Has anyone had to do a return and knows what happens with the Import Duty paid. Is it forfeited on a return?

I have asked Customer Service but received two different and vague answers both giving the impression that I might have to do something but no advice or direction on what to do.

What about state taxes, are those refunded with the initial purchase amount?

Any advice or help will be appreciated.

See this thread. It looks like this person got the duties refunded, after quite a fight.


general-discussion/cw-not-refunding-dut ... y%20return

I am having the same issues as mentioned in that thread.

CWL keeps telling me to contact DHL and DHL keeps telling me that they cannot provide the refund as I am not the person who originally paid the USA Import Duty. I am stuck in a loop and CWL is not willing to help.

I already CC'ed Matthew from Customer Support several times but he has not responded.

Any other suggestions to help get this resolved?

^^^^ Rather than a cc. to Matthew, escalate by going direct to him?

Guy

Sent from my Galaxy S23 Ultra using Tapatalk

Sorry you’re having this issue. I’m the one who had that issue in the thread that was linked above. Is your watch faulty as well or it’s simply as case of “I don’t like it enough to keep”?

The problem with the way CW sells the watches now by paying the duties up front and them being the importer (that’s how DDP incoterms work, unlike the DAP terms they used before – Delivered, Duty Paid vs Delivered At Place), is that the receiver in the US is in fact NOT the importer, so DHL, or any other forwarder like UPS or others, cannot give you as the receiver the money back since you’re not the importer on the paperwork. In the past (before 2022 ish), the watches were sent under DAP terms which mean that the US receiver was also the importer and therefore paid duty directly to DHL on the US side, and not at the time of purchase on the CW website.

You will get the tax back from CW, but the duty cannot be refunded by DHL to you as my thread also explains. CW has to get it back from DHL (a pain in the you know what, but their responsibility), so that you can be refunded.

If it’s a case of “not sure I love it, I want to send it back”, then I can sort of understand why the duty cannot be refunded – although nothing was imported in actual fact. That would be your choice.

However, if the watch arrives faulty as in my case, then I think CW should refund the entire purchase no questions asked. It should not be the customer’s risk to pay duties if the product arrives faulty. That’s what happened in my case, and why CW ultimately refunded me, but I’m not sure they understand this customs process and that’s why they’re not giving you the answers.

Personally, I’ll stick to buying the Sub-$800 watches from CW (if there are any left), to avoid this duty headache in case the watch is broken or I don’t love it.

With the inflation of the past four years, the $800 import limit should be raised to reflect that everything costs more now. Obviously, that is an American customs issue & not something that Christopher Ward has any control over. As an US customer, it is far simpler to buy the sub $800 watches but no longer easy to do. As CW has raised the quality bar with its recent releases, the entry level price has gone up. The cost of their components like the movements & labor has gone up. I understand completely. I am just saying that $800 doesn't buy what $800 did before Covid, so the Customs Duty floor should be increased to reflect that fact.

Delmar

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2024 2:46 pm ^^^^ Rather than a cc. to Matthew, escalate by going direct to him?
Guy

I have twice and so far no response.

Jkpa wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2024 3:46 pm You will get the tax back from CW, but the duty cannot be refunded by DHL to you as my thread also explains. CW has to get it back from DHL (a pain in the you know what, but their responsibility), so that you can be refunded.

They refuse to help in any way and keep telling me it is my problem and that I need to contact DHL and deal with it myself.


To make matters worse, the return was delivered on October 2nd (last Wednesday) and they cannot find it. This does not leave me with much desire to purchase from CWL in the future. I am not sure what to do next except speak with Mike France directly at the WindUp Watch Fair in NYC next week. Is the only way to get help to make a public spectacle?

As prices creep ever higher, this thread (and related ones) only serve to confirm that my purchase of a 36mm C63 a few years ago is likely the last CW purchase I’ll make. The import duty is a deal breaker, not in terms of cost, but in terms of complication if one needs to return the watch. Given the growing importance of US sales, the push to expand in the US, and the opening of a US showroom, CW needs to address this issue ASAP.

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Wed Oct 09, 2024 2:29 pm As prices creep ever higher, this thread (and related ones) only serve to confirm that my purchase of a 36mm C63 a few years ago is likely the last CW purchase I’ll make. The import duty is a deal breaker, not in terms of cost, but in terms of complication if one needs to return the watch. Given the growing importance of US sales, the push to expand in the US, and the opening of a US showroom, CW needs to address this issue ASAP.

After this experience, I will not purchase another CWL watch until they have USA based warehousing/shipping/returns in place.

Many other brands already have USA operations, even if the USA is not their largest market, so IMHO it is simply not worth the hassle of purchasing from UK based CWL as a USA based customer.

nycWATCHnerd wrote: ↑Wed Oct 09, 2024 5:55 pm After this experience, I will not purchase another CWL watch until they have USA based warehousing/shipping/returns in place.

Many other brands already have USA operations, even if the USA is not their largest market, so IMHO it is simply not worth the hassle of purchasing from UK based CWL as a USA based customer.

I think you’re exactly right

I have jumped through every hoop CWL Customer Support has asked me to jump through and it all comes back to the same place. DHL will not refund me because I am not the person who paid the USA Import Duty. I am not sure why CWL Customer Service cannot comprehend this simple fact.

I'm afraid there is no will to comprehend.
A way out of this is that they do NOT pay the import duty as happens with many shipments I've had to deal with coming through FedEX. I receive a notice that the package is on hold pending a duty payment. I pay it and then the package is released. I would assume in such an instance, if I need to return the item, then I would interact with FedEX for a refund on the payment that I made.

Why offer the customer the convenience of paying the import duties on their behalf and then not be prepared to get a refund on what you paid if needed?? If you're not prepared to do this, then do not offer the convenience!

maclink wrote: ↑Thu Oct 10, 2024 10:00 pm Why offer the customer the convenience of paying the import duties on their behalf and then not be prepared to get a refund on what you paid if needed?? If you're not prepared to do this, then do not offer the convenience!

Probably because they are "assuming" that it will only be repair/exchange (and only for the same model in a different size or color) so Import Duty refund is not an issue. Honestly, this whole experience has been very telling about their customer service and sales processes.

If one looks at the amounts below you will see what I paid for Import Duty in August and what I would pay for Import Duty today if I ordered the same exact watch. If anything, the US Dollar has lost value against the UK Pound so why was Import Duty more expensive in August than it would be today?

And, the local taxes were lower in August because I had used a coupon from the CWLxNYC August event. Why would duty be more expensive on a lower selling price? It makes no sense. What am I missing here?

Have their been changes to duty/customs rates charges that you are unaware?

CWL Customer Support reverses their position but not in a good way.

CWL made me jump through several hoops with DHL even though I shared with CWL that based on other customers past experiences it was a waste of time (sharing forum posts as reference). I still did it because I was trying to be agreeable.

When I shared with them an actual written response from DHL stating that CWL had to make the request and not me (shown above in earlier post), a different CWL Customer Support Agent (who obviously did not read earlier parts of the CWL ZenDesk ticket) sent me the following response (shown below). So, they waste my time but when I prove that I cannot actually get the refund myself and they need to make the request, the reverse course and say tough luck.

They would have spent less time making the request to DHL than they did telling me that I could do it myself knowing it was not true.

I responded and asked why thy decided to change their minds and also why did they charge me more for Import Duty in August than I would have been charged if I ordered the watch today (again, see earlier posts for info). I copied Matthew (Customer Service Manager who has so far not responded to any of my messages), Mike Pearson, and Mike France on my reply.

My next step will be a credit card charge back. I am also going to investigate whether or not I can report CWL for overcharging on import duty.