Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

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Invin
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Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Invin » Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:45 am

Long time no see guys! :wink:

So, a couple weeks ago I ordered a clearance Digitech Drop from Prymaxe.com. I've purchased from them a few times before and never had any problems. Well yesterday I came home from work and the parcel was on the table with a whopping $82.75 customs bill that a family member paid when they picked it up at the post office. The purchase price was only $150, and I've purchased far more expensive pedals from the same place before with no problem. What gives? Well, I open up the package and there's a slip from customs saying that Prymaxe either failed to fill out the declaration properly or provided a false value. I check the paperwork and Prymaxe lied to customs saying the value was $6.50, so customs investigated and decided it should be $280.

Well, surely if I explain the situation to Prymaxe they'll let me return it so I can file with customs for a refund with proof of return. I contact them, and they tell me it's not their problem. I explain that I have clear proof from customs that the shipper provided false information and failed to fill out the declaration properly. I ask very nicely if they can help me out at all. At least allow me to return the pedal so that I'm not completely boned for something that wasn't my mistake. Nope. Too bad, so sad. "We cannot be held responsible" they said.

I don't think there's anything legally saying they can be held accountable, but I was surprised by the crappy service. My only recourse now is to fill out a bunch of paper work to send to customs to dispute the value and maybe get a little bit back (part of the duty is non refundable - they charge you handling fees just to open the box).

Anyway, I told Prymaxe that I'd be passing along my experience. Doesn't help the bank account but I think people should at least be warned. It's unfortunate that a family member picked it up without informing me or I could have returned to sender. Don't end up like me! :|

Feel free to share any similar stories you have. I'm sure others have been through much worse.
TH 30
Eminence Wizard & Governor 2x12
ESP Eclipse II JB/'59, Charvel San Dimas Style 2 JB/'59
Tomkat Bender, TU-2, Crybaby Mini, Palisades, Xotic RC, Euphoria, MVP, Sentry, Blue Sky, Grand Orbiter V2, Timeline, Alter Ego, Dispatch Master, Ditto X2

Snapjaw79
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Snapjaw79 » Fri Feb 17, 2017 5:03 am

BUMMER!!

I usually have people send me stuff through regular mail when customs may get involved. Less chance they will look at it. Although, I tried to send some really nice tequila to a friend in Slovenia and customs kept it!! Maybe Prymaxe has been caught trying to dodge fees multiple times and now they're on the radar... Ya never know with customs I guess.
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Mystic38
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Mystic38 » Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:28 pm

Well, you have certainly warned me off of using them..even tho i am in the USA..

seems clear that pryemaxe was in violation of something.. ie i cannot believe it is legal to falsify customs documentation?..

they should make good, or you could send your invoice, and their customs declaration to US customs?..

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import- ... -purchases" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

failing any of that, and zero response from Pryemaxe, if it was me.. (i really do not like getting fk'd over).. i would post in every music forum a warning about Pryemaxe, give them a bad review on any and all review websites i can find, and if it was via Ebay, a negative review and force a return
-Ian-

Orange Rocker 30c, PPC212 & PPC112, Fender DRRI, Marshall 2266
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Invin
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Invin » Sat Feb 18, 2017 9:50 pm

Mystic38 wrote:Well, you have certainly warned me off of using them..even tho i am in the USA..

seems clear that pryemaxe was in violation of something.. ie i cannot believe it is legal to falsify customs documentation?..

they should make good, or you could send your invoice, and their customs declaration to US customs?..

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import- ... -purchases" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

failing any of that, and zero response from Pryemaxe, if it was me.. (i really do not like getting fk'd over).. i would post in every music forum a warning about Pryemaxe, give them a bad review on any and all review websites i can find, and if it was via Ebay, a negative review and force a return
If someone else gets your next gear purchase instead of them, I feel a little better :lol:

I purchased it through their website. It looks like they have ratings disabled on their facebook page (or I might be blind), so I left a complaint with the Better Business Bureau for now.
TH 30
Eminence Wizard & Governor 2x12
ESP Eclipse II JB/'59, Charvel San Dimas Style 2 JB/'59
Tomkat Bender, TU-2, Crybaby Mini, Palisades, Xotic RC, Euphoria, MVP, Sentry, Blue Sky, Grand Orbiter V2, Timeline, Alter Ego, Dispatch Master, Ditto X2

OrangeBoy
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by OrangeBoy » Sun Feb 19, 2017 10:38 am

That's a shame. I've purchased 11 pedals in total from Prymaxe including two during October 2016 and two during November 2016, so fairly recently. They have always provided great customer service, have always been prompt and quick answering questions (using email and phone) and have given me sizeable discounts because I'm a repeat customer. Because of this they are my main effects supplier. I order from overseas and don't recall any false value declarations. It's interesting and rather sad this has happened.

Sooner
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Sooner » Sun Feb 19, 2017 7:53 pm

Interesting. From both of these websites I'm getting an estimated duty of only about $18 (Canadian) assuming a value of $280 (US) and it was shipped to Alberta.

https://www.dutycalculator.com/new-impo ... 221872929/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.crossbordershopping.ca/calc ... calculator" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is the difference the amount they charged to inspect it? Is the inspection fee only charged if they get suspicious? Enquiring minds... :?:
Sooner
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Invin
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Invin » Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:50 am

Sooner wrote:Interesting. From both of these websites I'm getting an estimated duty of only about $18 (Canadian) assuming a value of $280 (US) and it was shipped to Alberta.

https://www.dutycalculator.com/new-impo ... 221872929/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.crossbordershopping.ca/calc ... calculator" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is the difference the amount they charged to inspect it? Is the inspection fee only charged if they get suspicious? Enquiring minds... :?:
The bill I got from customs says:

Duty - $56.00
GST - $16.80
Handling Costs - $9.95

I think even though Digitech is an American company they charged me a higher duty because the pedal itself was manufactured in China? Could be wrong but that's my best guess. Will update if I have any success getting a partial refund after filling out the paperwork and sending in a copy of my receipt for the purchase price.
TH 30
Eminence Wizard & Governor 2x12
ESP Eclipse II JB/'59, Charvel San Dimas Style 2 JB/'59
Tomkat Bender, TU-2, Crybaby Mini, Palisades, Xotic RC, Euphoria, MVP, Sentry, Blue Sky, Grand Orbiter V2, Timeline, Alter Ego, Dispatch Master, Ditto X2

Jondog
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Jondog » Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:34 pm

That certainly sucks. What shipping company? I'll only buy from US companies that use USPS now. Been dinged on duty fees enough from others. All seem like a scam to me.
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Invin
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Invin » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:08 pm

Jondog wrote:That certainly sucks. What shipping company? I'll only buy from US companies that use USPS now. Been dinged on duty fees enough from others. All seem like a scam to me.
It was USPS :( Last pedal I ordered was an Earthquaker Avalanche Run from Pro Guitar Shop, and it was held by customs for two weeks. I believe I got charged a total of $45 to pick that one up (handling, taxes, and duty). It was worth much more than the Drop, so $45 seemed a little less outrageous. I seem to have the best experiences ordering from Amazon.com (the US one) as gear always arrives within a week with no surprise fees. It's not exactly a boutique gear store, but if you can find what you want it's nice to have the peace of mind. I bought my Grand Orbiter V2 there.
TH 30
Eminence Wizard & Governor 2x12
ESP Eclipse II JB/'59, Charvel San Dimas Style 2 JB/'59
Tomkat Bender, TU-2, Crybaby Mini, Palisades, Xotic RC, Euphoria, MVP, Sentry, Blue Sky, Grand Orbiter V2, Timeline, Alter Ego, Dispatch Master, Ditto X2

Invin
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Location: AB, Canada

Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Invin » Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:14 pm

Hey guys! Got an update for you. I've done a few things, the first of which was file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau asking for a resolution from Prymaxe. They responded a couple weeks later and said the same thing, that it's either my fault or customs' fault and they won't be responsible for the fees or allow me to return it. I made sure to explain that they declared a false value and failed to fill out the form properly. No response since, but at least I was able to leave a review there. I reviewed the pedal on their store page and noted the situation in my review there as well. It seemed to post initially but I just checked and it's gone now, so they may have deleted it.

The second thing I did was fill out the paperwork to request a partial refund from customs. I printed out my receipts, circled the actual amount I paid for the pedal, and used the government's online calculator to estimate what I should have actually paid, which came to around $10 plus the non-refundable $10 fee they charged for inspection. I requested a refund of the difference, which was around $65. Sure enough, a cheque arrived in the mail today from customs for $65.38. So that was worth the effort!

Lastly, I sold the pedal on Reverb and was able to recover very near what I paid, so it all worked out. I found the tracking just a bit too slow for what I play. I don't think it would bother a lot of people, but I definitely could feel the latency and tone loss.

So, if you ever get a huge customs bill and for whatever reason can't refuse it at the post office (in my case due to someone picking it up without me knowing), it's definitely worth submitting the paperwork for a partial refund! I ended up getting almost all my money back with a little effort.
TH 30
Eminence Wizard & Governor 2x12
ESP Eclipse II JB/'59, Charvel San Dimas Style 2 JB/'59
Tomkat Bender, TU-2, Crybaby Mini, Palisades, Xotic RC, Euphoria, MVP, Sentry, Blue Sky, Grand Orbiter V2, Timeline, Alter Ego, Dispatch Master, Ditto X2

Boy_Narf
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Boy_Narf » Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:40 pm

Most US companies I've dealt with lie about the customs value or declare it as a "repair" to save us in Canada from getting screwed on the costs. I'm usually annoyed when a seller declares the proper value cause I always get dinged really bad. Three preamp tubes from EutoTubes cost me $15.00 in customs just a few weeks back.

Jondog
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Re: Bad experience with Prymaxe and customs

Post by Jondog » Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:05 pm

Boy_Narf wrote:Most US companies I've dealt with lie about the customs value or declare it as a "repair" to save us in Canada from getting screwed on the costs. I'm usually annoyed when a seller declares the proper value cause I always get dinged really bad. Three preamp tubes from EutoTubes cost me $15.00 in customs just a few weeks back.
You should order your tubes from http://www.thetubestore.com. Awesome service, fast shipping out of Hamilton Ontario.
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