Amazon unable to send a fixed invoice

slapo · 09-14-2010, 04:29 AM

Hi everyone,

I know this is might be the wrong forum for this, but I wasn't sure which of the other forums would be better for this.

Here's my problem:
I have purchased the 6" Kindle Wi-Fi in August together with an EU charging adapter to get a discount. The charger arrived at the beginning of August just fine. The Kindle arrived to my country of residence, Slovakia, sometime at the beginning of September. The printed invoice for the Kindle didn't include the discount (even though I was charged less, meaning the discount had been applied), which means that I won't most likely be able to get the device through the customs office, because what I was charged and what I was supposed to be charged according to the printed invoice doesn't match.
The 'invoice' available online is useless, as it doesn't contain all the details the printed one does, most of all it is missing sender address details.

Is it really such an issue for Amazon to issue a fixed invoice and either send it to me by mail or at least send me an electronic copy of it in PDF or another format which I can show to the customs office?
I have written to Amazon support about it and was told twice, that they cannot help me. I understand that perhaps the customer support service cannot issue a fixed invoice for me, but surely someone in Amazon can?

Has anyone else encountered such an issue? If yes, how did you manage to solve it? If I would have to send the Kindle back, what about the charger, which was bought together with it to get the discount, which was applied on the Kindle and not the charger itself?

Here's a link to the Kindle I have ordered.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...cm_cd_asin_lnk

I have also posted this here: http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle%20c...ype=tagsDetail , but I thought I might have better luck here.

I would really like to avoid having to call them mostly because the fee for the call could be close to the price of shipping in case I would have to return the charger too (which seems to be likely at the moment).

Thanks for any tips.

mrzerga · 09-14-2010, 05:45 AM

the only advice that I can give: pay up your custom fees bro and enjoy the benefits of eu. Or you can try to return it and then get it somehow from uk..or smth...basically, i think you want too much from amazon.

slapo · 09-14-2010, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrzerga

the only advice that I can give: pay up your custom fees bro and enjoy the benefits of eu. Or you can try to return it and then get it somehow from uk..or smth...basically, i think you want too much from amazon.

Paying the fees isn't the problem, getting the correct invoice for the customs office from Amazon is. The invoice and what I was charged have to match, they won't give me the Kindle otherwise.
Thing is, I can't get Amazon to send me a copy of the corrected invoice. Even a PDF with the invoice might suffice. This is something that could surely be handled within a minute if their system and operators are worth a dime.

Kumabjorn · 09-14-2010, 06:32 AM

Sounds like your custom officials were thoroughly indoctrinated by the East German Bureaucracy Advanced Training Camp.

mrzerga · 09-14-2010, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slapo

Paying the fees isn't the problem, getting the correct invoice for the customs office from Amazon is. The invoice and what I was charged have to match, they won't give me the Kindle otherwise.
Thing is, I can't get Amazon to send me a copy of the corrected invoice. Even a PDF with the invoice might suffice. This is something that could surely be handled within a minute if their system and operators are worth a dime.

a)as far as amazon goes: you can surely install skype and call their 800 number - and talk as long as you need to support, and it will be free.
b)play nice: try to work with you customs office tell them direclty that you will pay the maximum of the charge.(which is charger without discount), see if they will agree and buzz off.
c)use bruteforce: print out all the supporting statements, and visit you customs office directly, tell them that you want to resolve this issue, ask to speak to manager, manager of the manager, threaten that you will go to newspaper to tell about the bureacracy - you have nothing to loose at this point(other than the kindle) - since you agree to pay the custom fees, but the customs office will not work with you, due to some stupid reasons. there should be some weak link that will allow you to resolve this issue, rather than continue having problems with you.

mrzerga · 09-14-2010, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Sounds like your custom officials were thoroughly indoctrinated by the East German Bureaucracy Advanced Training Camp.

you cannot imagine...i have to pay customs duty on any items over 20 eur and to do that I have to pay additionally to customs agent to prepare the import forms... total bs.

slapo · 09-14-2010, 02:24 PM

Thanks for the suggestions

The third time I tried to contact them, looking for an exact phone number to call, a chat option popped up. Using the chat, I found that they cannot send me a correct invoice by either mail or e-mail. However, the customer support person suggested that I should make a new order. I did that, he reduced the price of the Kindle by the amount of the discount that I got with the previous Kindle order and I'll be asking the UPS to return the Kindle back to Amazon on the next business day (tomorrow is a national holiday).
It's not a very practical solution, but it seems to have worked out fine this time.
I just hope there won't be an issue with the new shipment :P

bojzi · 09-14-2010, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrzerga

you cannot imagine...i have to pay customs duty on any items over 20 eur and to do that I have to pay additionally to customs agent to prepare the import forms... total bs.

Couldn't agree more. In Croatia, I had to pay 20€ for the customs agent only (and another 35€ for customs and taxes). It's ludicrous. :|

Each day I feel more of a reject for not living in the US.

Kumabjorn · 09-14-2010, 03:26 PM

Glad I don't have to deal with Balkan bureaucracy. I'd probably walk in there one day and say: "Hi guys, I'm a disgruntled postal worker". Not sure they'd get the association though.

mrzerga · 09-14-2010, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Glad I don't have to deal with Balkan bureaucracy. I'd probably walk in there one day and say: "Hi guys, I'm a disgruntled postal worker". Not sure they'd get the association though.

this is how things are across most of eu, and it is not limited to croatia. fantastic import duties on anything made outside of eu.

mrzerga · 09-14-2010, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bojzi

Couldn't agree more. In Croatia, I had to pay 20€ for the customs agent only (and another 35€ for customs and taxes). It's ludicrous. :|

Each day I feel more of a reject for not living in the US.

we can all move to uk where kindles are only 109 pounds and no import taxes

TenaciousBadger · 09-14-2010, 05:11 PM

i have a question that's been bugging me for some time: i'm from the EU, paid customs tax for my K3 (through the nose), now would i have been better off buying from the UK (since they're EU)?
i didn't have the idea at the time and then, when the idea wacked me in the head, i didn't want to delay the delivery date -- i feel like such a dunce right now....
love my K3, though!

Kumabjorn · 09-15-2010, 01:23 AM

In the initial phase Amazon UK didn't ship Kindles outside the UK, but yesterday I received an e-mail offering it for sale to Sweden so if I had been more patient I could have saved some $40 on shipping and import fees. Well, I've enjoyed it for the week I paid for the privilege.

slapo · 09-15-2010, 12:42 PM

Oh joy, I got an e-mail from Amazon stating that the replacement order has been cancelled and that they are working with UPS and the customs office directly on getting the Kindle from the original order to me. Strangely enough, the previous order didn't look cancelled on my orders page at Amazon, so I cancelled it myself to save me from the payment/refund cycle in case someone else at Amazon would think it's good to go.
I would call them, but I don't have a working mic to call them from Skype at the moment. By ordinary phone, it would cost about a Euro per minute (maybe a bit more). Because I don't know how long the call could take, I think it's going to be another chat or e-mail.
It's starting to feel like fighting a windmill, to be honest.

slapo · 09-21-2010, 04:31 PM

Quick update:
Today, UPS called me saying they were told to send it back (either by the US branch, Amazon or the customs office). So I got to the Amazon customer support chat, thinking that I might get another replacement order for the Kindle. To my surprise, I was told the Kindle support team should handle my requests now. So I sent them an e-mail via their contact form, asking what my options were and that I'd rather not call, not having a working headset (or a mic) for Skype and all. They responded: "Once we receive your shipment, we would issue a full refund for it." That's good to know. I read on and what do you know... they suggest I call them.
So I'm wondering whether I should start looking for a half-decent headset or try to return the rest of the order (the EU power adapter) and order a fairly cheap Android 2.1 tablet from eBay. I'd probably get a mediocre device, but at least I'd most likely receive it without that much fuss...

09-14-2010, 04:29 AM	#1
slapo Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	Amazon unable to send a fixed invoice Hi everyone, I know this is might be the wrong forum for this, but I wasn't sure which of the other forums would be better for this. Here's my problem: I have purchased the 6" Kindle Wi-Fi in August together with an EU charging adapter to get a discount. The charger arrived at the beginning of August just fine. The Kindle arrived to my country of residence, Slovakia, sometime at the beginning of September. The printed invoice for the Kindle didn't include the discount (even though I was charged less, meaning the discount had been applied), which means that I won't most likely be able to get the device through the customs office, because what I was charged and what I was supposed to be charged according to the printed invoice doesn't match. The 'invoice' available online is useless, as it doesn't contain all the details the printed one does, most of all it is missing sender address details. Is it really such an issue for Amazon to issue a fixed invoice and either send it to me by mail or at least send me an electronic copy of it in PDF or another format which I can show to the customs office? I have written to Amazon support about it and was told twice, that they cannot help me. I understand that perhaps the customer support service cannot issue a fixed invoice for me, but surely someone in Amazon can? Has anyone else encountered such an issue? If yes, how did you manage to solve it? If I would have to send the Kindle back, what about the charger, which was bought together with it to get the discount, which was applied on the Kindle and not the charger itself? Here's a link to the Kindle I have ordered. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...cm_cd_asin_lnk I have also posted this here: http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle%20c...ype=tagsDetail , but I thought I might have better luck here. I would really like to avoid having to call them mostly because the fee for the call could be close to the price of shipping in case I would have to return the charger too (which seems to be likely at the moment). Thanks for any tips.

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09-14-2010, 05:45 AM	#2
mrzerga Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 7060 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: kindle 3 wifi - love it	the only advice that I can give: pay up your custom fees bro and enjoy the benefits of eu. Or you can try to return it and then get it somehow from uk..or smth...basically, i think you want too much from amazon.

09-14-2010, 06:32 AM	#4
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	Sounds like your custom officials were thoroughly indoctrinated by the East German Bureaucracy Advanced Training Camp.

09-14-2010, 02:24 PM	#7
slapo Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	Thanks for the suggestions The third time I tried to contact them, looking for an exact phone number to call, a chat option popped up. Using the chat, I found that they cannot send me a correct invoice by either mail or e-mail. However, the customer support person suggested that I should make a new order. I did that, he reduced the price of the Kindle by the amount of the discount that I got with the previous Kindle order and I'll be asking the UPS to return the Kindle back to Amazon on the next business day (tomorrow is a national holiday). It's not a very practical solution, but it seems to have worked out fine this time. I just hope there won't be an issue with the new shipment :P

09-14-2010, 03:26 PM	#9
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	Glad I don't have to deal with Balkan bureaucracy. I'd probably walk in there one day and say: "Hi guys, I'm a disgruntled postal worker". Not sure they'd get the association though.

09-14-2010, 05:11 PM	#12
TenaciousBadger Mrawr? Posts: 1,109 Karma: 15039064 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: kindle 3 wifi	i have a question that's been bugging me for some time: i'm from the EU, paid customs tax for my K3 (through the nose), now would i have been better off buying from the UK (since they're EU)? i didn't have the idea at the time and then, when the idea wacked me in the head, i didn't want to delay the delivery date -- i feel like such a dunce right now.... love my K3, though!

09-15-2010, 01:23 AM	#13
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	In the initial phase Amazon UK didn't ship Kindles outside the UK, but yesterday I received an e-mail offering it for sale to Sweden so if I had been more patient I could have saved some $40 on shipping and import fees. Well, I've enjoyed it for the week I paid for the privilege.

09-15-2010, 12:42 PM	#14
slapo Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	Oh joy, I got an e-mail from Amazon stating that the replacement order has been cancelled and that they are working with UPS and the customs office directly on getting the Kindle from the original order to me. Strangely enough, the previous order didn't look cancelled on my orders page at Amazon, so I cancelled it myself to save me from the payment/refund cycle in case someone else at Amazon would think it's good to go. I would call them, but I don't have a working mic to call them from Skype at the moment. By ordinary phone, it would cost about a Euro per minute (maybe a bit more). Because I don't know how long the call could take, I think it's going to be another chat or e-mail. It's starting to feel like fighting a windmill, to be honest.

09-21-2010, 04:31 PM	#15
slapo Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: none	Quick update: Today, UPS called me saying they were told to send it back (either by the US branch, Amazon or the customs office). So I got to the Amazon customer support chat, thinking that I might get another replacement order for the Kindle. To my surprise, I was told the Kindle support team should handle my requests now. So I sent them an e-mail via their contact form, asking what my options were and that I'd rather not call, not having a working headset (or a mic) for Skype and all. They responded: "Once we receive your shipment, we would issue a full refund for it." That's good to know. I read on and what do you know... they suggest I call them. So I'm wondering whether I should start looking for a half-decent headset or try to return the rest of the order (the EU power adapter) and order a fairly cheap Android 2.1 tablet from eBay. I'd probably get a mediocre device, but at least I'd most likely receive it without that much fuss...