Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Cricket Manufacturers / Brands => blankbats.co.uk => Topic started by: Mfarank on May 19, 2018, 11:54:08 AM
-
hi guys,
so after a long wait the BB finally arrived. the bat itself is brilliant, perfectly balanced, perfectly pressed and pings great. i have oiled it and am now in the process of knocking it in. the experience of getting it to me however was a mixed bag.
so as suggested by everyone on the forum, i got in touch with Tai to get a B1. after a couple of days of looking at every option he convinced me to go for an LE B4 and agreed to give me a discount on it. what we agreed finally was on GBP 250 including delivery. he asked me if i want an antiscuff sheet fitted. i told him to send it separately. payment was agreed via paypal. each of us made a request. he asked me to send the payment to him as friends and family (which was not possible as that option is not available in UAE) so i had to send him the money as normal payment for goods. he requested that i send an extra GBP 5 to cover some of the fees that paypal is gona charge him. i asked nothing further and sent him GBP255 via paypal rightaway. in return i requested him to put the value of the bat as GBP100 on the invoice (UAE law states that if ordering anything from overseas if the value is under GBP200, they charge 5% VAT, if it is over GBP200 they charge 10% VAT). he agreed to put the value as 100 on the invoice and we had a done deal.
fast forward to a week later and i receive a call from DHL that i have a parcel waiting for me. however they need a payment of GBP 20 to open a one time import code for me since im using DHL for the first time. after having a chat with Tai we came to an agreement and decided to split these charges. however after another couple of days DHL want me to pay them approximately GBP 75 in order to receive the parcel. why? they said its VAT and DHL exclusive charges (according to them since it is a high value item). needless to say i refused the parcel. to put this into context i have ordered many times from prodirectcricket and only paid 5% VAT of the value of the items. i spoke to Tai again and he was kind enough to offer me a refund. but he offered me only a partial refund. in other words i dont get the bat and still lose about GBP 36 because the courier company he chose have so many hidden charges. he offered me option B: split the DHL charges 50-50 and receive the bat. i reluctantly agreed to it and ended up paying the GBP 75 to DHL and received the bat. Tai on his part refunded me GBP 47.5. here is the thing though. when i received the package, the invoice said GBP 250 (even though Tai repeatedly told me he valued it at GBP 100 on the invoice). on top of that, there was no bat cover with a supposed LIMITED EDITION bat. whats more, he didnt even put an antiscuff sheet. upon enquiry, his reply was "i need to check on that" and that was it.
so in summary, we agreed on GBP 250 including shipping. i expected to pay GBP 25 extra as VAT. instead i ended up paying GBP 302.5 after all was said and done, and didnt even get a bat cover or a scuff sheet with the bat.
sorry if it feels like a long rant but i thought i'd share the whole experience and leave no details out. To his credit Tai was very polite.
(https://imgur.com/a/qTQMneh)
-
trying to upload pics but unable to do so. would appreciate the assistance. heres an imgur link to the pics
https://imgur.com/a/qTQMneh
-
Ohh no dont get me wrong. I totally get that. I had zero problems with paying what was legally required to the customs. The DHL exclusive charges however. Legally i would be required to pay 25 quid on a 250 quid bat. But i was made to pay more than 50 for no reason.
-
Forgot to put in a few pound scuff sheet and you weren't able to illegally circumvent customs... as annoying as it probably was for you it sounds like Tai went above and beyond
To clarify, my issue is not that he agreed to make a 100gbp invoice and didnt do it in the end, my issue was that the courier had so many hidden charges on top of the legal customs and vat charges and that was only because of his choice of courier service. Tai infact was very professional and polite about the whole thing. The whole thing is a bummer because not only did i pay more but he incurred losses too. Its DHL who made the money lol. And the antiscuff sheet is important because i cant find one of a similar quality here. Tai has been kind enough to send one over via post today.
-
It’s tricky to undervalue goods as should something go missing then the recoverable cost would only be to that value.
Customs can do as they please and charge what they like sadly too, I’ve had to pay surcharges on imports to be able to have goods released for delivery that are above and beyond fair.
-
Personally I think this is tricky one and a mixed bag .....
I would never ask for an item to be undervalued , but if a seller offered I might take them up on it .
If someone asked me to undervalue an item I would refuse , but if I agreed to do something I would honour the agreement .
I know that customs charges to my country (aust) are nil or minimal , but I know what things are like for most places and would be resigned to expecting any 'surprises' customs threw at me .
If I was unsure , as a buyer or seller , of reliable expected courier charges I would double check , and organize an alternative should the courier prices seem excessive.
To your credit you have been understanding on most of this and give Tai some credit (in amongst the frustrated retelling , and partial complaining) in his dealing with the process , and praise the bat highly . You are in your rights to be disappointed, but other than he forget to include a scuff sheet (which was rectified) and not recieving a bat cover , Tai has not really done anything ( or , arguably , much ) 'wrong' , although perhaps he could have enquired with you/dhl/other couriers further to find the cheapest option ? , and either he forgot to undervalue the bat ,as agreed upon , or he changed his mind and didn't inform you (either possibility is still disappointing after an agreement has been made, and this is the part I'd be most frustrated with if this is what happened and it happened to me), or perhaps it's also possible there was some misunderstanding and Tai never knew this agreement was what you were asking for ( I know you are saying this isn't possible /likely but I'm just trying to allow for all possibilities here).
To Tai's credit he compromised profit numerous times to provide extra service/absorb the additional costs where possible , and he gave you options including a refund . He also later sent the scuff sheet .....oh , and he made you a cracking g1 bat for 250 quid .
I suppose the moral of the story is : dont use dhl for bat delivery to the u.a.e . ;)
-
It’s tricky to undervalue goods as should something go missing then the recoverable cost would only be to that value.
Customs can do as they please and charge what they like sadly too, I’ve had to pay surcharges on imports to be able to have goods released for delivery that are above and beyond fair.
Its true. However after doing extensive homework i discovered the customs department only charged the 10% of the £250 value of the bat. The rest was all from DHL. I have had transactions with prodirect worth over £500 before. They use DPD and royalmail who have partnership with Aramex in UAE. I have never had to pay anything other than the VAT. This transaction was a lesson learnt for both of us and left a sour taste in our mouth. I commend Tai for his commitment and ethics. If anything he incurred more loss than i did.
The bat is halfway in the knocking in stage now and early signs suggest its gona be an absolute beast. Can someone help me share some pics over here? Would love some feedback.
-
Personally I think this is tricky one and a mixed bag .....
I would never ask for an item to be undervalued , but if a seller offered I might take them up on it .
If someone asked me to undervalue an item I would refuse , but if I agreed to do something I would honour the agreement .
I know that customs charges to my country (aust) are nil or minimal , but I know what things are like for most places and would be resigned to expecting any 'surprises' customs threw at me .
If I was unsure , as a buyer or seller , of reliable expected courier charges I would double check , and organize an alternative should the courier prices seem excessive.
To your credit you have been understanding on most of this and give Tai some credit (in amongst the frustrated retelling , and partial complaining) in his dealing with the process , and praise the bat highly . You are in your rights to be disappointed, but other than he forget to include a scuff sheet (which was rectified) and not recieving a bat cover , Tai has not really done anything ( or , arguably , much ) 'wrong' , although perhaps he could have enquired with you/dhl/other couriers further to find the cheapest option ? , and either he forgot to undervalue the bat ,as agreed upon , or he changed his mind and didn't inform you (either possibility is still disappointing after an agreement has been made, and this is the part I'd be most frustrated with if this is what happened and it happened to me), or perhaps it's also possible there was some misunderstanding and Tai never knew this agreement was what you were asking for ( I know you are saying this isn't possible /likely but I'm just trying to allow for all possibilities here).
To Tai's credit he compromised profit numerous times to provide extra service/absorb the additional costs where possible , and he gave you options including a refund . He also later sent the scuff sheet .....oh , and he made you a cracking g1 bat for 250 quid .
I suppose the moral of the story is : dont use dhl for bat delivery to the u.a.e . ;)
Its true and i cant thank Tai enough for getting the bat to me. The bat was within 25kms of me and i was so gutted that all this was happening. The moral of the story is definitely correct. Never use DHL for delivery to the UAE. Use DPD or royalmail.
-
I ask sellers to undervalue stuff from the UK every time. Ive asked for it so I know its my problem if it gets damaged or lost. Ive also used DHL to NZ and never had that issue before.
-
I ask sellers to undervalue stuff from the UK every time. Ive asked for it so I know its my problem if it gets damaged or lost. Ive also used DHL to NZ and never had that issue before.
Fair enough , i just feel that if a seller was truly comfortable doing it then they would either do it by default or offer to do it upfront.....and i don't want to ask anyone to do anything they are uncomfortable doing , especially when it involves dubious legality.
-
How do i post pics here? Im dying xD
-
Www.Postimages.org (http://Www.Postimages.org)
-
I ask sellers to undervalue stuff from the UK every time. Ive asked for it so I know its my problem if it gets damaged or lost. Ive also used DHL to NZ and never had that issue before.
Ditto.
I will always ask for an undervalue if coming from abroad. Weirdly, no Oz retailers seem comfortable doing it.
-
(https://s9.postimg.cc/vub6jug5n/37_No9_MV_d.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/vub6jug5n/)
(https://s9.postimg.cc/598noa62j/ec9_BYDv_d.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/598noa62j/)
(https://s9.postimg.cc/7dt0pcs9n/e_IIervr_d.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/7dt0pcs9n/)
Finally here we are. Theres about 7-8 grains. Hint of color on one edge, couple of tiny blemishes. 2lb8.7oz on the scale. Pickup is about 2-7 max. Lovely oval handle (i added a 2nd grip). 36 mil edges, 62 mil spine. Round face, Minimal concaving and a nice duckbill.
-
So... The bat is great, but you had to pay more than expected because you tried to cheat the system.
I officially have zero sympathy
-
Nice looking bat, if it scores plenty of runs for you it’s worth it no matter the price
-
So... The bat is great, but you had to pay more than expected because you tried to cheat the system.
I officially have zero sympathy
This. Looks like a nice bat!
-
Did Tai include the tariff code for export ?
-
Did Tai include the tariff code for export ?
Nope.
-
This has turned out to be a bit of a learning curve; I have always used p4d for overseas parcels without issue previously.
Sadly these charges were beyond my control. I thought it was reasonable enough to split these as it was unfair for you to stump up.
In any case hope you enjoy the bat, certainly was a pinger.
T
-
So... The bat is great, but you had to pay more than expected because you tried to cheat the system.
I officially have zero sympathy
So... you agree to a deal and the other party doesn't follow it leaving you with a loss. I officially don't understand the holier than thou attitude. It is totally justifiable for a buyer to be frustrated in this scenario.
-
This has turned out to be a bit of a learning curve; I have always used p4d for overseas parcels without issue previously.
Sadly these charges were beyond my control. I thought it was reasonable enough to split these as it was unfair for you to stump up.
In any case hope you enjoy the bat, certainly was a pinger.
T
Very humble response. Even the charges were out of your control you still split them. Buyer cant complain and he is not. He is appreciating you and cursing DHL.
-
(https://s22.postimg.cc/czpjyytmp/20180610_231002.jpg)
(https://s22.postimg.cc/vtbcvpk29/20180610_231032.jpg)
So here we are after almost a month of home preparation which included 2 light coats of oil with 48 hours interval, rounding off the edges, knocking in the toe for about 1 hour and about 3 hours of knocking in with the mallet and then another couple hours with an old ball in a sock, i did another light coat of wax and applied the antiscuff and edge tape. And finally took it to nets where i used old white balls with a bowling machine, played about 200 deliveries and played checked defensive strokes only. And finished off with short pitched throwdowns with a sidearm and played some pulls and cuts. And quite honestly its unlike any bat i have ever used! So comfortable in the hands and absolute belter nomatter where it hit. Really pleased with the bat and it has already started opening up. I guess 1 more session like this and it will be good to go.
I have to say the whole buying experience feels like a distant memory now and every penny spent was worth it. Once again big shout out to Tai for providing us mortals with these cannons. This is as good a bat as you're ever going to find. Big thumbs up to Blank Bats
-
Awww.... such a happy ending . :D
-
Awww.... such a happy ending . :D
Ending? This is just the beginning :D