Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

B.C. man sets off class-action lawsuit against UPS over hidden brokerage fees
17:51:11 EDT Oct 24, 2006
Canadian Press: TERRI THEODORE


VANCOUVER (CP) - Hidden fees seem to be an everyday irritant for consumers, but a B.C. man is so angry about a fee charged by United Parcel Service he's willing to become the point man for a class-action lawsuit.

It started after Robert Macfarlane purchased an amplified telephone device from Arizona over the Internet last year. He knew he would have to pay shipping and handling fees and government levies, but he was also ordered to pay a $38.40 brokerage fee charged by UPS.

"It's outrageous," said Macfarlane's lawyer Jim Poyner.

"It's a surcharge that nobody agrees to, nobody knows anything about it until the delivery person is at the door."

Poyner said Tuesday he expects hundreds of thousands of people have been in the same situation across the country, and there are plans to file a similar lawsuit in Ontario.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/061024/K102418U.html

[Is this something new? I don't remember some years back when using UPS in Canada having to pay such an exorbitant fee.]

[supernick]

I think the guy was charged a one time fee for the initial set-up for brokerage. The next things he imports he will just have to pay the duties and taxes plus the freight.

[Wrench]

[supernick]

If that's the case, then UPS is really screwwing with people and businesses. So many companies are tied into UPS and Fedex, and customers think that is the only way to go when having their goods delivered. Just because the supplier uses UPS doesn't mean the customers have to. Canada post charges a brokerage fee of $10 plus duties and GST, PST if the shipment is less than $2,000. Larger shipments require a formal customs entry.

I hope that your parents can find a better way of getting their goods. I'm sure that the UPS charges are eating into their income and if enough people take their business elsewhere that should send a good message to UPS.