I have spent perhaps £2 on washers or on two occations considerably more on new radios, with other sums in between. However like with all other purchases in life, I need value for money and that sometimes means buying elsewhere. A PZ Corsair for £104 post free from Brentwood was too good to miss, so was a PZ micro T28 at £42 from Al's stall at Catton. The same T28 would have been £69 at my LMS and I am not so rich that I can afford to laugh off the £22 difference.