iPad EU News (Abandon all hope, ye who enter here..) ("Are you nuts?!" - Steve)

[MacRy]

Yeah I paid a premium to get it early but i've got the cash and i'm impatient...who cares? I certainly don't and that's why I now have a 32Gb in my sweaty little hands after picking it up from the depot at 12.50pm today. Off to plug it in.....I win

 

[Wyrdo]

I ended up buying one from the US via Ebay last week, it left the US on the 22nd and that's it, no update on the tracking. I'm guessing it's in customs limbo now?

Annoying thing is the seller sent it Express Mail International which is supposed to be guaranteed delivery for today, that's not going to happen!

 

[Boblister]

Here's my question - I have enough airmiles to get to New York return for free... so even throwing in a hotel and expenses, I wonder if it might be cheaper to do that than to buy a UK-released model, when they come!

Of course I am jumping the gun I think - until the UK price is released, nobody knows, and besides there is always the chance I get to New York only to find all the stores out of stock of the 3G model (which is the one I want) if I go too soon after its US release.

Of course if I could crash on a friend's couch in NY for a couple of nights, that would make it even more economical.

I am not sure how compatible the US 3G model will be here. I heard ours has a few more basebands.

 

[SteveWTW]

Here's my question - I have enough airmiles to get to New York return for free... so even throwing in a hotel and expenses, I wonder if it might be cheaper to do that than to buy a UK-released model, when they come!

I looked into the airmiles option but didn't choose it because:

1) BA wanted £191 in taxes so the base cost of getting it early was high already
2) There was no way of guaranteeing a 3G iPad in store on the 1st of May

The flight I was looking at got in at 22:30 and the return flight was at 08:40 the following morning. As the 5th Ave store in NY is open 24 hours a day, this option was actually quite feasible! Especially if I picked up 2 iPads and sold one on.

I've opted for a 3G import instead (albeit at rip off prices).

 

[zed2]

My pad has just arrived at bundlebox... now to arrange for them to ship it to the UK.

 

[zen]

I am not sure how compatible the US 3G model will be here. I heard ours has a few more basebands.

Oh, good point, didn't think of that. This kind of info would be in the tech specs, wouldn't it? When we have UK tech specs, that is.

 

[zen]

I looked into the airmiles option but didn't choose it because:

1) BA wanted £191 in taxes so the base cost of getting it early was high already
2) There was no way of guaranteeing a 3G iPad in store on the 1st of May

The flight I was looking at got in at 22:30 and the return flight was at 08:40 the following morning. As the 5th Ave store in NY is open 24 hours a day, this option was actually quite feasible! Especially if I picked up 2 iPads and sold one on.

I've opted for a 3G import instead (albeit at rip off prices).

My airmiles are with Virgin, and they didn't want any extra cash. But the potential lack of availability, plus the possibility that the 3G specs are different in the UK model compared with the US model, is putting me off now.

Plus I'd want to stay on a couple of days I think, which then just puts the price up even more!

 

[testcard]

My airmiles are with Virgin, and they didn't want any extra cash. But the potential lack of availability, plus the possibility that the 3G specs are different in the UK model compared with the US model, is putting me off now.

Plus I'd want to stay on a couple of days I think, which then just puts the price up even more!

You'd kick yourself if you arrived in NY to find there were no 3Gs available, then climbed on board your return Virgin flight to find the hold full of pallets of iPads destined for the UK market

 

[Elise]

Probably something with maps and GPS which is why I am getting the 3G and have waited so long. If the 3G had been available I might have caved in and imported or Ebayed. Sod the expense. I can afford it.

If the 3G had been available earlier I would have definitely imported, no questions asked...

 

[LaNex]

Here's a question, what's the first app you'll be downloading when you receive yours on your doorstep?

I've collated some apps already - ibooks, the BBC News app, a few other bits, through the US itunes store. I've downloaded a few music making apps through the UK store (a couple of which I have paid for - Entrakment is one, it's a Garageband controller). I expect to download the ipad version of an app called Multi Track by Harmonic Dog as soon as I get my ipad and it is out (which from the developer's schedule should be before I get my ipad). But the "big" pay-for app I will get asap after the ipad reaches my dirty little mitts is Pages. Not really interested in the other two from the iWork suite.

 

[MikeWilson]

Yeah I paid a premium to get it early but i've got the cash and i'm impatient...who cares? I certainly don't and that's why I now have a 32Gb in my sweaty little hands after picking it up from the depot at 12.50pm today. Off to plug it in.....I win

Congratulations

Mine is still stuck at Customs. I spoke to ParcelForce this morning who said that they couldn't help and that I needed to call Customs (02476 212860). Customs woman was very rude and abrasive to the point of being hostile and said that I needed to call UPS (UPS?!?!) (02476 213306) and I've yet to confirm that my package is with UPS since the number is constantly busy.

 

[cyberheater]

Currently syncing

EDIT: It seems like the sender had marked the value of the package as $40 which explains the no import duty, parcel force fees etc... which is a bit risky but seemed to work.

So in total. I've got a 16Gb iPad for £435 all in including delivery. I'm delighted.

 

[Reser]

Congratulations

Mine is still stuck at Customs. I spoke to ParcelForce this morning who said that they couldn't help and that I needed to call Customs (02476 212860). Customs woman was very rude and abrasive to the point of being hostile and said that I needed to call UPS (UPS?!?!) (02476 213306) and I've yet to confirm that my package is with UPS since the number is constantly busy.

I get the feeling she must be a bit retarded and read USPS as UPS and thought your package was being dealt with by them when in fact it is being dealt with by Parcelforce and they are telling you to talk to her.

If I were you I would ring customs again and talk to someone else, I think she was a bit dumb.

 

[MikeWilson]

well all i am going to say on this matter is this

23-04-2010 12:04 Swansea Depot Collected by addressee
23-04-2010 01:55 Swansea Depot Arrived at delivery depot
23-04-2010 01:53 Swansea Depot Awaiting payment of charges
22-04-2010 19:37 National Hub Sorted in hub
22-04-2010 13:06 International Hub En route to delivery depot
22-04-2010 12:24 International Hub RELEASED WITH CHARGES
22-04-2010 12:18 International Hub
14-04-2010 10:29 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGING
14-04-2010 10:29 International Hub SENT TO STORE, AWAITING INFORMATION
11-04-2010 17:11 International Hub AWAITING CUSTOMS CHARGING

Hey Hundleton

I've just noticed (after looking through some older messages) that your iPad, like mine, was/is in a 'STORE' "AWAITING INFORMATION". Do you know what this means or what's involved? I've googled it and can't find any information anywhere. Customs don't know (I asked them - I think they were just trying to get me to hang up so that they can not answer the phone to other callers) and ParcelForce said it all items go into 'Store' over the weekend.

 

[MikeWilson]

I get the feeling she must be a bit retarded and read USPS as UPS and thought your package was being dealt with by them when in fact it is being dealt with by Parcelforce and they are telling you to talk to her.

If I were you I would ring customs again and talk to someone else, I think she was a bit dumb.

I'm on my 26th redial to Customs now

 

[MikeWilson]

Currently syncing

EDIT: It seems like the sender had marked the value of the package as $40 which explains the no import duty, parcel force fees etc... which is a bit risky but seemed to work.

So in total. I've got a 16Gb iPad for £435 all in including delivery. I'm delighted.

Wow! I think my package is marked higher than that but then again I don't think anything explains how Customs works. I think it's a largely random process and they clearly don't inspect everything.

 

[cyberheater]

I'm on my 26th redial to Customs now

Good luck mate


/sent from my iPad

 

[cjbryce]

I am not sure how compatible the US 3G model will be here. I heard ours has a few more basebands.

Do you have any details on that?

It'd be really helpful to know as I'm going to the States later this week and was thinking of buying a 3G one there, if I can. If the basebands are different then I might not.

 

[MikeWilson]

Good luck mate

/sent from my iPad

You tease! it looks like luck (or the lack of it) is all I have right now

Customs stores is an area of Customs where more specialised processing takes place, maybe due to a missing invoice or because the parcel contains high value goods.

Your parcel is waiting to be processed by this department but is caught in backlog caused by the disruptions to international flights over the recent weeks.

I would advise replying to us in the latter portion of this week and I'm sure will be able to give you a update.

Kind regards

Ben Abrams
ParcelForce Worldwide Customer Services Team

Oh hell no

 

[MacRy]

Currently syncing

EDIT: It seems like the sender had marked the value of the package as $40 which explains the no import duty, parcel force fees etc... which is a bit risky but seemed to work.

So in total. I've got a 16Gb iPad for £435 all in including delivery. I'm delighted.

Lucky you. Mine was marked up at $700 value for some unknown reason so my charges were for the full VAT cost. The seller had told me they were putting £100 and "Gift" on it but I guess they bottled it at the last minute as they put iPad on the package Can't blame them really I suppose and I'm just happy it's here. Initial impressions after a few hours playing on it are "WOW" just loving it

 

[Boblister]

Do you have any details on that?

It'd be really helpful to know as I'm going to the States later this week and was thinking of buying a 3G one there, if I can. If the basebands are different then I might not.

It's something I read in here a few weeks back. Someone said the EU models had more basebands compared with the US ones. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything else out. But as I will probably get a EU one now I haven't really tried too hard to find out. Could be worth a general posting asking.

 

[MikeWilson]

Lucky you. Mine was marked up at $700 value for some unknown reason so my charges were for the full VAT cost. The seller had told me they were putting £100 and "Gift" on it but I guess they bottled it at the last minute as they put iPad on the package Can't blame them really I suppose and I'm just happy it's here. Initial impressions after a few hours playing on it are "WOW" just loving it

Well, according to ParcelForce my package is currently in a store waiting more detailed processing - i.e. unboxing and the writing of many letters. Gah. My sender marked it as a 'gift' too and there won't be an invoice in the box either. Perhaps that's what the problem is.

Either way, apparently there's a backlog at Customs for investigations and no way to get through to anyone who gives a s**t there either

 

[MacRy]

Well, according to ParcelForce my package is currently in a store waiting more detailed processing - i.e. unboxing and the writing of many letters. Gah. My sender marked it as a 'gift' too and there won't be an invoice in the box either. Perhaps that's what the problem is.

Either way, apparently there's a backlog at Customs for investigations and no way to get through to anyone who gives a s**t there either

Dude that really sucks I hope you get it sorted soon. You're not missing much anyway, they're not that good these iPad things

 

[MikeWilson]

Dude that really sucks I hope you get it sorted soon. You're not missing much anyway, they're not that good these iPad things

I'm sure that's true but it would be good to find out for myself, eh?

Both your and MacRy's updates inspired me to call Customs back again. And on my seventieth call to Customs I finally got through. Two seconds later the lady on the other end of the line hung up on me.

I swear if Customs were a business, they'd be out of business.

 

[Reser]

Well, according to ParcelForce my package is currently in a store waiting more detailed processing - i.e. unboxing and the writing of many letters. Gah. My sender marked it as a 'gift' too and there won't be an invoice in the box either. Perhaps that's what the problem is.

Either way, apparently there's a backlog at Customs for investigations and no way to get through to anyone who gives a s**t there either

Ouch, thats painful, and worrying since they have such stringent policys on what can be called a gift and not a gift. It should not be too bad though as long as whoever sent it didn't lie about the value, as either way you would pay exactly the same customs tax on an IPad whether it is a gift or not so they can not get at you say you were trying to avoid charges e.t.c.