I dealt with this just now with a $300 item shipped in September.

I call them and let them know before the package reached Canada that I intend to self-clear.

I call them again after I get info that the package is in Canada that I will be paying the duties and taxes myself and will self-clear. Still, their online site tries to bill me $120 for $36 worth of taxes and duties. I don’t receive any emails with the form.

So then I go to Richmond where their office is open until 3pm to try to get a copy of the self-clear document. But only after the second time they tell me I can’t get this form until they try showing up at my door once, and then the package ends up held at the service centre.

The third time I arrive there and get the paper, then head to the CBSA office, pay the taxes, get the stamp, get a photo, and head back to the service centre for the fourth time, I then get the package, sign off and hand off the sheet. I thought I was in the clear since I have my package, they have the documentation, everyone’s happy right?

Nope, they are still trying to collect the $36 I already paid and the $84 in bogus fees. After the first bill, I call them and they tell me to email the documents to fredbrok@ups.com but they didn’t answer. A month later they are trying to tack on late fees to this, so I call again and they tell me to email canadabrokeragecs@ups.com with the same form and the order of events. I got a “we received it” email this time so we’ll see if this fixes it.

I will probably contact BC Consumer Protection because this is ridiculous. Fedex does the same thing but more like in the video where they just drop it off then bill later. We need to end this practice, and give the consumer a choice: (A) We will do the brokerage for you for $x.xx, (B) select your commercial broker, send us the contact info we should email or mail documents to, © you will self-clear the package, and we will give you the Cargo Control Number that you need to give CBSA.

It’s our right to be able to clear your items yourself, it’s just that UPS makes a lot of money by playing hard to get and extorting people of their packages.