Import Charges for Warranty Replacement?

[kearton]

We're awaiting delivery of a warranty replacement of a Meru controller. Fortinet are sending it from the United States (none in stock in the UK?)

UPS ring us up and say "that'll be US$425.04 import charges please". We say "Erm, I don't think so. Speak to the sender. It's a warranty replacement". UPS say item will be returned to sender on 24/2 if you refuse to pay.

I contact Fortinet (via the support ticket we have raised for the problem) and tell them. They reply to say that "customer is responsible for the payment of all import clearance charges and duties or other fees that may occur at reception in the country"

 

I've emailed an ex-Meru person at Fortinet to try and get this resolved, but to say I'm hopping mad is an understatement........

 

Has anyone else experienced this?

[mthomas08]

Some of our warranty repairs go abroad, not once have we had to pay for it. Something I completely refuse to do.

 

There was an issue in regards to a Lenovo warranty that required a charge with an externally involved company, this has since been resolved.

 

I think they are pulling a fast one but just my view.

 

Perhaps threaten to never purchase from them again or send their products back holding back any invoices? - just a thought. Something we have done.

Edited February 15, 2016 by mthomas08

[jmak]

Presumably you bought the original from a UK distributor? In which case it's their responsibility to sort any costs - especially as they've already failed by not having anything suitable in stock.

 

Apart from that, I'd be hopping! And on twitter and Facebook and emailing their MD and press department.

 

I wasn't realistically in the market for their kit at this point - but hearing about this had already ruled them out unless I hear you've received an apology. I hear Ruckus support is excellent!

[kearton]

It gets better... I forgot to mention in the original post that it was their engineer that "broke" it (thus requiring the replacement) whilst performing firmware upgrades...

[NokiX]

It gets better... I forgot to mention in the original post that it was their engineer that "broke" it (thus requiring the replacement) whilst performing firmware upgrades...

 

That's ridiculous, they may as well have just come over and smashed the controller with a hammer and told you to go buy another one. Anything under warranty shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg to receive and frankly the fact they damaged the item themselves means they should wave any costs. Very bad practice for any company!

[kearton]

Still no response from the ex-Meru person (who is on Edugeek, btw)

 

I contacted the company who took over the company we originally bought it from yesterday morning. Later that day we got an email from UPS saying that the "Sender accepted all of the import charges. Shipment should be with you tomorrow". However the UPS track and trace updated too and also now says "The receiver must pay the duties or taxes due on the package." The person responding to the Fortinet support tickets (who neither appears to have English as a first language, nor appears to fully read the plethora of information I've updated the ticket with) is still adamant that we'll be expected to pay, and "if we refuse then it will be returned to Fortinet in the USA"

 

It's supposed to be on a pre-12pm delivery for today, so I guess I'll find out soon....

[RLR]

Recently sent an Access Point back to Meru/Fortinet under warranty (to France). I asked several times for a shipping label to return the item but eventually got an answer saying we have to pay for postage which I found quite odd. Usually companies provide a returns label so we ended up spending a fair bit of money to return this access point. Slightly frustrating but needed swapping out.