In response to Flyingboxcar, yes they screw us because we are not thorough with the legalities concerned. I agree with you on that. However, there is something called logistics and dearth of time. For example, take my current case (that is where this thread started from):
1. I am at Guwahati, and the consignment is stuck up in Kolkata.
2.
http://ipsweb.ptcmysore.gov.in/ipswebtracking/ - I visit the site and all it tells me is that the
consignment left Hong Kong 5th Nov. Thereafter, they are clueless.
"11/5/2010 6:00:00 PM HONG KONG HONG KONG AIR MAIL CENTRE Send item abroad (EDI-received)"
3. Ditto from the EMS / Speedpost office at Guwahati "Your parcel left Hong Kong on 5th Nov. It
is on it's way"
4. Luckily Hobby King / Hong Kong Post is more aware of the parcels whereabouts than the
Indian Authorities. What a joke!
5. I became aware that the parcel reached India on 12th Nov and was detained by the Customs
thanks to the Hong Kong Posts website. No help from the services for which I pay taxes.
6. So now, left to its own devices here is what would have happened:
a. After a wait (period decided by the honourable authorities) the Indian Customs would send me
a letter by ordinary / registered mail asking me to furnish certain documents - Would that
letter ever reach me? If it did, how long would it take? And what blessed documents would
they ask for and where would I get them from?
b. I would then send them a letter enumerating the purpose and stating the intended use of the
consignment.
c. The Authorities would peruse my letter and if satisfied, they would release the consignment.
In my case, that didn't happen. I spoke to them and informed them that I had received a
clearance from DGFT and quoted clause and sub section attracting a maximum of 35% dutiy
on the declared value. It fell to deaf ears.
d. They would then ask me to go to Kolkata and meet the authorities and plead my case with
section / sub section / my thorough knowledge of the law. Then I would spend time in Kolkata
cooling my heels waiting for them to dawdle and hem and haw through the archaic
paperwork. After a considerable span of time they would finally agree with me and hand over
my precious parcel.
e. I would emerge victorious from the Customs Office with my head held high and a battle well
fought, screaming "Jaago Grahak Jaago"
f. I guess 7000 in Airfare + 7 days of lodging expenses in Kolkata would be a better choice for
some who would not bow down to greasing palms, I am made of a meeker mettle.
Flyingboxcar, I mean no disrespect to you. There is no uniformity in this country - not even in corruption. It's all very well to be gung ho when you are armed with a vast cache of legal knowledge. However, there may be cases when you are strapped for time and bound by logistics. There has to be a different approach - "There are different strokes for different folks."
Explain one thing to me in black and white - all the pundits have discussed dates, specifications, toys, scale models, sections, clauses, rules, definitions et al - why is it still as clear as mud for most of us? If it was all so easy, I think by now we would all have been armed with a set of documents and a personal guarantee from our knowledgeable members and a pointwise S.O.P. of what to do when your parcel is detained by the Indian Customs I haven't found that as yet. All I have found is that we are well on our way to acquiring LLB's!I tried a simple approach and it worked - simple - grease it out. That's my S.O.P. What's even better, I now have a conduit for importing whatever I need, at a price, while others are discussing law.
I am sorry if this post sounds caustic / sarcastic, I have just about spent a fortune on STD calls to the Customs and DGFT offices and have learnt NOTHING NEW. The same stuff is being bandied about here. There is no point. NO ONE can guarantee that
"If your consignment is from so and so place, and it contains so and so items and if the valuation is so and so, then you can produce document number so and so and write so and so letter and your parcel will be released in such and such time frame."Wake up and smell the coffee - This is India 2010 - nothing has changed..........
My apologies to anyone who I may have inadvertently offended. I am just frustrated out of my mind with this archaic and corrupted system (which people like us are further fueling by indulging the people concerned).
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